8 ms·

“While cooking is for many a hobby, it is also a thing that nearly everyone has to do, usually when time is short.“ If only this wasn’t the case. This is always

“While cooking is for many a hobby, it is also a thing that nearly everyone has to do, usually when time is short.“ If only this wasn’t the case. This is always unpopular whenever I say it, but we no longer expect everyone to sew their own clothes or bake their own bread - why do we still demand that everyone cook for themselves (and, often, that they enjoy it too)? As this article demonstrates, the barrier for even understanding what you’re doing, rather than rote instruction following, is pretty high. I wish we could move away from every individual cooking for themselves and towards socially acceptable communal kitchens or something. I mean, sure, this is mainly motivated by the fact that I hate cooking. But it also just makes logical sense to me as a way to organise the universal human need for food, like we’ve done for other universal human needs.

draw_down 9y ago
Who is demanding that?
dageshi 9y ago
100% agree. South East Asia was heaven for me, in Bangkok you never have to cook, you never have to think about cooking. Even in smaller villages in Thailand you could find tons of places serving cheap, good food any time of the day (and numerous at night as well). Now that I'm back in the UK I mostly just prepare a bunch of sandwhiches twice a week. I hate cooking.
- PunchTornado 9y ago
  hmm, food courts are ok for a couple of weeks, but I find them lacking in variety. I don't think they are a substitution for cooking by yourself.
  - dageshi 9y ago
    For someone who hates cooking... I can tell you, they definitely are.
monort 9y ago
Food delivery (not the fast food one) is changing the need for cooking, I haven't cooked in ages. In principle, the price of food preparation should be smaller when done on a large scale, but for some reason it's not the case, except for the Southeast Asia.
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 9y ago
  Are you talking things like buying minced garlic instead of a bulb?
  - monort 9y ago
    Delivery from restaurants.
sureaboutthis 9y ago
You can cook a meal of almost any kind in 30 minutes or less. Your comparison to sewing clothes is wrong cause it usually takes days, or many hours, to do such a thing. Baking bread? I do it almost every day...from scratch...no bread maker. >this is mainly motivated by the fact that I hate cooking And there you go. I would add that you lack cooking knowledge and ability. If you knew how, you wouldn't say such things. I make breakfast every morning and dinner every night. I make lunch when I'm home. It isn't hard.
- dageshi 9y ago
  > I would add that you lack cooking knowledge and ability. If you knew how, you wouldn't say such things. There are a lot of things in life that people know how to do but still hate... I might know how to drive to work for 45 minutes everyday, I can do it, I can do it well, I can still hate it because it's a waste of time that I'd rather be using for something else. Hell, people do jobs to earn a living that they're entirely competent at but still hate. So no, knowing how to do something doesn't automatically mean you don't hate it, does it?
  - sureaboutthis 9y ago
    You can place your bet that way but I'll place my bet my way. Lack of understanding how to do something is more likely the cause.
- majewsky 9y ago
  > You can cook a meal of almost any kind in 30 minutes or less. So the recipe magically chooses itself? So the food magically appears in your fridge? So the dishes magically wash themselves afterwards? So the left-over ingredients magically use themselves up? I really hate when people downplay the time cost involved in food preparation by focussing on only one step of the procedure.
  - sureaboutthis 9y ago
    When you cook at home, you decide what you want to cook and find a recipe. From there on out, you have the recipe. Just like restaurants don't magically appear when you decide you want a hamburger. You must choose one. In the time it takes you to go to a restaurant, or order online, I can cook a meal for four at half the price you paid. I hate when people downplay the time and cost involved in eating out as if there is none. Last night, I made a two prime, strip steaks with red potato chips and a side salad. It took me less than 30 minutes. Admittedly, the salad came from a bag my wife bought on the way home cause I forgot to buy vegetables. Most of that time was waiting for things to heat up. A few minutes for the pan. Longer for the oven for the potatoes. This morning we had eggs with melted cheddar, english muffin and bacon. I bought the muffins cause it's harder to make than regular sourdough bread I bake. It took me 10 minutes not including opening up the packages and getting things out of the fridge.
jlg23 9y ago
> we no longer expect everyone to sew their own clothes or bake their own bread - why do we still demand that everyone cook for themselves And yet a lot of cultures do expect you to know basic sewing (eg reattaching a button is expected from every recruit in the military) and I assume everyone who was a scout has made his own bread. > I wish we could move away from every individual cooking for themselves and towards socially acceptable communal kitchens or something. You have that everywhere where life and work is mixed: Small, cheap breakfast joints and inexpensive roadside kitchens that have a very limited menu and serve traditional, local food. As someone who loves cooking, the idea of real communal kitchens does not sound good - been there, done that and the countless hours spent cleaning before I dared to handle food did not fill my pension fund... (You don't need "cyber"-laws to shut down a hackerspace, just send hygiene inspectors.)
- argyleaf 9y ago
  My troop had a Heavy Cream Patrol which prided itself on making gourmet food in the backcountry. This usually meant carrying extra equipment, learning to cook well with both backpacking stoves and live fire (more than just boiling water), and spending extra time cooking at night. After hiking all day you are going to sit around the campfire anyway, why not make it a productive period? Plus there is nothing better than a stellar meal and dessert while sitting in a beautiful spot. Cooking is still a way I relax and one way I show affection to friends and family. There is a certain satisfaction from having a meal where you raised and/or made every item on the table from raw materials. For instance this morning I made my wife and I egg sandwiches with sourdough bread we baked yesterday morning, red pepper jelly we put up last year, onions we grew and stored over winter, bacon we smoked from a hog we helped raise, eggs from some chickens we help take care of, and microgreens we grew in the basement. We (clearly) live in a rural-ish setting so I realize what is possible for us is not possible for those living in a major metro area (except maaaaybe Portland), but aspects of this are possible almost anywhere if you want to try. Then there is the nerd factor where you can get into the science of cooking a la modernist cuisine and that takes it to a whole other level in engaging with my engineering side....
  - JoeAltmaier 9y ago
combatentropy 9y ago
After hearing several friends say that they cooked for fun, to unwind after a long day, I decided it is ingrained in personality, possibly genetic --- so vast was our difference in attitude, like how some people marvel that I like programming. I wonder if your dream of communal kitchens are somewhat hampered by urban layouts, at least here in the U.S. If every time you want to eat you have to hop in the car and drive a mile, it adds a strong point to the side of just finding something at home.
leetcrew 9y ago
nobody demands that you cook your own food. but if you aren't willing to put in the (considerable) work yourself, you are expected to pay for the labor, ingredients, and kitchen space. what exactly makes your idea of a communal kitchen different from a restaurant? is it free?
- silveroriole 9y ago
  I’d say - you turn up, there’s a big pot of whatever is available that day, and a cheap/flat fee. No choice, inexpensive building, not a social event (fine to go alone), cheap and simple bulk cooking. Almost more like a soup kitchen than a restaurant. More expensive/complex food could be optional or once a week, and yeah, if you want nicer food, go to a restaurant.

