Friends!
I've been doing a lot of baking recently. working at the deli is really making me reflect on food, and the various rituals, hang-ups and quirky behaviors that everyone seems to exhibit around it. Jeff for example, will eat every part of a sandwich except the piece that he has been holding while eating it.
so i was thinking about cooking, and how it gets done in our society and i feel i've reached some conclusions. granted they are generalizations, but i feel there is some truth to them.
firstly, people in out society seem perturbed by cooking. it is time consuming, hot (usually), and for most it seems too complicated. pre made meals abound, and it is becoming harder and harder to find raw ingredients in any variety or volume.
secondly, the act of food preparation is one that is hidden, and kept out of view. with the possible exception of hibachi style restaurants, most food not made in a home is prepared behind closed doors and out of sight. the cook is a mysterious person, probably donning a silly hat and apron, whom most diners never see, but inevitably fantasize about while dining.
and lastly, i've recently met a number of people who really hate to cook. i just dont get this, but perhaps everyone else doesn't have the compulsive motherly response i do to hungry friends.....
so in response i've been thinking about cooking as performance. in essence, its really not too different from any other performance, save that the audience has a temporal disconnect from the performer. the audience (hungry people) is presented with an artifact (work) that was created in a performative process. to what extent does the promise of a future audience influence the cooking? why do we not cook publicly? how do people get to be so old never learning to cook?
these are just a few of the questions on my mind. i haven't figured out the piece yet, but i figured if there was anyone who would have some sweet ideas it would be you guys.
so i present a little story/recipe about bananas.
the deli cant move bananas fast enough, so i take home the lonely and too overripe to sell bananas and freeze them. After freezing, they are rock solid, and have to thaw to be mashed for bread-making, because the skins wont peel off unless they thaw. once thawed, a quick slice down the middle lets you pop the banana out in a pseudo slimy but still banana shaped slump. i recommend using a recipe without baking soda (use baking powder instead, it gets a less salty flavor going, and makes for a less dry texture.
here are some pictures that show the bananas thawing, which i think is pretty cool.
right out the freezer:
a little later, like 10 min:
Just before mashing:
so:
4 ripe/overripe bananas;
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts (optional but yummy)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (also optional, but seriously....)
3 tbs butter/margarine
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, making sure to sift flour and mix up the sugar. this works best when done to the stooges "lust for life". at this point it is also appropriate to preheat the oven to 350. combine the wet ingredients, including the butter (best if melted a little)
once you've mixed everything up, grease a small loaf pan, and pour the mixture. once the oven is ready cook for 55-60 min, or until a knife comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
while the bread is cooking, be sure to read up on the impending banana crisis!
I've been doing a lot of baking recently. working at the deli is really making me reflect on food, and the various rituals, hang-ups and quirky behaviors that everyone seems to exhibit around it. Jeff for example, will eat every part of a sandwich except the piece that he has been holding while eating it.
so i was thinking about cooking, and how it gets done in our society and i feel i've reached some conclusions. granted they are generalizations, but i feel there is some truth to them.
firstly, people in out society seem perturbed by cooking. it is time consuming, hot (usually), and for most it seems too complicated. pre made meals abound, and it is becoming harder and harder to find raw ingredients in any variety or volume.
secondly, the act of food preparation is one that is hidden, and kept out of view. with the possible exception of hibachi style restaurants, most food not made in a home is prepared behind closed doors and out of sight. the cook is a mysterious person, probably donning a silly hat and apron, whom most diners never see, but inevitably fantasize about while dining.
and lastly, i've recently met a number of people who really hate to cook. i just dont get this, but perhaps everyone else doesn't have the compulsive motherly response i do to hungry friends.....
so in response i've been thinking about cooking as performance. in essence, its really not too different from any other performance, save that the audience has a temporal disconnect from the performer. the audience (hungry people) is presented with an artifact (work) that was created in a performative process. to what extent does the promise of a future audience influence the cooking? why do we not cook publicly? how do people get to be so old never learning to cook?
these are just a few of the questions on my mind. i haven't figured out the piece yet, but i figured if there was anyone who would have some sweet ideas it would be you guys.
so i present a little story/recipe about bananas.
the deli cant move bananas fast enough, so i take home the lonely and too overripe to sell bananas and freeze them. After freezing, they are rock solid, and have to thaw to be mashed for bread-making, because the skins wont peel off unless they thaw. once thawed, a quick slice down the middle lets you pop the banana out in a pseudo slimy but still banana shaped slump. i recommend using a recipe without baking soda (use baking powder instead, it gets a less salty flavor going, and makes for a less dry texture.
here are some pictures that show the bananas thawing, which i think is pretty cool.
right out the freezer:
a little later, like 10 min:
Just before mashing:
so:
4 ripe/overripe bananas;
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts (optional but yummy)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (also optional, but seriously....)
3 tbs butter/margarine
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, making sure to sift flour and mix up the sugar. this works best when done to the stooges "lust for life". at this point it is also appropriate to preheat the oven to 350. combine the wet ingredients, including the butter (best if melted a little)
once you've mixed everything up, grease a small loaf pan, and pour the mixture. once the oven is ready cook for 55-60 min, or until a knife comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
while the bread is cooking, be sure to read up on the impending banana crisis!
2 comments:
Rod, if you are interested in cooking as performance, you might be into the "relational aesthetics" stuff. (Elizabeth too!) Check out this guy, Rirkrit Tiravanija.
Here is an article about him from ArtNews --> A short history of Rirkrit Tiravanija - Thai artist who cooks meals as installation art, and another from Surface Magazine Tiravanija.
Here's one with a photo from Columbia News.
Also, thanks for the recipe! I'll let you know how it turns out vegan.
Hehe. I was about to refer him to Tiravanija as well.
Obviously this is a subject I am very interested in. You have some interesting insights about the restaurant dining experience. I'm interested in the relationships you have to the people you cook for, how they become entwined in this daily performance. I love spicy food, as does Cara, and cooking just for her i'll make something mouthwateringly hot about 7 times out of 10. Elizabeth likes spicy food, but less frequently, and Zack is trying to like spicy food but still has the mouth of a baby. Josh is somewhere between Zach and Elizabeth. This is just one of the many variables of consideration I take in when cooking for the artfam. Then there are factors like what ingredients are available (am I willing to throw down and buy something if I want to make it), time I have to prepare and time I'm willing to spend preparing. The other day I made fried papusas and it was so horribly hot, I vowed to never make such a mistake again.
You can read about my latest craigslist dinner encounter on my food blog.
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