Author: Dani

What does the Rhetoric of Food mean?

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I know that the rhetoric of food is not all that serious. It is blog posts and videos along with both profiles recent reviews and yelp comments. It is meant to help you enjoy food and share food with your friends and family. It connects people through shared types of food and has no real style that you have to stick by. It can come in recipes or short stories, in Tasty Videos and ‘people react to __ foods’ videos.

Writers express their ideas about food in a couple of different ways. The first is straight instructions; this can be how to make the ultimate/best type of food with clear guidelines of how to make this. An example of this would be a recipe; this could be in basic text form or in a video format. The next can be how they relate to the food; this takes form in stories of how they discovered or experienced it. This could be an essay about the hunt for the perfect Tamale. The third is how they view food in regards to larger society or how society views the food. This can be seen in Tacopedia where the lens of Taco’s is used to view Mexican culture.

Throughout time the rhetoric of food has been used to communicate any of the above and more in regards to food. History the rhetoric of food has been more focused on the making or preparation of food. With recipes for canning and preserves being mainstays of the early days; over time as restaurants evolved food critiques popped up. Today with blogs, videos, and books the rhetoric of food is shifting more towards the consumer.

The different food cultures that are important to us differ person to person. There are a few basic food cultures: region, community, and health. The region in food cultures can be a countires’ type of food or the specific region of that country. An example of this is Mexican food with specially Baja food. Community is food based on a certain community’s shared trait, an example of this is Jewish food. The last section is health, or lack thereof. Today there is a larger focus on healthy foods or foods that do less harm for the environment. These different food cultures relate to the history of the people who make and consume them.

With food being an indicator of class and race for many people. The different foods someone grew up with tells the story of how they were raised.

Historically the more food options one had the more wealth they had. The different types of food and how they are made and marked down in history informs us of what the different cultures valued or if their cultured was valued by the majority. An example of this is the lack of African American cuisine written down by African Americans prior to the 1920’s. The white majority did not value their culinary contributions enough to give them the due credit or publishing of what they made.

Overall food tells a story and the rhetoric of food tries to tell that story through other ways. With recipes, blogs, books, and videos used as a way to show what food means to the individuals and to groups. It is about connecting through food to another person; be that on the other side of the screen or at the next pot luck or family dinner.

Favorite Text

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Tacopedia was the best thing we read in this class. I enjoyed the  illustrations along with the history of the taco. It showed just how unique and diverse it is throughout different parts of Mexico. With each area having a specific type of taco and taco culture. It is interesting to look at the food as the anthropology of the culture. In this case looking at Mexican culture through the lenses of a taco.

The text I enjoyed most that I picked as outside reading was the Israeli Malabi. I enjoyed the Tasty style videos that are not done by Tasty. I also enjoyed the culture aspect of it. It’s from Israel and is popular throughout the Middle East. Having a recipe that is usually not put into Wester focus available is alway a bonus. For me it was something I grew up having at friends houses but my family never made. I enjoyed learning how to make it and the videography that went behind it.

Genre Conventions: Tasty Videos

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The goal of Tasty Video is to get as many likes, shares, and views as possible. This is unique within the rhetoric of food in that the goal is not necessarily to make the food. The second goal is to present the food in a way that makes viewers want to cook it along with demystify cooking for a younger generation. Tasty Videos serve as a quick break from the Facebook newsfeed to showcase food content. The videos are short 30 sec-60 sec, easy to follow, and take away all of the hard work that goes into preparing any dish.

The formal elements of the Video is time, pre done food preparation, combining foods, music, and editing. The timing is part of the appeal; it is edited to be no longer than a minute which lets the autoplay go one without really bothering the viewer. It is short enough that it’s worth it to watch the full video and not just scroll past. The next element is the food being pre prepared. Most of the work in any dish goes into preparing the food; washing, dicing, and measuring it but in a Tasty Video all the work is done off screen. The video is edited to cut out the work and only show when ingredients are added in. They speed up the time and artfully zoom into shots of the mixture being made. Tasty Videos are always short and beautify the cooking process. They are relatable to all as they only feature hands; no face is ever shown which unconsciously make the watcher imagine their own hands doing the action.

