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CulinaryArts:AStapleofMankind

LiamMorey

EnglishIIIHonors
Mrs.Kopp
February26,2015

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LiamMorey
EnglishIIIHonors
Mrs.Kopp
February26,2015
Theculinaryartshaveproventhemselvesinthetestoftimewithflyingcolors,
combiningthemselvessodeeplyintoourmodernlivesthatadaydoesnotpassthatoneendsup
entirelyunaffectedbythem.Thisprogressstemsfromthefactthattheculinaryartsshow
themselvesasanimportantpartofthedevelopmentofthehumanracesincethediscoveryoffire
uptoevencurrentdaywiththecreationofthemodernoven,andwillcontinuetoactasapivotal
pointinhumancultureandinternationaltourismintothedistantfuture.Notadaygoesby
untouchedbytheculinaryarts,somethingunlikelytochangeanytimeinthenearfuture.
Mankindhascookedsincebeforerecordedhistory,causingmosttoconsidercookingapurely
humanexercise,aviewnotentirelyillogicaltobelieve,asnootheranimalpartakesinsucha
ritual.Asonecaninterpret,thishumanonlypracticesetshumansapartfromtherestofthe
animalkingdom,whichprovesthattheculinaryartsareaworthwhilecareer.
Thebstwaytounderstandhowimportanttheculinaryartsaretohumanity,onemusttake
acloselookathowtheyhaveaffectedmankindthroughouthistory.Whenonehearstheword
beerspoken,themindofaresponsibleadultoflegalagethinksoflatenightswithfriendsor
relaxingafteraparticularlystressfulday.However,thoseslightlymoreeducatedonthematter,
thinkbackonancientMesopotamiaandEgypt,around3100B.C,thebeginningofrecorded
history(Standage911).Healthydrinkingwaterwasscarcelyfound,sologicallythethirsty
peopleurgentlyneededtocomeupwithalternativestosurvive.Aspeoplebegansettlingdown

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andfarmingasopposedtotheformerstandardofahuntergatherersociety,theycametorelyon
anewformofbeveragetoquenchtheirthirst(Standage911).Mankinddidnotcreatebeer
however,theydiscovereditprobablyonaccident.Beer'swidespreaduselikelycamefarbefore
theinventionofanorganizedwritingsystemtheevidencesupportingthisbeingthatthereisno
writtenevidenceofbeerscreation,itisonlydepictedinpictographscirca3100BC(Standage
1011).Thecurrentleadingthoughtonbeer'sdiscoveryinvolvesafarmerstoringhiswheatand
barleyinwaterandreturningtofinditfermented.Fermentingwaterwithbarleyandwheat
producedakindofeffectonthehumanbody,somethingmankindhadnotexperiencedbefore.
Thiseffect,nowknownasbecomingintoxicated,convincedtheancientMesopotamiansthatthe
drinkhadmagicalproperties,thusitbecameanimportantpartofreligiousrituals(Standage12).
Thoughbeerevolvedalongsidemodernhumansandsocietyitself,andhasremainedgreatly
importantthroughouthistory,thoughitssuccessor,wine,cametoovershadowitinimportance.
Theexportationofwinemarksthebeginningofinternationalspreadofculturethrough
theculinaryarts.Wine,generallyassociatedwithGreeceandRome,actuallyhasrootssetinthe
ZagrosMountainsanareacorrespondingtomoderndaynorthernIran(Standage46).Aswith
beer,winewasadiscovery,notacreation,asleavinggrapejuicetofermentcausesthesugars
andnaturalyeastsintheskintoconvertintoalcohol(Standage47).Thoughitsinfluenceon
societycamemuchlaterthanbeer's,itsdiscoverylikelyhappenedaroundthesametimeperiod,a
hardthingtopindownduetothelackofanorganizedwritingsystemthoughlikelybetween
9000and4000BC(Standage4647).Howeveralargeproductionorstorageofwineonalarge
scalecouldnothappenuntiltheinventionofpotteryin6000BC(Standage47).Potteryallowed
fornationstotradelargeshipmentsofwinebetweenoneanother,spreadingitspopularity,but

