Healthy Huddle: The Loss of a Craft

We explore why cooking is a real craft and how losing that craft turns food into a fast, impersonal transaction. We share how even small acts of making food can slow us down, engage our senses, and help us eat with more awareness and satisfaction. 

• defining craft through the lens of craft fairs and makers 
• connecting the idea of craft to cooking and everyday meals 
• how convenience shifts us from creating food to consuming food 
• why fast food often leads to fast eating and less awareness 
• loss of control over ingredients, portions, and preparation 
• why food can taste better when someone else makes it 
• the full sensory experience of cooking and its link to memory 
• how crafting meals can reduce stress and support digestion 
• watching out for BLTs bites licks and tastes while cooking 
• simple ways to start with small acts of creation at home 
• using meal kits, salad add ons, and bowl meals to build skills 
• the burger at home example and why it can take the same time 

Can you craft a meal one time this week? Only one.

https://aarondegler.com/

Transcript

Welcome To Healthy Huddle

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Healthy Huddle. Thank you for taking a little time to join us tonight. Each week we join our live call on Healthy Huddle as we discuss a different healthy eating topic that we discuss and I share each week with our live call. So let's join our live call. Probably if you read what we're going to talk about today, it might have been a little confusing. So when we say the loss of a craft, so what when you think of craft, what do you think of? What do you think of when you say craft fare? Homemade goodies? Homemade goodies. Homemade items. It could be like things that are crocheted. It could be things that are made out of metal. It could be things that are baked. When we think it could be things that are made out of wood, out of plastic, all sorts of things. So when we think of a craft, that's typically what we think of of something being made. But typically when you go to a craft fair, a craft show, where are those things manufactured by some big Taiwan manufacturer? Or who it who are they made by? The regular old common folk. The regular old common folk, because they're made at home. So we are going to talk about health and the loss of craft when it comes to food. So what happens when we stop making food and we only consume it? And if if you go to a craft show and you talk to somebody, you stop at their booth and you talk to them about it, do they usually get pretty excited about what they make? Can they tell you all the details about it? Like how long it took to mold it, how long it took to cut it, how long it took to paint it. They can tell you every process, every step of the way, they can tell you how it was done, in what order, what process, the whole thing. If you go to Walmart and you buy something, or you go, you're looking at something, and you take it up to the person wearing the Walmart blue jacket and say, Can you explain this to me? How is it made? Where was it made? What are they gonna tell you? No, I can't. No idea. No idea. They'll turn it over and go, Well, looks like it was made in Taiwan. That's all I can tell you. And so there's really nothing they can tell you about it. And so we're gonna talk about how is that kind of related to food because we don't all crochet a scarf, we don't all make things that make your car smell good, we all don't make things out of metal, we all don't do woodworking, but we all eat. All of us eat. I don't think there's anybody on here that doesn't eat or hasn't ever eaten because you wouldn't be here now if you hadn't. So it's something we all do. And it and and really we're gonna talk about food as a craft, as in how do we prepare it? How do we go through all the processes? So would you say that that preparing food is a craft that is way less now than it was, let's say, a hundred years ago? Yes, yes, probably. Because a hundred years ago, that would put us at what 1926. Yes, there they were eating at home then. They were eating at home. And if we went back 150 years, 1875, we'd definitely say they were eating at home. Um and not only were they eating at home, what were they doing? They were growing their own. They were growing their food, they were feeding it, they were killing it. They were um like it took, you know, by the time breakfast was done, it was time to start working on lunch. That might meant going out and to the garden. That might go wring a chicken's neck and defeather it and get it ready and make the biscuits and and ground up the flour and all the things that had to be done. So it's it's really a it's a craft and it and it took time. And and when you make something, if you've ever made something, aren't you pretty proud of that that thing that you made? Yes. And you're like, hey, look at this. Maybe it's something really artsy, maybe it's something that you know, have you ever been to a bake sale, one of those, where are they a cake auction or a cake cakewalk? Cake walk. Yeah, yes, and and usually they have who made it labeled, right? Right. And aren't there some names that you're looking for? Like, oh, if it's made by that person, what does it mean? You need it. You need it. That means we're getting it. Yes. And if you're in a cake auction, you'll spend maybe several hundred dollars to get this cake because that person made it. Whereas somebody else, yes, it just looks like a store-bought cake, and you're like, I