These videos and this genre is geared towards the quick and mindless market. Within food this is new as typically it’s hard to mindlessly cook. This changed how we understand recipes; where it was telling us how to cook and a little about the recipe it is now showing us a glamorized version of ourselves (the hands) cooking. This glamorized version of cooking is a good introduction into preparing your own food.These videos are supposed to help people become more comfortable around the topic of food preparation and it does just that.

It’s important to remember a good chunk of millennials grew up without knowing much about food preparation. With easy delivery food options and pre made meals being the norm in many families growing up there is a slew of young people who don’t know how to cook or prepare food for themselves outside of a few basic recipes. While the Tasty Videos to some are easy and mindless (to those who have cooking experience) they can be a great introduction for the novice cook.

I tried to include videos from Tasty the brand and the channels with similar content. Within the recipes I included diversity in where they were from and the experience leveled needed to cook the dish.

Mentor Text: Tasty Video

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I’m doing a Tasty Video as my rhetorical piece. Tasty Videos are a new phenomenon that combine recipes, blogs, ~aesthetics~, and mindless TV into one quick and easy watchable and make-able piece. The purpose of Tasty Videos from a production standpoint is to have as many views, likes, and comments on Facebook.

The Tasty Videos make use of Facebook’s autoplay feature on videos by being short 30-60 seconds and being easy to follow. None of the videos have incredibly complicated recipes and most use basic ingredients that the novice cook knows how to use. It cuts out all the prep work of a recipe that is mostly time consuming in video format. The cuts to pre measured and time jumps to frozen or cooked foods lets the viewer follow the recipe without being fully engaged.

While food blogs and Tasty Video page both are fully about recipes the Tasty Video cuts straight to the chase. There is no ‘about’ section or intro; instead just straight video of the food being made. That is part of the appeal; you can watch it without looking for something to make. It pops up on the Facebook timeline after a friend has liked or shared it. Much like reality TV you don’t have to be fully engaged in the ‘episodes’ to understand and follow the recipe.

Most viewers and likes of Tasty Videos never really intend on making the food. It is the aesthetics of the video that appeal to most viewers. It is quick break to scrolling through timelines. The videos are short and the images clean. The viewer never sees chopping, dicing, or other prep work unless directly needed for the recipe. The indigent are neatly put into bowls and added to the pot or bowl as necessary. The background clean of debris and relaxing music playing in the background. To me at least this is the ideal cooking situation; most of the hard work done for you, and no mess. All together this makes for lots of views and returning viewers on the multiple posts a day.

Tasty Video as a corporation is under the Buzzfeed umbrella with different versions sprouting up both from the company and independent. Currently there is Buzzfeed’s Tasty, Tasty Junior, Proper Tasty, and Bien Tasty; all looking at different groups in terms of recipes. Outside of Buzzfeed other groups have propped up mimicking their recipe of Tasty Videos; some of these are Jewishlish, Delish, and Cooking Panda. Each of these groups have a slightly different market in mind in terms of audience; some are categorized by age, region, or even religion but they all aim to get views.

The video should have someone making the recipe, as you pour the ingredients say what and how much you are putting in. And be edited to be short with good music. The video I chose does all of these things and makes me want to make the recipe; and yes I did ‘like’ it.

Hawaiian Food and Culture

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My first foray with Hawaiian food was from a little hole in the wall Hawaiian Diner while on a road trip. What stuck with me was the diversity of the food present on the table. It clearly had both Polynesians, Asian, and Caribbean roots. What interest me is culture and ethnic groups as immigrants come together and influence each other’s foods. Hawaii is the perfect case for this with it’s isolated geography and clear waves of immigrants from a diverse origins. Looking at how what we know today as “Local Food” (combination of different ethnic groups) and “Native Foods” (original Hawaiian) of the islands is a case of an amalgamation of cultures into a new fusion cuisine that is unique to Hawaii.

