Michael Pollan's Mustachian moment

[Worsted Skeins]

Michael Pollan was promoting his new book Cooked on Lynne Rossetto Kasper's public radio program, The Splendid Table.  This comment particularly stood out:

But I found that there were some other virtues to cooking. I think of cooking as a political act. I think we have fallen into this place where we are so dependent on others to do everything for us. All we do is we take the one thing that we do for a living, we sell that into the market, we take that money and use that to outsource everything in our lives. That leads to a dependence that is almost infantilizing. There is something very satisfying in providing for yourself -- even to some extent in a playful way -- and I would include gardening in that too. You feel so much more competent, self-reliant, and independent when you know, “Hey, I could make a loaf of bread if I wanted to, if I needed to.” That’s one thing that to me that is really important.

The entire interview is here:

http://www.splendidtable.org/story/michael-pollan-cooking-for-yourself-is-the-real-independence

[limeandpepper]

Thanks for that - interesting interview/article. I'm very much into food and I try to minimize my intake of processed stuff. I enjoy cooking, though most of my meals are really simple. I do still like getting takeaway, or eating out - I live in a city with a very multicultural, very vibrant food scene. And I think cooking can indeed feel more like a chore after a day at work. But on the weekends I enjoy it more, and it can, at times, be almost therapeutic. I reckon I'd spend quite a lot of time cooking, in retirement.

[LightTripper]

I reckon I'd spend quite a lot of time cooking, in retirement.

Me too.  I also really want to learn to make clothes and curtains - maybe even upholstery (though my Mum used to do that so I know it is quite fiddly).  Similarly I would love to know some basic plumbing and electrics: not that I would necessarily trust myself to do it, but at least to be able to understand what other people are doing for me and to have it as that back up (like Mr Pollan says "I could if I needed to").  Maybe even car maintenance (though I don't have a car and don't plan to have a car - but I do drive sometimes and it feels like a good skill to have).

[tuyop]

Man, I love Michael Pollan. The Omnivore's Dilemma and Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemmenway were both so powerful for me.