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duetothedifficultyittooktoproduce,wine'sexpenseskyrocketedcausingittobecomeasign
ofwealthandstatus.OnalistofrarecommoditiesinancientMesopotamiansociety,winecame
infirstplace.Itsreignendedin870B.C,whenthethenKingAshurnasirpalIIofAssyriaheld
oneofthelargestfeastsinrecordedhistory,invitingover69thousandguestsandconsuming
thousandsuponthousandsofcratesofvariousmeats(Standage44).Thekingdidnotsupply
manyvegetables,butalchoholwasinnoshortsupply.Thisparticularking,notlimitinghimself
tothesimplicityofbeer,imported10thousandskinsofwine,animpressivedisplayofwealth
evennow(Standage,4448).WinesimportancegrowsmostlythroughGreece.Thevast
majorityofwesternsocietiesnormsbranchfromGreecewhetheronediscussespolitics,
philosophy,science,orlaw,theGreeksstartedit.TheGreeksbelievedthemselvessuperiorto
thesurroundingnationsformanyreasons,buttheirchoiceofbeverageinwinewasthemost
prevalentfactor.ManysurroundingnationsdrankwhattheGreeksconsideredtobelowlybeer,
whileotherdidsomethingregardedasevenworsesuchasdrinkingwinebutdoingitincorrectly.
ThissenseofsuperiorityledtotheGrecianstudies,wantingtoknowmoreabouttheworld
aroundthem.Onecouldmaketheconnectionthatwithoutwine,theknowledgeofhumanity
abouttheworldaroundthemwouldbethousandsofyearsbehindwheretheycurrentlyare.The
nextdrink,spirits,hadascrucialofaneffectonhistory,butinverydifferentways.
Spiritsmarkthebeginningofcomplexinternationalandintercontinentaltradeinvolving
theculinaryarts,leadingtheculinaryartsintoanewagealongsidetheageofexploration.
SpiritsdiscoveryarisesfromchemistsinthenowSpanishcityofCordoba(Standage9394).
JabirIbynHayyan,consideredoneofthefathersofchemistry,foundthatbyusingaprocess
calleddistillation,evaporatingaliquidandthencollectingthecondensation,burnedawayallthe

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impuritiesinwine,asspiritsoccurwhenappliedtowine(Standage9396).Thoughthe
Mesopotamiansinventeddistillationthousandsofyearsbefore,theylikelyusedtheprocessfor
perfumesalone.InitiallyconsumedonlyintheArabempire,Spritsservedamedicalpurpose,
somethingthatchangedduringtheageofexploration.ThespreadofspiritstoChristianEurope
beganitsconsumptionasabeverage,andthereforeitsuseintrade(Standage9496).Thefirst
hardliquortheworldhadseen,spiritsprovidedpeoplewithanewdrinkingexperience.The
burningsensationafterswallowingfollowedbyasenseofvigorandwell
being
,drunkenness,
becameastapleofthedrink.Spiritsaroseatanopportunetimetraderouteshadrecentlyopened
up,allowingforlargeshipmentsofthisnewdrinktootherpartsoftheworld,namelyAfrica
(Standage96).Theeconomicboostthatitgavetonationsthatcouldproducethemonagrand
scalethrewthemintoanewageofwelfareinternationally.Theimportanceofspiritsextended
acrossanintercontinentalscale,Givinginternationalculinaryartsafootholdtoexpandin
importanceintheareasofeducation,trade,andcultureidentification.
Theculinaryartsofferawidevarietyofjobopportunities,manythatcanbranchoffinto
lifelongcareers.Anyonecanfindroomtoworkinthekitchen,grantedthattheyactrespectfully
andworkdiligentlyenough.Positionsvarywidelyfromabusboyordishcleaner,allthewayto
anexecutivechef.Theneedforculinaryartsineverydaylifeextendsbeyondtheprofessional
scenetheinfluenceofculinaryartsreachintothehomekitchen.educatingoneselfwith
culinaryknowledgeallowstheindividualtoenhancetheireatingandcookingexperience,
makingitmoreenjoyableonbothsidesofthecounter.Alongwiththispointtherealsocomes
thematterofpersonalhealth.Thoughitmayseemobviousthatcookingathomeprovesfarless
taxingonone'shealththaneatingoutatafastfoodrestauranteverynight,cookingonesown