History + Recipes: The Food of Paradise : Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage *Best Read 

The Food of Paradise is both a cookbook and an anthropological text. It is divided into multiple parts first with Native Hawaiian foods, and then going into the different ethnic groups that contributed to modern Hawaiian cooking. The author converted on local food and the history and cultural significance behind it. As a whole this book is both a cookbook, a history book, and an ethnic studies book rolled into one. The author wrote this book for anyone and included explanation of local terms for those unfamiliar with the area.

Stories behind the Food:  Family Ingredients on PBS | Hawai’i – Poi. *most interesting video 

The show Family Indigents is on PBS and is hosted and produced by Ed Kenney. He is a chef and lover of food. His philosophy of food bring people and family together is what started the series. This is the first episode; where explores his family and roots in Hawaii. His mother is a native Hawaiian and he grew up on the islands. In this episode he explores the Hawaiian food poi and the ingredient of taro the plant that makes the food. The audience is foodies and people who think of food as a way to bring people together and look at their roots. It is published on PBS online as a video where anyone can watch it for free and was broadcasted along PBS stations on the West Coast and Hawaii. To me this is an interesting document because he explains the food and the ingredients within the context of his own family upbringing and in a native Hawaiians context. He analyzed how taro has changed over the years and how the state of poi in current day Hawaii. He touches on the changing Hawaiian diet that is mentioned in other texts. I would put this text into the genre of videos and TV docuseries. In the series he explores different places through the lens of family foods. It is important to note that this series is produced and hosted by a Hawaiian and the other executive producers are female so there is no gender bias.

History + Recipes: Hawaiian Food: A History and Recipes | In Football We Trust

This article was written for PBS by a Hawaiian man and his wife. Both describe themselves as lovers of land. The piece looks to explain the history of Hawaiian food and food from Hawaii. It tells the story of the original Hawaiian foods and the current amalgamation of cultures on the island that makes what we think of as Hawaiian food today. It describes the Hawaiian peoples and all those that immigrated theirs reliance and new fold love of each other’s foods. The writer is a native Hawaiian who is a trained chef from the Culinary Institute of the Pacific and the Culinary Institute of America. Both he and his wife are community leaders in revitalizing the Hawaiian food scene both locally and internationally. The author wrote this as an education piece on how Hawaiian food has evolved to what they see today at football parties. The audience is anyone with even a remote interest in Hawaiian food and the author includes multiple recipes that are easy to follow. This is an opinion editorial along with a history of the Hawaiian food culture. The text is interesting because it explain how we we know as Hawaiian food came to be and how it is constantly changing and evolving. This is both a collection of recipes and a celebration of the unique culture.

Health of Hawaiians:  The Integral Role of Food in Native Hawaiian Migrants’ Perceptions of Health and Well-Being.” Journal of Transcultural Nursing 22 *for the Health Science inclined 

This is a study from the Journal of Transcultural Nursing looking at the obesity among Native Hawaiians who move to the continental US along with the obesity among Native Hawaiians in Hawaii. Obesity is highly prevalent among both groups but more so among those who move to the continental US. The study was to look at the relationship between food, perception of health and well being. It was common that after moving to use food as a way to alive homesickness except here the food was less expensive and in larger portions leading to weight gain. Overall it advises healthcare professionals to be more casual with Hawaiians by talking about family first before advising on health care. It also advised a diet plan that would help alive homesickness with the healthy native foods along with exercises such as Hula and canoeing that would bring them to the cultural roots without weight gain. The study was conned by a white female who has no connection to Hawaii but she had her research students be of Hawaiian ethnicity and worked with them for cultural sensitivity and did sensitivity training throughout the course of the study. The audience is others in the healthcare profession who are dealing with a Hawaiian population that is obese and had health care problems that go along with obesity. This is a scientific journal and is advocating for change in both how Hawaiians eat and deal with homesickness and how health care professionals treat them.

Vocab and History: The Food In Hawaii Is Not Necessarily Hawaiian — Cooking In America. *easy to watch

This video is hosted by a Hawaiian native who was on Top Chef. In the video he explains the difference from local food and native Hawaiian food and the story behind how it came to be along with making food. It’s part history lesson and part food blog. It is meant for anyone interested in Hawaiian food at a basic level. The video is interesting because it explores this idea from the lense of a native Hawaiian.