can buy that at Walmart for 10 bucks. Um, and I'm not gonna pay 75 bucks for it. Because you know that person that made it, that their name is on there, because of what they've made and you've eaten, you know a lot of work went into it, a lot of good things, it's gonna taste really good, and so it's really something special. So when it comes to food, and when we talk about it as being a craft, when we talk about cooking as being a craft, probably you don't think of cooking as being a craft. Um, but would a chef call cooking a craft? Absolutely, he would call it a craft just the same, same as Bob Ross would call painting a picture an art. Where some of us might just paint a room and not call it art. But so the craft is touching ingredients, it's preparing the food, maybe it's combining different elements or adjusting flavors because some of you might be those types that can have a recipe and and kind of change things up to have different flavors, to have different things. Not everybody's that way. Some people need to follow a recipe exactly, and others may not. So and so when we when we consume, what do we do when we consume? Take it into our body, take it into our bodies. Maybe if we just consume it, we don't prepare it. Maybe we just heat it up. What about what about the TV dinners? They were meant well, and one of them's called what, a hungry man? It's really for those bigger portions for that hungry man. So so really it's saying maybe he doesn't have anybody to fix for him, or if his wife doesn't, or his girlfriend don't want to do anything for him, she can just put in a hungry man, or maybe it's a lady that's really hungry and wants to eat like a man. It's the hungry man. So we just heat it, we order it, we grab it. You think about now when you go into a convenience store, they have all kinds of foods that you can just grab, heat, eat on the run, all sorts of things. So, and that's and we've moved more from crafting food to just consuming it. Because it's just faster, because we live in a faster environment. So when we when we stop doing that, when we stopped making food, think about this. This has just been a progression over time, because we think a lot of times conveniency is better. But in the 1920s, was there were people overweight? Was there obesity problem? No. Because technology helps save us time, so we have more time to sit. We don't have to cook as much, we don't have to go out and work the fields, we don't have to go out and hunt, we don't have to do all those things. So convenience causes some other issues that at the time we think, oh, that's great. But as also with that, as we're not creating those foods, we're also losing a can a connection with food because food just becomes transactional. I just need to go get it, eat it, and move on. It becomes very convenient. I just need to go through the drive-thru to get my kids something to eat because I just picked them up from school. They need a snack, and we're going to practice. And if you ask the little cashier, the order taker at McDonald's, hey, where'd this food come from? They're gonna say, well, Matt Matt there in the kitchen, he's he's grilling it up. And I mean, I guess that's where it's coming from. They're not gonna tell you all the different places that the bread came from, the cheese came from, the meat came from. They're not gonna tell you all that. It's just very impersonal. Here it is, take it as it is. So we stopped, and and really, when was the last time you went to a restaurant and thought about everywhere it came from? Probably because you really don't want to worry about that, right? You just want to eat it and take it in because you're hungry and you're in a hurry. So we don't worry about that. We don't really concern ourselves with how it was made, what went into it, all of those things. Because any restaurant you go to is really meant because what happens if it takes a long time? What do you do if you're at a restaurant? What's taking so long? It ain't bread. You you sit there and ate the bread or the chips or whatever. You sit there and eat everything else because it's taking way too long and you're really hungry. And and the thing about when you make something, think if you're crafty or you're creative and you make something, it takes a while, right? It takes a while. Maybe you're sitting making jewelry, maybe it takes time to put the beads on, to put the different things on. Maybe you're painting a picture, it takes time to mix the colors, do this, do that. Not all of us can paint a picture in 30 minutes on like on PBS. But typically we have to slow down. Where we can go in and buy a sweater, it takes a while to knit a sweater, it takes time. So when we craft things, it slows us down. And so when we're not doing that, we lose awareness. Because consumption, when we just consume those things, it speeds us up. In other words, fast food equals fast eating, equals less awareness, equals more intake. It's all quick. Before we know it, we ate too much. And then, two, we lose some ownership of making those things. You know, we don't control the ingredients, we don't control the portions, we don't feel responsible. You know, wouldn't it be different if we could go back in the kitchen when we ordered some food and say, well, I just want half that, I just want a small uh helping of this. Well, we don't, we just get whatever we get. We don't get to choose what sizes we get, necessarily how it's cooked. Now, now, do we try to tell them sometimes how it's how it's prepared? Well, I