draw_down 9y ago

Who is demanding that?

dageshi 9y ago

100% agree. South East Asia was heaven for me, in Bangkok you never have to cook, you never have to think about cooking. Even in smaller villages in Thailand you could find tons of places serving cheap, good food any time of the day (and numerous at night as well). Now that I'm back in the UK I mostly just prepare a bunch of sandwhiches twice a week. I hate cooking.

PunchTornado 9y ago
hmm, food courts are ok for a couple of weeks, but I find them lacking in variety. I don't think they are a substitution for cooking by yourself.
- dageshi 9y ago
  For someone who hates cooking... I can tell you, they definitely are.

monort 9y ago

Food delivery (not the fast food one) is changing the need for cooking, I haven't cooked in ages. In principle, the price of food preparation should be smaller when done on a large scale, but for some reason it's not the case, except for the Southeast Asia.

0xdeadbeefbabe 9y ago
Are you talking things like buying minced garlic instead of a bulb?
- monort 9y ago
  Delivery from restaurants.

sureaboutthis 9y ago

You can cook a meal of almost any kind in 30 minutes or less. Your comparison to sewing clothes is wrong cause it usually takes days, or many hours, to do such a thing. Baking bread? I do it almost every day...from scratch...no bread maker. >this is mainly motivated by the fact that I hate cooking And there you go. I would add that you lack cooking knowledge and ability. If you knew how, you wouldn't say such things. I make breakfast every morning and dinner every night. I make lunch when I'm home. It isn't hard.