Review: Regional Powerhouse Chains: L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.

This is a restaurant review for the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue chain and looks at how they came to prominence. Overall L&L is what many Hawaiians are familiar with at home; a dinner that serves different kinds of plate lunches. A plate lunch is two large scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad, and a centre of meet; if there are multiple proteins it is called a mixed plate. This is something that can be found almost everywhere in Hawaiian with different groups having different proteins with Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian proteins found on the menu. This coupled with Hawaiian barbecue, managers, and simian noodles other staples of the island and its multiethnic population makes for a powerhouse of chain restaurants. This review was written for foodies and those looking at restaurants. The review is not from Hawaii but does know about local trains. It is interesting to look at how the Hawaiian chain started there and upon coming stateside exploded and is incredibly profitable and has a cult following among Hawaiian who moved stateside and normal Americans alike due to its great food, large quantity, and cheap prices.

Menu and About: L&L Hawaiian Barbecue 

This is the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue chain’s website. It is pulled up to the about page and I would also recommend going to the menu page. It has clear pictures of what each item is along with explaining what a plate lunch is to both the Hawaiian culture and to those wanted to order it. When you click on the picture a description will pop up along with the nutrition information for that item. . On the menu is mainly plate lunch style with assorted proteins of different cultures that have become part of the Hawaiian culture. An example of this is this is Chicken Katsu (Japanese) or BBQ Ribs (Korea), Loco Moco (burgers with egg on top)  or BBQ Chicken (Southern style). This coupled with the spam options of Spam Musubi (spam sushi), Spam Saimin (noodle soup).  The website is meant for a customer from any background and is viable for any customer over the internet. The text is interesting in that it bridges the gap between Hawaiian dinner food via plate lunch and American food. Ready for the average American consumer to try.

Menu and About: Poke-Poke *tried and tested highly recommended for those near 

This is the website for a local Poke restaurant in Austin TX. It is the second restaurant with the first in Venice beach. The menu is more true to the ‘healthy’ aspect of Hawaiian food. It only consists of different raw fish pokes, with rice options available, along with acai bowls. Acai bowl while not being Hawaiian have become part of the surfing culture with its origins in Brazil. In the late 1980’s and mid 1990’s it made its way to both Hawaii and California through the surfing culture and only recently has come to Austin. The menu has only raw fish, tofu, and vegetarian options and is built with the health consciousness in mind. The restaurant is the brainchild of a native Hawaiian and his wife. It has more of a mom and pop feel rather than a chipotle style assembly line like other poke shops that are hopping on the trend.

Mainstreaming Poke: The Splendid Table: Martha Cheng: Poke’s Simplicity Invites Improvisation

This is a part of the splendid table podcast; this section focuses on poke Martha Cheng who is being interviewed is a Hawaii local and author of The Poke Cookbook. In this interview she explain that poke as we know it is a relatively new Hawaiian food made in the 1970s. The original word of poke was made by native Hawaiians with raw fish, salt, and some seaweed; however the poke we think of today was made by the kids and grandkids of plantation workers of Japanese and Chinese descent. Oil and shoyu were added and is served everywhere. From gas stations, Costco, to beers with friends after work poke is as common as chips and salsa on the content. The audience for this podcast is anyone who enjoys food and the authors are Martha Cheng who is interviews and the  Sally Swift one of the personalities on the Splendid Table podcast series. This text is interesting because it shows how influence little things are to the Hawaiian palate and food culture. Where something never heard of has exploded on the island and even stateside so fast.  