don't want this, I don't want that, and then what sometimes happens? It comes out, and all the things you told them not to do is exactly what it did. And then what happens if you send it back? Then you have to wait longer, and then you're concerned about what happens when it goes back to the kitchen. You're like, I don't know. So we lose some of that in the convenience, in the being fast. And we do the same things at home. What's what what's in a bag? What can I heat up? And what's quick? We we have all those same things. So have you ever had maybe it's maybe it's uh food that you make, maybe it's a food that you regularly make, um, and somebody else makes it. Does it ever taste better when they make it? Yes, and is it because they do a better job at it? Because I didn't have to make it. Yes. So typically there is research that shows that when you don't have to make something, it can be the exact same thing you made. So Kim and I talk about this all the time. We have grilled cheese at least once or twice a week. Sometimes I make them, sometimes she makes them. And so we always say when the other one makes it, oh, this is so good, because we didn't have to make it. So for some reason it tastes better when the other person makes it. Now we do exactly the same thing. We have the same process, the same cheese in half. I mean, everything exactly the same, whether I make it or she makes it. The grills on the same temperature, everything. But for me, it tastes better when she makes it. For her, it tastes better when I make it. So food made by others often feels just more flavorful, just better. And sometimes when food we make, we create it, feels more satisfying. You know, I feel good sometimes when I make several different, if I make this dinner and I've made several things, like, oh wow, that's that's kind of nice. I made all that. It's more complete. It's like, oh wow, we did all that. So sometimes it can be a little bit more satisfying. And sometimes it's not just about the taste when we make those things, when we make a meal, I might say from scratch, it's off also about it, slows us down because it takes us time to make it. We were involved in it. We're anticipating. Have you ever been cooking a dinner or a meal and go, oh man, I can't wait to eat that. It smells so good. It looks so good. Especially at Thanksgiving, if you're making it, you're like, oh, I can't wait to eat that. You know, I can't wait to take a little taste of it. And then when you make it, it's like, oh, that is that, you know, and you see this whole meal sitting on the table, you go, oh, I did that. Like that is really good. You know, I have the the veggies and the meat and the carbs and all the things. You go, wow, I did that. And so really it becomes a full experience. A full full experience because you get to touch it, you get to see it, you get to smell it, you get to hear it, and then you get to taste it. So it involves all the senses. And then some of you might have memories of baking or cooking when you're younger with a parent or grandparent. And isn't that an experience of the time you spent with them, the way it tasted, the smells, and probably if you do that now, if you smell it or you think about it, it brings back a flood of memories. And so, and I bet those memories are probably stronger than if you just went and bought a box of candy. It's probably that memory is probably not as strong as if you had that whole experience of making something. Maybe, maybe it's making a meal. And some of you may make things that a grandparent taught you, and you still make those things now. And so when you make them or a parent, you think of that person, you think of that experience and how great it was. So when we consume the food, all we're getting is the ending. We're not getting the whole process of going through it. Again, because when we when we make those things and we craft our food, it slows down our nervous system. So, like I said, it engages all the senses that we have and we focus on it. It reduces stress, unless you're in a hurry, and then it's gonna be stressful. But the hope is that it would kind of reduce some stress. And so then we then when we get ready to eat it, we're kind of in a calm state. Improves our digestion, reduces our overeating. As long as you didn't the whole time you were in the kitchen cooking, you weren't trying and snacking, and and oh, let me try this, let me try that, because I think we've talked about those, those, those are called BLTs. Bite, licks, and taste. And those can add up to some serious calories. So we also have to be careful about that. So it's kind of shifting kind of how we think, maybe, from do we get food or do we create food? And when we create it, we're being more intentional about what we're gonna eat. Maybe we're more aware about it, we're more connected. Whereas if we're just a consumer of food, we're more uh reactive, we're more impulsive. If we're a consumer, I just go into fast food because I'm hungry. I just need some food. And then we become more dependent on it. So the challenge really is, you know, we think of if I'm gonna be a craft, I have to be, if it's gonna be a craft, I have to be a chef. But we don't really have to be a chef. Maybe we just start doing some small acts of creation. So like I mean, this is I'm I'm I'm a consumer of this, but I would think maybe for Kim it it tastes better because she makes bread. About every other week she makes bread. And so, you know, when I get home, she said, hey, I have a new loaf of bread. It's