We will always need cookbooks
April 4, 2020 by JennyMore now than ever, the cooking community is coming out in full force. Everyone is live-streaming a dish, recipe and offering their advice on all things cooking. For those of us who know how to make a sourdough starter or transform a can of beans into a feast, it is our time to shine.
Over the years, people have asked me repeatedly: “What do you need with all those cookbooks?” I often respond, “Those cookbooks are escapes to faraway countries, to a world of cultures and cuisines that I may never experience first hand. To me, those cookbooks are a world of possibilities.” Sometimes weary of the question, I reply, “I know, but I love them.”
Personally, I am trying to remain positive and not criticize others for what brings them joy. For instance, the issue with the narrative that accompanies online recipes. There was another squirmish in Twitter-verse this week when Mindy Kaling posted the following tweet:
To which I still maintain, scroll past it all sister. (Order up: one recipe, hold the narrative). Social media is a wonderful thing especially today when we all feel the desperate need to connect. But social media is also a curse, where the urge to post something negative or critical is often never quashed.
Yasmin Fahr author of Keeping It Simple: Easy Weeknight One-Pot Recipes published a piece for Delicious entitled “Do we still need cookery books?” Yasmin gave us a shout out in the piece where she argues the merits of cookbooks. Her points include that cookbooks offer a sensory experience, are a source of inspiration and are a valuable tool for preserving history and culture of various cuisines. I couldn’t agree more.
Cookbooks are keys to our past, guides to the present and provide hope for our future. They help us to understand other cultures and bring this vast world closer. We need each other and should respect our differences as well as our similarities. Don’t yuck someone else’s yum.
My husband is like Weird Al with song parodies and for some reason, his affliction has passed to me. Sing along with me in the fashion of We Will Rock You:
Honey, you’re a cook, make a big mess
Playing at the stove, gonna make a souffle today
You got flour on your face, it’s your escape
Kicking your pans all over the place, singin’
We need, we need cookbooks
We need, we need cookbooks.
Honey, cookbooks are all over the place
Piled down the hall, pushed against the wall, ready to fall
You got sauce on your face, it’s your escape
Posting pictures of your bread all over the place
We need, we need cookbooks
We need, we need cookbooks
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