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foodallowsfordirectnutritionalinputandabetterunderstandingofwhatingredientsthat
composethefoodthataparticularindividualwillserveoreat(Opara46).Manyhave
conductedstudiesexplainingthebenefitsofusingcertainingredientsandtheirintegrationinto
homemeals,particularlythoseofherbsandspices,someproducingsomeimpressiveresults
(Opara47).Thesestudieshavebroughttolighttheantiinflammatorypropertiesofcertain
herbsandspices,aswellasprovidingnewevidencethatthosewhomorefrequentlyconsumea
varietyofherbsandspicesshowatrendofsignificantlyhealthierqualitiesthanthosethatdonot
(Opara58).Cookingonesownfoodalsoallowsonetobalancetheirdiet.Thougheatingout
perhapsoffersavarietyofoptions,itstillyieldslimitedresultscomparedtowhatonecancook
upathome.Watchingonesdietmoreclosely,somethingmoreeasilypossiblewhenonecooks
athome,opensupopportunitiesforamorewellbalanceddietwithhighernutritionalvalue.
Duetotheincreasingimportanceofeducationandegreeinanyfieldofprofessionproves
invaluable.Thosewithlessthanafouryearbachelorsdegreewillfindfewwellpayingjobs,
manyfrequentlyrequiringanevenhigherlevelofeducationforahigherpayingjob.Many
believedforalongtimethattheonlyqualityculinaryinstitutionsexistinItalyandFrance,butan
increasinglypopularopinionistheideathatnowonecantravelclosertohomethanpreviously
assumedforaqualityculinaryeducation.IntheNewEnglandarea,collegesanduniversities
havebegunpoppingupallacrosstheregion,manyabletostandwithculinarygiantslikethe
FlorenceCulinaryArtsSchoolandotherwellestablishedinstitutes(Reese56).Johnsonand
Walesinparticularprovesnoteworthyduetothefactthatithasmadeahomeforitselfin
Charlotte,verynearby..Pairedwithitsextremelyhighlyrenownedculinaryprogramandits
outofcollegeemploymentrateboastingitselfatoverninetypercent,thiscollegehasshown

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itselfaworthwhileinvestmentintimeandmoney(Reese5).Althoughperhapsnotthemost
expensivemajor,thecostofaculinaryartsdegreeendsupcostingmorethanonewouldexpect,
especiallysointhenearfutureduetothefactthatthefieldisinthemiddleofaboomwithits
numberofadvocatesslowlybutsteadilyincreasing.Thismaynoticeablyimpactthejob
acceptancerateoutofcollegebecauseofthegreatlyincreasedsupplyofworkerswiththe
slightlyincreaseddemandformanpowerintheworkforce.Overthenexttenyearsthelikelihood
thatabachelorsdegreewillbeasufficientlevelofeducationispredictedtodecrease,andthe
likelihoodthatemployerswillsearchforhigherlevelsofeducationwillincrease(Plenda).Due
totherisingexpenseofcollege,manystudentschoosetoaimforgrants,scholarships,andeven
studentloans.Someculinaryschoolsofferscholarshipsforsendinginpersonalcookingor
bakingrecipes,withaccepteesbeinggrantedashighlyasafullridescholarship(Dornbusch).
Forpeoplejoiningtheculinaryworkforcefreshoutofcollege,thepaydoesnot
frequentlyinspireconfidence.Thoughsomecareersofferhighpayingjobsimmediatly,suchas
engineering,withmanystartingsalariesgenerallyabovesixtythousanddollarsayear,careersin
theculinaryartsstartingsalariesgenerallyconsistofaroundtwentyorsothousanddollarsayear,
somethingsufficientenoughtosupportalifestyleofsomonelivingalone,butnotenoughto
supportafamily(Reese).Overtimeandwithproperprogressionthroughtheculinaryhierarchy,
onecanexpectayearlysalarywithnumbersashighaseightyorninetythousanddollarsayear,a
salarywellabletocomfortablysupportagrowingfamily.
Manycareersexistsimplyforthedailygrindandtoputfoodonthetable.Thesecareers
accomplishthebasicnedofsurvival,butthereisnosenseofpersonalfulfillmentintheselinesof
work.Cookinganditsrelatedfields,however,presentthemselvesformuchmorethanthat.The

