Commentary: Gourmet then: Bon Appetit now

[marilynfl]

My first exposure to Gourmet was a Home Economics assignment in the mid 1960s. NOTE: for those born after 1990, Home Ec was a 6-9 grade class for girls, where we learned to sew by making aprons, table clothes, and A-line skirts (knee length...never higher). In other words, how to be a homemaker. Boys, on the other hand, got to make things and use dangerous tools. My brother was forever coming home with splinters, which was sore spot for my dad who was a carpenter foreman at the steel mill. Our teacher, Miss D, looked like a fashion model and had a life-size mannequin for making her own clothes.

One day she pulled out a large craft book with images pasted on each page. She had made the entire alphabet using dishes from Gourmet magazine...and we were each going to do the same.

This was my first exposure to the terms F for flambé and C for chateaubriand, neither of which I could pronounce. The only time anything was flambé'd in my mom's kitchen was when there was a grease fire. I have stretched my memory but can't remember what she had for X and Y but do remember Z for zabaglione. Which I also couldn't pronounce.

I'm pretty sure I got a low grade on that assignment because my mom would buy the random Woman's Day magazine and there wasn't much flambe-ing going on in there. Sloppy Joes were a toss-up on whether to put them under S or J. We had subscriptions for Life photo magazine but there wasn't much food in there, plus it was all black & white.

So it wasn't until my 20's that I subscribed to Gourmet. I recently found some old magazines from 1980s and found all the food to be styled to within an inch of its life, but the articulate articles presented the world to my mind. I also noticed the magazine was filled with ad for wines or liqueurs.

Now I'm looking through a batch of current Bon Appetit magazines. I'm going to say this without being facetious: I believe cooking has been dumbed down for a younger generation who grew up on fast food. One entire month is dedicated to making salads. Another is dedicated to making sandwiches. Conversely the issue on grilling skips the simple stuff and jumps right into Flame Wars level briskets. And there wasn't a single ad for wine, liquor or liqueur. Not a one.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing...it's just a major shift in the culinary experience. I doubt I would make any of those fancy 1980 Gourmet recipes today, but I also hope there is more in store for younger people than sandwiches, salads and $800 grills.

 

[Marg CDN]

Possibly if the boys had been encouraged to take HEc, this stage could have been omitted. I didn't realize when I was young, and learning SO much from HEc classes, that boys should have and could have learned so much as well. Now that they do find themselves learning to cook, not necessarily make aprons, but crafting food and being creative, I think they are a happier bunch because of it. Any of my friends' sons who took it became so comfortable in the kitchen. So many fancy themselves now as 'chefs'. Why not? I have often thought, although briefly, that I would like to offer local classes for men (particularly available, not-bad-looking, bright, wealthy men) who do not know the basics (because they did not take HEc) to show them how and why things happen and to learn to parlay that knowledge into bigger and better productions.

 

[mariadnoca]

Gosh, I remember home ec so fondly! Your teacher was much fancier than mine! My first attempt at sewing was a princess cut jumper (mom who sewed all our clothes strongly discouraged me from trying that complete fail first.) I did later successfully make bell bottom sailor pants (with lots of mom coaching.) I think I still use that snickerdoodle recipe. I remember encountering that vat of natural peanut butter we had to stir (heave!) it ruining me for life of natural pb. I got an A on my crochet baby blanket then promptly gifted it to our pregnant teacher. I think that’s the only crochet item I ever finished. My house was woman’s day and family circle every week. Even when mom went into assisted living I sent them to her.

Seems dumb they don’t still have HomeEc, after all it’s a basic life skill and learning from scratch cooking is so much healthier! Not to mention how it tastes.