The cookbook that I chose to explore is entitled, Feast
of Goodness, by the W.M.U. of Bethlehem Baptist Church. The cookbook tells you a lot about this group
of women. On the second page of the
cookbook, they have included the times of the different services at their
church, as well as, an open invitation for all visitors to come. Then on the fifth page they included common
emotions, such as afraid, bereaved, depressed along with where you can find it
in the Bible. Throughout the cookbook
they have included inspirational quotes and Bible verses as well. If you did not know that the W.M.U. of
Bethlehem Baptist Church put this cookbook together, you would be able to tell
that some sort of church group put it together just by looking at what they
have included in their cookbook.
Throughout the book, it is clear that they are targeting mothers and
wives. On page 24 of the cookbook it
says, “You can’t always tell what makes a man tick until you meet his wife. She
may be the works.” This insert shows
that the women who made this cookbook, intended for it to be read and used by
wives.
In David Sutton’s article, “Cooking Skills, the Senses, and
Memory” he says,” Skill raises issues of apprenticeship and repetition, and the
education of the senses that allow for the comparisons necessary to judge the
successful dish (Sutton 300).” At the
end of this cookbook they include many different tools for the cooks. Some of the tools include cooking tips, a
calorie counter, measurements, napkin folding, microwave hints, equivalency
chart, and food quantities. Sutton claims that education is a major part of
cooking, and this cookbook reveals this as well. All of the tools and hints are to help
educate the person using these recipes to cook. I found it interesting that the
cookbook included a page on microwave hints.
Sutton says, “The microwave is another such device which seems to
deskill the cook in relation to the traditional oven (Sutton 304).” Sutton makes it seem that the microwave
should not be used; however, in Feast of Goodness it is clear that it is
okay with these women to use the microwave during cooking. Sutton also
mentions that food is “a symbol of identity (Sutton 317).” I think this is relative to the cookbook I
have chosen, given that throughout the cookbook the women form an identity for
this person cooking. The identity of a
Christian wife/mother is the identity that is conveyed throughout Feast of
Goodness. I never really thought about analyzing a cookbook, but it was
very interesting seeing how an identity is formed throughout the cookbook.
