When people think of literacy, their minds primarily gravitate to traditional forms of writing and reading, but I firmly believe it extends beyond the essential art of reading and writing. It entails specialized knowledge and skills that assist people to interact fluently in specific domains. For the past few years, I have explored and cultivated my knowledge of culinary literacy. This form of literacy defines the [ability to understand, appreciate, and excel in cooking and gastronomy. My paper examines my efforts toward being literate in culinary arts and evaluates the importance of this form of literacy and the misconceptions surrounding it.
More often, culinary literacy refers to excellent proficiency in cooking and understanding fundamental aspects of food preparation, including ingredients, techniques, and diverse influences. De Camargo (pg104468) states culinary art involves understanding how meal quality relates to cooking preparations, ingredients, and processes. This eliminates the concept of just following recipes and brings a new idea of adapting, innovating, and creating dishes by understanding various cuisines’ flavors, textures, presentations and historical and cultural backgrounds.
I developed an interest in culinary literacy as a young child from watching my family cook delicious foods with a touch of experience. This experience more often turned simple recipes using various ingredients into savory dishes. As I got older, I started practicing with the help of my older sister, which later evolved into cookbooks, watched cooking shows, and attended culinary seminars and workshops. Through swift growth and development, I also developed knife skills that provide the precision and finesse necessary to wield a knife in culinary arts. As time went by, I honed my skills and sought guidance from seasoned chefs, and I evolved with control to chop, mince, and julienne with precision but also turned recipes into savory dishes.
With knowledge, culinary literacy not only involves the kitchen but extends into cultural exploration, and each dish tells a story that reflects the history, location, and traditions of its origin. I understood this element when I explored Thai cuisine by practicing cooking Thai dishes, which had to immerse me in their culture, history, and geography. Exploring culinary literacy bridges the global gap and connects people to various cultures with different dishes. However, like every literacy, culinary literacy has misconceptions that include being based on preparing gourmet meals and being a professional chef. Culinary literacy is broad, and those are part of it but further assists people to make informed choices about their food and how to prepare and fosters healthier eating habits.
Nonetheless, as my audience engages with my narrative of becoming literate in culinary arts, I hope to inspire them to identify the culinary literacy importance in their lives. I want my audience to feel empowered and confident that culinary literacy is made available to professional chefs and makes it possible for people to prepare nutritious meals and explore new flavors and cultures. Additionally, I want to foster a sense of appreciation in my audience for this complex literacy and encourage them to embrace, adopt, and explore their unique forms of expertise in culinary literacy. I, however, support my narrative with course reading, especially “Bad Ideas About Writing” and “RAM” that focus on the significance of critical thinking and expand my understanding of literacy beyond conventional boundaries.
In summary, culinary literacy is significant in people’s lives since it extends beyond the kitchen environment into cultures, histories, and stories that developed the origin of the dishes. My journey into culinary literacy was motivated by curiosity, practice, and exploration to learn how to prepare savory dishes. Further, as I grew older, I appreciated culinary literacy as it brought a new perspective on diverse forms of expertise that shape our world with various skills and knowledge.
Work Cited
de Camargo, Anice M., et al. “Meal planning by high and low health conscious individuals during a simulated shop in the supermarket: A mixed methods study.” Appetite 144 (2020): 104468.
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