Government Takes Notice: Creation of Hawaiian Food Week: Congress Document 

This document is from the United States senate; last year through Senator Rounds the creation of Hawaiian Food Week was passed. This was the first time the US had officially recognized that Hawaii has contributed to the culinary heritage of the country. The history is linked with foods brought by native Hawaiians and the next groups of voyagers, the land and ranching ability of the island, and the amazing seafood that is offered by the island. It was celebrated as an ideal mixing of cultures and ethnicities through the food of Polynesia, China, Japan, Korea, among other island nations. The food is what bonded together the immigrants and created the uniquely Hawaiian spirit of sharing food and being familiar and friendly with neighbors. It celebrates Hawaiian food and helps memorialize it into the American conscious .

Research Topic: Hawaiian Food

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I have chosen the topic of Hawaiian Food for my research project. Specifically I am looking at indigenous Hawaiian foods and the ‘newer’ Hawaiian foods. To me these two types are unique in how they came about.

The native Hawaiian foods use a select group of ingredients that are native to the island. These ingredients are becoming more and more scarce as the population has increased and land grabs have happened. As the environment of the island changes so do the natural resources that once were plentiful are now scarce leading to a harder to find native Hawaiian cuisine.

The other cusine I am looking at is the ‘newer’ or local Hawaiian foods. These foods are a fusion of other cultures that have come to the islands in the later half of the 1800’s. This cuisine including Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Chinese and other Pacific Islanders food. This food is unique in that immigrants from these nations brought their own cooking styles to Hawaiian and over plantation lunches they all become one new uniquely local cuisine.

This research project looks at plate lunches as a sample of this amalgamation of cultures into a single unique cuisine. Specifically plate lunches from local diners in Hawaiian and family recipes in The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage and larger chains like L and L.

Dani’s Update on Research

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I have narrowed down my topic to two main ideas. The first is pickles, specifying the pickling practices of Jews. The second is Rooibos Tea; a tea from South Africa. I have connections to both of these foods; the first being one of my favorite foods and the second being my favorite tea.  My research process so far has been brainstorming ideas and then briefly researching them. As a rule if I could find more than three articles on the topic it would make the shortlist. From their I narrowed it down by what I would genuinely enjoy researching. Some of the things that did not make the cut were poke, mole, and matzah ball soup.

I have entered the next steps of my research process which includes going into academic and non academic texts on rooibos tea and pickles. I think I am leaning more towards pickles currently as they follow my interest in immigrant stories and how cultures mix in the ‘new country’.

Some of the sources I have looked at so far are blog posts, and while this is not an academic source it does give a good description of the main ideas that I am starting to research. I also have found a recipe from bon appetit. I have used the UT library research tool online but have yet to access these resources. I mainly have used the google search tools so far. I have used my writer’s notebooks for narrowing down topics and organizing my research along with Zotero.

Chinese Cold Pasta Recipe

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Chinese Cold Pasta, much like the name suggests, is a dish that is originates from China. It comes from the Szechuan region but is found all over China in the summer months as an easy, cheap, and quick cold dinner. This dish has slowly become Americanized in that when you google it it typically has a heavy or thick peanut dressing, lots of noodles, and lots of protein. This recipe unites two cultures because it combines two versions of the same dish.

This Chinese Cold Pasta has a sesame based dressing and is loaded with fresh vegetables along with the pasta. Typically, this recipe is a perfect way to get rid of whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand as well as whatever protein is in the fridge. This version of the recipe happens to contain my favorite vegetables, but you can change it as you please.

The story behind this recipe dates back to my Grandpa, who at the time was a professor at Texas A&M. While there, he mentored a Chinese grad student. My grandparents were adventurous eaters and, as a way to introduce the Chinese immigrants into the community, they invited him and his wife over for dinner. They told them to bring something filling as my dad and uncle would be coming home from a long day of sports under the Texas sun.

The original recipe that Ned’s (grad student) wife Maria brought over from China could not be made, as College Station did not have many of the Chinese vegetables she was used to cooking with, so she improvised. That’s why the only written part of the recipe is the sauce;; you improvise with whatever vegetables you have on hand or are at the local store. Now there is a much larger selection of Asian vegetables at most grocery store sand we can make a more authentic version of the recipe but growing up it was a filling summer dinner that made for great leftovers and was made with whatever was in the pantry or vegetable drawer.

