Where's the Joy in Cooking? Representations of Taste, Tradition, and Science in the Joy of Cooking

Abstract

Procuring, preparing, and consuming foods are symbolic processes learned and reified within cultural boundaries. While many cultures have established tradition or taste as rules to guide food activities, contemporary Americans are mainly guided by a fascination with health and risk (Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma). As reflections of and contributors to public understandings of food and risk, cookbooks can be rich sites for scholarly investigation (Driver; Nestle and McIntosh). In the current study, we explore the representation of tradition, taste, and science in the introductory materials of the Joy of Cooking. While discussions of science were more common than those of taste or tradition, science did not replace the presence of taste and tradition. The presence of science, taste, and tradition varied over time, suggesting that, though they remain criteria for eaters, their importance is constantly negotiated.