dageshi 9y ago
> I would add that you lack cooking knowledge and ability. If you knew how, you wouldn't say such things. There are a lot of things in life that people know how to do but still hate... I might know how to drive to work for 45 minutes everyday, I can do it, I can do it well, I can still hate it because it's a waste of time that I'd rather be using for something else. Hell, people do jobs to earn a living that they're entirely competent at but still hate. So no, knowing how to do something doesn't automatically mean you don't hate it, does it?
- sureaboutthis 9y ago
  You can place your bet that way but I'll place my bet my way. Lack of understanding how to do something is more likely the cause.
majewsky 9y ago
> You can cook a meal of almost any kind in 30 minutes or less. So the recipe magically chooses itself? So the food magically appears in your fridge? So the dishes magically wash themselves afterwards? So the left-over ingredients magically use themselves up? I really hate when people downplay the time cost involved in food preparation by focussing on only one step of the procedure.
- sureaboutthis 9y ago
  When you cook at home, you decide what you want to cook and find a recipe. From there on out, you have the recipe. Just like restaurants don't magically appear when you decide you want a hamburger. You must choose one. In the time it takes you to go to a restaurant, or order online, I can cook a meal for four at half the price you paid. I hate when people downplay the time and cost involved in eating out as if there is none. Last night, I made a two prime, strip steaks with red potato chips and a side salad. It took me less than 30 minutes. Admittedly, the salad came from a bag my wife bought on the way home cause I forgot to buy vegetables. Most of that time was waiting for things to heat up. A few minutes for the pan. Longer for the oven for the potatoes. This morning we had eggs with melted cheddar, english muffin and bacon. I bought the muffins cause it's harder to make than regular sourdough bread I bake. It took me 10 minutes not including opening up the packages and getting things out of the fridge.

jlg23 9y ago

> we no longer expect everyone to sew their own clothes or bake their own bread - why do we still demand that everyone cook for themselves And yet a lot of cultures do expect you to know basic sewing (eg reattaching a button is expected from every recruit in the military) and I assume everyone who was a scout has made his own bread. > I wish we could move away from every individual cooking for themselves and towards socially acceptable communal kitchens or something. You have that everywhere where life and work is mixed: Small, cheap breakfast joints and inexpensive roadside kitchens that have a very limited menu and serve traditional, local food. As someone who loves cooking, the idea of real communal kitchens does not sound good - been there, done that and the countless hours spent cleaning before I dared to handle food did not fill my pension fund... (You don't need "cyber"-laws to shut down a hackerspace, just send hygiene inspectors.)

argyleaf 9y ago
My troop had a Heavy Cream Patrol which prided itself on making gourmet food in the backcountry. This usually meant carrying extra equipment, learning to cook well with both backpacking stoves and live fire (more than just boiling water), and spending extra time cooking at night. After hiking all day you are going to sit around the campfire anyway, why not make it a productive period? Plus there is nothing better than a stellar meal and dessert while sitting in a beautiful spot. Cooking is still a way I relax and one way I show affection to friends and family. There is a certain satisfaction from having a meal where you raised and/or made every item on the table from raw materials. For instance this morning I made my wife and I egg sandwiches with sourdough bread we baked yesterday morning, red pepper jelly we put up last year, onions we grew and stored over winter, bacon we smoked from a hog we helped raise, eggs from some chickens we help take care of, and microgreens we grew in the basement. We (clearly) live in a rural-ish setting so I realize what is possible for us is not possible for those living in a major metro area (except maaaaybe Portland), but aspects of this are possible almost anywhere if you want to try. Then there is the nerd factor where you can get into the science of cooking a la modernist cuisine and that takes it to a whole other level in engaging with my engineering side....
- JoeAltmaier 9y ago

combatentropy 9y ago

After hearing several friends say that they cooked for fun, to unwind after a long day, I decided it is ingrained in personality, possibly genetic --- so vast was our difference in attitude, like how some people marvel that I like programming. I wonder if your dream of communal kitchens are somewhat hampered by urban layouts, at least here in the U.S. If every time you want to eat you have to hop in the car and drive a mile, it adds a strong point to the side of just finding something at home.

leetcrew 9y ago

nobody demands that you cook your own food. but if you aren't willing to put in the (considerable) work yourself, you are expected to pay for the labor, ingredients, and kitchen space. what exactly makes your idea of a communal kitchen different from a restaurant? is it free?

silveroriole 9y ago
I’d say - you turn up, there’s a big pot of whatever is available that day, and a cheap/flat fee. No choice, inexpensive building, not a social event (fine to go alone), cheap and simple bulk cooking. Almost more like a soup kitchen than a restaurant. More expensive/complex food could be optional or once a week, and yeah, if you want nicer food, go to a restaurant.