TV.
Now, let me begin by telling you how confused I used to make my students when I told them I didn't have a television at my house. Of course, I have no idea how many televisions live in my current home, though it would be an interesting fact to research.
Besides the news, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy!, my TV viewing is confined to Netflix, and mostly cooking shows at that. Two weeks ago I came across a Netflix original called, Cooked. Given everything I just wrote, you can tell that this show was right up my alley.
In the series, based on a book by the same name, Michael Pollan (also the author), explores four different elements of cooking: fire, water, air, and earth. And, he highlights four different people who are cooking well with those elements. (Side note: In the earth episode, the showcased person happens to be a Benedictine nun with a Ph.D. in microbiology making cheese.)
What I most loved about the show is that it wasn't about the food, while being completely about the food. More than anything though, it discussed our current food reality where we process so much of what we eat and do not pay attention to the entire process involved in getting food to our plates. Pollan gets a vegetarian to try (and enjoy) sustainably raised roasted pork, and he shows how the current techniques used to make bread do not allow gluten to break down as fully as a slow fermentation process, which could be leading to the gluten intolerances that we see everywhere today.
Pollan reminds us that cooking consciously and well is an act of nourishment, of love, and isn't that what matters?
Let us walk in the holy presence.
Besides the news, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy!, my TV viewing is confined to Netflix, and mostly cooking shows at that. Two weeks ago I came across a Netflix original called, Cooked. Given everything I just wrote, you can tell that this show was right up my alley.
In the series, based on a book by the same name, Michael Pollan (also the author), explores four different elements of cooking: fire, water, air, and earth. And, he highlights four different people who are cooking well with those elements. (Side note: In the earth episode, the showcased person happens to be a Benedictine nun with a Ph.D. in microbiology making cheese.)
What I most loved about the show is that it wasn't about the food, while being completely about the food. More than anything though, it discussed our current food reality where we process so much of what we eat and do not pay attention to the entire process involved in getting food to our plates. Pollan gets a vegetarian to try (and enjoy) sustainably raised roasted pork, and he shows how the current techniques used to make bread do not allow gluten to break down as fully as a slow fermentation process, which could be leading to the gluten intolerances that we see everywhere today.
Pollan reminds us that cooking consciously and well is an act of nourishment, of love, and isn't that what matters?
Let us walk in the holy presence.
(from Google Images)
