Changing Ideas of Home

‘A Christmas Memory’
Truman Capote’s reflective essay was very endearing. During a time of his life where his home was ‘broken’ he found solace in a relationship with his elder cousin. It seemed that Capote was able to bond more with his cousin than with his own parents since they seem to be absent from the story or at least part of the clan of barely there undesirable and uncaring adults. This older woman, his cousin, was able to connect to Capote by being young at heart, but with a wise mind.

I can relate to about 98% of this story with the only differences being in the memories that I had with my Grandfather. My parents split at the same age and I lived with my Mother, sibling, and Grandparents for a few years before my Mother remarried. While everyone else was busy working, watching TV or not wanting to be bothered, I was always welcome to tag along with my Papa. I always felt so comfortable and safe in his company due to the fact that he was always truthful, caring, and honest with me during times when the other adults in my life were the exact opposite. I think that Capote was able to feel safe with his cousin because of the same reasons. I sincerely empathized with Capote when he was forced to move away. I can vividly remember my own feelings of a similar time from when my Mother remarried and I was forced to move away from Papa.


‘Cooking Trends Echo Changing Roles of Women’
A few semesters ago I was briefly introduced to this subject, so I am glad to have read this more in depth essay of the history of cooking trends and women. It is very eye-opening to learn about how cooking changed due to more and more woman joining the workforce and how marketing further pushed the quick meals and convenience which then in turn allowed even more women to join the workforce. Furthermore, men have been increasingly part of the workforce in home cooking(I believe this is mostly due to the electronic cooking toys). In my experience, I thought that it was so strange when I saw my step-father doing most of the cooking because in the first part of my life I was accustomed to my Dad and Grandfather rarely preparing anything other than a bowl of cereal or oatmeal.

I am happy to see that within recent years Americans are realizing a more hands-on approach to cooking and family dinners are important. For the most part I grew up in a household where both parents worked, so meals were plain and quick. Today, being a parent of two young daughters I can’t bring myself to feed them like my parents fed me. I want to be able to say I know what is in their meals and that they are eating a balanced diet. I am thankful for the changes that happened with cooking as far as men playing more of a role in the kitchen. This is important because two tired overworked people can more manageably cook a good meal than one tired overworked woman.

Meals and appliances designed to save time can be damaging. I think that it’s important to know how, what, where and why your food is placed before you. Maybe this comes from the mother in me, but in a world where natural disasters and terrorist attacks could happen at any time, I want to be prepared to know how to make meals with only the basics. In the 1940’s this was a similar feeling and in response many American’s planted victory gardens and made it a point to revive lost home skills. It’s important to know that in the event of a disaster I am not going to find any bananas or coffee growing where I live, or I’m not going to be able to cook from store bought cans and frozen foods or that I can’t eat/grow fresh winter vegetables in the summer and vice versa. I try to also be aware of what my alternatives are if I don’t have any power for appliances.

In the end, it is nice to have some time saving strategies especially if it means more quality time for oneself or with family, but it is important to be aware of what cooking used to be like.

“The Functions of Home: Dining and Hospitality”
Dining and hospitality is still very much alive in America today. This is especially true of affluent people who seem to have dinner parties often. It is a sign of status. People are able to show that they can serve a great number of guests an elaborate meal. It is a social setting where people of the same class are gathered together to talk about common interests. For those who are not as affluent, dinner parties may be small, less often or maybe dinner isn’t served at all. Instead it can be a cocktail party with a few appetizers.