Voices in the Kitchen - Ch. 3 Homemade Culinary Art / Cooks as Artists

As we see in books and in movies, food is of cultural importance and inspired by emotions, creativity and the five senses. Not only does food nourish our bodies, but it nourishes our souls. History has seen the exclusion of women chefs, as well as home cooked food not viewed as being artistic when compared to “culinary cuisine”. The women in the book may not have gone to culinary school, yet they know the chemical science of cooking. Of the women interviewed, only two consider their food art. The women take pride and agency in their cooking and view hospitality as a manifestation of creative energy. The women are aware of classism and prejudice, yet they are not ignorant or passive. They know how much effort goes into their food preparation and they are proud of their work.

An interesting concept brought up in Ch. 3, was the idea of people symbolically being corn, wheat or rice (represented). An outdated scholar claimed that people of wheat are more progressive and people of corn (origins, Mexicans) are considered less progressive. The ironic thing is that corn has come full circle and is now proudly representative of its heavy use in Mexico. The idea of de-indianization; separating from indigenous origins and adapting to European influence plays in here. I see similar yet opposing movements these days through workshops aiming to de-colonize our diets.

The section of this chapter that most spoke to me, was the author talking about her friend who practices Buddhism. Together they cooked and ate. The friend, Lucy Fischer-West reminds Abarca to be present while preparing her food and eat mindfully. Abarca remembers a dinner Fischer -West and she prepare for travelling monks. The author is present as the monks partake in dinner, and although Abarca doesn’t speak their language, gestures and universal symbols are made and completely understood that everyone is thankful and enjoying their meals. Food can unite people, and the women from the charlas knowingly practice this through their food and hospitality.