always really good tasting. But for her, it's been a whole process of not just getting the ossips bread out of the cabinet and making a grilled cheese. It's a whole process of what she went through to make that bread for us to have a grilled cheese. And they make a way better grilled cheese on homemade bread than even allsips bread, I do have to say. It's pretty amazing. But it's a it's just a small act of creation. So, and we can do those things. We can do those small acts. So maybe, maybe instead of buying a pre-made salad, maybe you just buy all the stuff, the the lettuce already crunched up, but then you put the stuff in there. You create your salad, how you want it to be. You know, maybe maybe you already have a meal that you buy and you add some maybe some vegetables to it, or you add that salad to it. Something that you add to it that you're kind of creating. Think about uh what's that called? Those meals that you cook that you got. The ones that you order and they send all the ingredients. Yeah, they send all the ingredients. Yes, yes. So, so even those, you have all the I mean, now you didn't cut them all up, but even that is combining all the ingredients. They give you a little recipe card, they tell you how to do it, everything's already portioned up. I mean, you just kind of have to combine it, but still you're you're touching and feeling it and doing all of the different parts of it to create that meal. And that's one of those things that you know, you know, if you can and you like it, then you do it because you get to craft that meal. It's kind of like if you get a model car. Model cars, they come in all kinds of pieces, or like the Legos. So I have one here. So Catherine gave Legos, you know, the little Lego things for Valentine's Day. So think about this being all the different parts of your meal. And then I didn't make the pieces, but if I make it put it together, it looks like a little eagle, a little flying eagle, you go, wow, that's pretty cool. I have a little flying eagle. So you take all the pieces, all the pieces of your meal, and you get to combine them and you go, wow, I have a meal with some good protein, some good healthy carbs, some veggies, and I even made a little dessert. And so now you have a full meal, but you didn't make the pieces. You don't go out and chop and cut and all that, but you still get to enjoy all that goes into that. So, and that's something simple that you could do one night a week. Or just get a salad and you add the stuff on there. Something simple that you can can do. And maybe it's even like you build something, maybe it's even like a stir fry. So maybe it's like, you know, instead of having burritos, you just make it in a bowl. You make some rice and some meat and some beans and you and some lettuce and guaca, and you just mix it. So it doesn't have to be like this crazy hard thing. But it's still what making all those things, just like making those uh meals that come, it it slows you down. Instead of going to the restaurant and sitting there and ordering, and a lot of times, if you think about it, think about how long it takes you to drive to go to a restaurant, even in town. And you order and you wait and you eat. You still have probably at least 45 minutes to an hour. And chances are you could have made something in that time. So every Saturday night, Kim and I used to go to a truck stop and get hamburgers every Saturday night. We'd call it in about 15 minutes, it'd be ready. So by the time I went and got it, came home, it was about 25 minutes. Then we started making burgers and fries at home. Guess what? It takes from the time I make the patties to cook them to the fries, it's about 20 to 25 minutes. It's about the same time. But yet, what uh what what you what happens a lot of times? I'll get ready to make it. And she said, Well, I'll go in there and sit and talk to you. So she's sitting at the bar while I'm in the kitchen making the patties. And so it slows us down. We have better conversation. And so it just can change. And then when we sit, it tastes really good because we put all the things in it. We know what was in the meat, all those things. It just makes it better. So the challenge is really what can you do to introduce something that you craft this week? It doesn't even have to be every day. Maybe it's just one thing, one small thing that you can engage all your senses in that you get to touch, that you get to see, that you get to smell, that you get to taste, that you get to hear that sizzling, whatever it is, what is it can that you can engage all the senses in in making that meal? And so just because you're gonna start your crafting meals doesn't make you a chef. It just means that you're gonna create a meal. And then because it has all these other effects besides just makes you feel good completing it, it I mean it slows you down, it hits all your senses. You have I completed this project, it has all the things that go with it, and then you're gonna take it in slower, you're gonna enjoy it more. All of those things are just gonna be a benefit, and it doesn't have to be every day, just one time this week. So that's really the challenge is can you craft a meal one time this week? Only one. And then if you craft it really well, you have leftovers, and then the next day it's taken care of if you like leftovers. So, any thoughts, comments, or questions about being crafty? And thank you, DCU, for joining us on Healthy Huddle. Look forward to seeing you right here next time on Healthy Huddle.