Food Challenge Day 6

Day 6.

Part of me wishes I was a better human being and I would appreciate the experience I’ve been through for the last week. I. Am. Not. I can barely contain the unbridled glee of being able to consume unhealthy amounts of trans fats in less than 24 hours. (Cookie cookie cookie)

To put this in perspective, I am not talking about something mundane like eating a pint of ice cream a party size bag of chips and a few snickers. I am referring to a 5 layer candy bar cake with a layer of ice cream topped in peanut butter mousse and bacon brittle. It would be funny if I was joking.

I had a very interesting lecture in my World on a plate class with Jose Andres. The guest lecturer, Christopher Kimball, noted that he doesn’t understand why people, especially lower income families, do not cook more since cooking is cheaper and healthier.

Christopher Kimball is pretty much a pillar in the pantheon of American culinary Gods. He is one of the most knowledgeable food people in the world. His Test Kitchen is the equivalent of a top tier research institution devoted to food and the work done there has been incredibly beneficial in producing fantastic recipes and clearing up many myths and misconceptions on food. I would most likely pee my pants and sell off a kidney to work for him. But, he is wrong.

I believe his error in judgment on the issue stems from simply not giving it enough thought. He is an incredibly intelligent human being but comes from a perspective wholly different than what a person on food stamps would face.

For the poor agency is an illusion. Choice does not exist in a vacuum but is inherently tied to structural issues. For example, yes a single mother of can choose to make healthy nutritious food. But if that mother is poor then there are additional issues to consider. First is knowledge. Does she have the knowledge to make the healthy nutritious choice for her children and herself? If so does she have the practical skills and knowledge to make that happen? Second, does she have the time? If you’re working 2-3 jobs a day on 18 hour shifts to make ends meet there is precious little time to cook, make pasta, cut vegetables etc… Third is does she have the equipment. The gas and electric may not be constant all the time. The stove may have been broken for the past two months and the only working utility may be the microwave. All these are hypothetical, but have to be considered.

Does that make Dr. Kimball a bad person? Hell no. He has done more for the rigorous advancement of home cooking in the last decade than any other person in America. It can only mean that he hasn’t considered it. This may be part of the value that I have been struggling to find within the challenge: that you begin to have a larger more nuanced understanding of the problem.

Enough of the large, complicated thoughts that are entirely out of the scope of my understanding. The finish line is in sight and I’ll be damned if there isn’t cake and whiskey waiting.

Stay tuned for the last day.