Jack Hamill

Professor Jesse Miller

English 110

03 September 2023

When looking back to the start of the semester, my favorite meal essay had introduced us to what the start of this year was going to look like. We had taken a look at several different aspects of writing such as argumentative, persuasive and descriptive writing and had evaluated each in depth through class discussions to understand their purpose and when it is truly necessary to use a format of writing or template for example. After we had submitted the essay, by the end we had completely broken down the writing process and styles we were expected to use and needed to follow for a proper grade and this is where students such as myself were appreciative of the time we had spent in class breaking down the process of writing the essay and using it bennificialy. Over the course of time we had referenced back several times to the my favorite meal essay as we had read articles such as Out of The Kitchen, Onto the Couch by Michael Pollan and Consider The Lobster by David Foster Wallace, I had been surprised at how our central theme and or central argument if you will has largely been around many of the key arguments or points as to why our favorite meal is our favorite meal. The countless times culture and family had been referenced throughout the semester had translated directly into the arguments of our readings. I believe that as we look at the work of our peers we will start to see a common theme of culture and family, something that is being forgotten about and perfectly portrayed in Into The Kitchen, Onto The Couch.

When looking at the article Into the Kitchen, Onto The Couch we see the how Michael Pollen has broken down the many television shows that offer cooking as a way to pass time or enter into a new hobby and for many this was worked. People saw people cook and this gave them the confidence to try something of their own and get into the kitchen. Pollen had discussed the affects he has observed with americans becoming less and less likely to go out, search for and prepare a meal to eat for ones family or a gathering. Instead, the human is much more likely to call a place and order food in advance to take all the “unnecessary”work out of cooking the food and preparing it. This had put a spin of what would soon be known as a revolutionary period for many americans who were willing to try to prepare meals themselves without the help of a professional chef right their to walk them through how much or where to add ingredients, this time it was simply you and a kitchen. If we take a look at Julia and julies cooking show from the 60s you would find that the kitchen can be a scary place for many people to be around. Wether it is pressure form a your child or your mother, all social pressures take a toll on the human bodys performance.while writing this essay you should keep in mind what truly happens in the kitchen, the process of killing the animal and then without much thinking becuase it has become so normal will carry on with their day to day lives. In an essay from 2018 by Brett Miller, he touches on the importance of keeping it in the family for years and years. When he had asked His grandfather who best prepared the dish where he had found the recipe he had responded “It was the meal I had growing up on christmas eve. I know how to make it and you seem to love it. Why change something if it ain’t broke.” this shows how the culture in this family has spread from generation to generation, something that I believe is a very common theme within these essays. When taking a step back from our class and you start to think about this project and how it has evolved throughout the years, we are able to see and understand how this essay has gone from a mear paragraph talking about the food, how it tastes and maybe if your lucky who made the dish. To what is now a massive essay constituting who made the dish, the ingredients, the family history and so much more that we are always neglecting every day for the simplicity and efficiency of a home cooked meal.