This recipe has many steps but overall is very easy. The bulk of the recipe time wise is spent chopping vegetables or making the sauce. So don’t be intimidated by the long recipe. This recipe serves 6 and keeps very well as leftovers so feel free to eat if for a few days.

Serves: 6 (as main)

Sauce Recipe  

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Sesame Paste (Tahini)                     
  • ½ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce       
  • 2 tbsp. Worcester Sauce                
  • 2 tbsp. Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp. Green Onion (chopped)
  • 2 tbsp. fresh Ginger Root (peeled and minced)                 
  • 2 tbsp. Sambal Oelek (found in the Asian section of most markets)
  • 2 tbsp. Garlic (minced)                                                       

Preparation

  1. Combine the Sesame Paste, Soy Sauce, Worcester Sauce, Sugar and Sesame oil into a bowl and mix with a fork until a creamy consistency is achieved (5 min).
  2. Add the Green Onion, Ginger Root, Garlic, and Sambal Oelek, continue to mix. (1 min)
  3. Place sauce in a container and refrigerate.

Pasta Recipe

  • 8 oz. package of spaghetti (½ a package)
  • 1 large carrot, rinsed and cut into ¼” pieces or 1 bag of shredded carrots
  • 2 cups Bean Sprouts rinsed
  • ½ a Zucchini, rinsed and cut into ¼” pieces
  • 1 stalks of large Bok Choy, rinsed and cut into ½” pieces
  • ½  head of Broccoli, rinsed and cut into bite size pieces
  • ¼ cup Green Onion, rinsed, ends removed, and diced fine
  • 1 cup Sugar Snap Peas, rinsed and cut into ½” pieces     
  • 8 oz. can Sliced Water Chestnuts, drained
  • 8 oz. can Baby Corn, drained
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. butter or margarine
  • 1 tbsp. peanut oil (canola oil can be substituted)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • If you want to add protein
    • 14 oz. package of extra firm Tofu,
    • 4 cups cooked chicken without skin or bones (purchase a roasted chicken from a store or leftover)

Preparation

  1. Cook spaghetti per the package instructions, rinse well in cold water, drain well, place in a large bowl, and chill.
  2. Wash and dry the Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Zucchini, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Green Onion, and Snap Peas. Cut the vegetables into the specified sizes. On a large platter, place each vegetable as a separate mound on the plate.
  3. Drain the Water Chestnuts and Corn. On a platter, place each vegetable as a mount on the plate (note: leave space for the egg and any protein if desired)  
  4. In a small bowl, scramble both eggs and add salt and pepper to taste.  Using a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, melt the butter (or margarine).  Add the eggs stirring occasionally to insure even cooking. Using a spatula, fold the egg in half (like an omelet) and place on a plate. Using a knife, cut the egg into thin strips, mound and set on the platter next to the other vegetables.
  5. *Tofu and/or Chicken (if desired)
    • Tofu: Drain the fluid from the package, pat dry with paper towel, and cube into 1” pieces. Place the Tofu in a plastic bag with 2 tbsp. of sauce to marinade for 10 min. Using a medium size non-stick frying pan on high heat, add the oil.  When hot (30 sec), add the tofu and the marinade. Cook and stir the tofu until it is brown on each side (5-8 min). Remove the tofu from the pan and place onto the platter with the vegetables.
    • Chicken: Remove the skin and bones from the roasted chicken. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Place onto the platter with the vegetables.
  6. On a table, place the bowl of pasta, the sauce, and the plates of vegetables and protein.  Using a large mixing bowl, allow the guests to “make their own pasta” by placing a helping of pasta into the bowl along with their favorite vegetables and protein, add 3 tbsp. of sauce (or more to taste), mix well and place in a serving bowl allowing the next person to use the mixing bowl.

This recipe can be made with almost any vegetables you desire or have on hand. Whatever leftover protein you have can be added along with any vegetables you happen to have in the fridge or look good at the store. Some things I did not include but you could use are cucumbers, snap peas, squash, bamboo shoots, peanuts, and sesame seeds. I recommend doubling the sauce and just keeping it in the fridge as it makes a good marinade, dipping sauce, salad dressing.

