Making Modern Meals

November 1, 2017

For many, cooking is both a skill and a behavior. But is cooking defined by preparing appealing meals from scratch, or the ability to assemble processed ingredients to create food for sustenance? Are we likely, or able, to cook if no one has taught us? Trubek (nutrition & food science, Univ. of Vermont; Haute Cuisine) considers contemporary cooking: how it has changed over the past century, whether it is choice or chore, and what it means to cook. Her ethnographic research takes her on a journey that considers many facets of cookery: as occupation, art, craft, and for health. Trubek states that she is "hopeful about cooking," as her research shows the process to be rich, various, complex, and creative. The author hopes for a world where we understand how to make meals but are not always obligated to produce them. VERDICT Suitable for all academic libraries and larger research collections, Trubek's book is an important contribution to the anthropology of food.--Penelope J.M. Klein, Fayetteville, NY

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