Cassandra Kuplast

Professor Jesse Miller

ENG 110 H-5

7th, October 2019

                                                         Journal 11 

A passage in “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch”, that I found significant was on page 3, first paragraph. Pollan highlighted how significant Julia Child was to women in history, and the lasting effect it has on our world now. He explained how Julia Child was so historias in making cooking not just a chore that is partial to women, but how Child helped turn it into an American legacy that can be enjoyed by everyone. Pollan said, “That learning to cook could lead an American woman to success of any kind would have seen entirely implausible in 1949”. I think this is a very important quote to the paper, because it shows how the TV industry helped cooking evolve from just a “woman’s duty”.

On page 4, the first paragraph helps to highlight an important theme in the paper. Why do we enjoy watching other people cook, but often don’t do it ourselves? Pollan introduced the idea that women working outside the home and companies creating ready-made meals are two of the largest reasons why cooking home cooked meals has declined in recent years. He said that “Cooking is no longer obligatory”. I found this sentence to be very important to the article, as it highlights the important theme in the paper. 

Pollan also introduces the idea that food tv has shifted from educational programs, to long winded advertisements. On page 11, third paragraph, he says that “Buying, not making, is what cooking shows are mostly now about”. I think this is an important part of the paper, because it shows the transition from programs such as Julia’s, to modern day shows such as “Chopped” and “Hell’s Kitchen”. Instead of trying to teach viewers how to cook their own meals, the narrative is just watching other people cook food for entertainment. I think this passage helps to introduce the confusing paradox Food TV has created.