Dani’s Rhetoric of Recipes

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The genre of recipes mainly has four parts: the introduction, a brief description of the food, a set of instruction, and then at the end there’s sometimes a substitutions portion. This format rings true for most recipes as it is the standard for the genre. In the introduction serves as guide for the reader in the history of the recipe. Sometimes its credits the culture the food is originally from and sometimes it shows what inspired the author in creating their version of the dish. The brief description of the food is just that; it describes what the recipe will be make in simple terms that a reader can glance at. The set of instructions will list the ingredients, how they are to be prepared, and how to combine and cook them to make the dish. The last part is a new edition to the genre of recipes in that it adds substitutions that can be made. This has become more relevant as allergies and diet choices have changed; currently you can see options to make it vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free at the end of some recipes.

The layout follows this trend throughout the genre. As time has changed, so has the format with handwritten notecards of recipes from grandparents kitchens, to published cooked books, magazines with recipes in them or even recipes with exclusively food and recipe content, food blogs, pinterest, and even food videos like the Tasty brand. Each form is a little different with the notecards being the most basic and the Tasty videos being the most digital. With modern cookbooks and online recipes photos have become a larger part of the genre of recipes. The photos let the reader look and decide if the recipe looks good enough to eat or just good enough to sit on the bookshelf.

Authors write recipes for a few reasons depending on what their aim is. Some people write recipes just to share the food they make with friends and family. Other authors write to fulfill their own self passion around food; this category can include both professionals and amuature in the blogs and internet categories. The last category is for business; typically they do not start writing recipes for money but for their own passions and over time make it into a business. Their motivation is still to fulfill their passion but now they are getting money for it so the mindset will change a bit.

Some of the topics or themes in the writing can center on a certain cultures food, alternative diets (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free), healthy food, or a certain type of process of cooking. In general authors write recipes to satisfy their own curiosity and passion for food. Each piece of writing and recipe has a different audience. Some the things authors keep in mind in regards to the audience is what they can get their hands on in regards to ingredients, time, and skill.

An author who writes a cookbook for beginners will have more basic or skill building recipes. Teaching how to cook throughout the book. An author who writes a cookbook for those on a budget will be price and time conscious in regards to the ingredients and how long it takes to make the recipe. An example of this would be the Good and Cheap text by Leanne Brown.  Within the internet space people can have entire food blogs of their recipes centered around different themes, in such theme is healthy eating. An example of this would be http://www.thekitchenofdanielle.com/ a blog that is centerd on healthy lifestyle choises and healhty eating. She provides recipes and tips to achieve both. My personal favorite of her blog is the gingerbread waffles .

Different authors connect with their audience in different ways. An author that’s writing for a college student or young promensil might try videos or pinterest post to capture the millennial mind. As a group we are more susceptible to videos explaining how to make a recipe than the typical recipe book format. Even within the internet different pinterest boards and search terms can focus in on different target audiences. Crock-pot, or slow-cooker is often used for people who work during the day and want dinner ready when they come home. The term, ‘Meal prep’ is used among the health conscious as a way to make healthy meals a week at a time. In both magazines and recipes books the use of photos is another way to catch the target audience. The photos style can be changed even among the same recipe to get a different audience with background lighting, plate choice, and even the background itself informing the audience what it is looking at and if they want ot make it.

To me a good recipe should give credit where it is due, taste good, and be easy to follow. The credit portion shows what inspired the recipe or even where the author originally got it from. Tasting good in my personal opinion is one of the most important parts; you can make many things but its is harder to make them taste good. The last part is the most important in my opinion; the recipe should be easy to follow. This does not at all mean easy to do; it can have complex cooking techniques but it should explain what these techniques are and how to do them. It should say a specific way of mixing the ingredients. An example I like to use is folding, mixing, stirring, and beating together the ingredients for brownies. All of the previous verbs can be used for ‘mix’ or ‘stir together’ but they all mean very different things. The instructions should be clear in how to prepare the recipe and if needed explain what they mean so you can follow the recipe easily.