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senseofsatisfactiongainedfromcreatingonesowndishesprovidesanirreplaceablesenseof
accomplishmentandselfreliance.Thecookhastakenanextensivelistofunrelatedingredients
andformedsomethingthatwillactasbothfueltoanothersbodyandtoprovidetheirthetaste
budswithaexplosionofflavor.Eventhedescriptionmakesitsoundlikeanobledeed.Cooking
canoftenfeellikeatherapeuticprocess.Thatsaid,onewithlittleresolvedoesnotbelonginthe
kitchen,asitcanbetediousandsometimesevendangerouswork.Thehoursfeellongandtiring
andtheenvironmentuncomfortable.Thepeoplewhomonewillcomeacrosswilleach
frequentlyactmoreirritableandshorttemperedthanthelast.Thepayoffhowever,seeing
someoneelsetakingjoyinthefactthatadishspecificallypreparedforthemontheirtable,
showsitselfasatrulyrewardingexperience.Thatsetstheculinaryartsapartfromotherfieldsof
professionitcreatesaspecifickindofbondbetweencustomerandserver,abondonecanonly
experienceinsuchaway.
Otherfieldsconstantlycomeintocontactwiththeculinaryarts.However,somefields
relatethemselvesonamorepersonalbasis,particularlytheprofessionsofhospitalityand
chemistry,twocompletelyunrelatedtopicsjoinedtogetherbyculinaryarts.Thehospitalityfield
involvestheownershipandrunningofrestaurantsandhotels,makingsureothersfeelathomein
yourplaceofresidence.Adegreeinbusinessorperhapspoliticalsciencewouldpiquea
potentialemployer'sinterestinthiscareer.Theotherrelatingfield,chemistry,isaslightlybetter
knowntopicbutperhapsfarlessunderstoodandexistseverywhere.Thedefenitionofchemistry
isthestudyofelements,chemicals,andreactionsthingsthatculinaryartsheavilybase
themselvesupon.Withouttheirknowledge,anyonethatcooksamealmaycallthemselvesa
chemist.Whenonecooks,thatindividualpreformsaseriesofactionsandreactions,filledwith

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substancesoffoamsandgases,chlorides,andioniccompounds(Field).Withoutabasic
knowledgeofchemistry,eventhemostnaturallygiftedcookcannotbecomeagreatchef,as
knowinghowcertainchemicalsandelementsreactwithoneanotherisinvaluableinformation
whenworkingwiththem.Onemayusesaltasanexample.Knowingthatabasictablesalts
compositionconsistsof60percentsodiumand40percentchloride,butKoshersaltcontainsa
widevarietyofotherelements,allowsonetoapproachapplyingthesedifferenttypesofsalts
differently(Condrasky).Ontopofthepracticalusesofchemicalknowledge,thisinformation
addsanotherlayerofdepthtocookingthecookstopssimplyseeingitasheatingandcombining
fooditbecomessomethingmoreintricateandthereforemoreinterestingtothecook.Knowing
whattypesofacidsneutralizewhattypesofbases,whattemperaturescertaincompoundsmelt,
boil,orfreeze,whatkindofioniccompoundsformcrystals,themostefficientwaytoform
proteins,oreventhemostefficientwaytosynthesizesugarsoutofwhatparticularhydrocarbons
canallhelptocreateanew,morepersonalizedstyleofcooking,onemoreenjoyableforthe
individual(Field).Approachingtheculinaryartsknowingthisinformationcanmakeallthe
differenceastowhetheronecookwillfinditinterestingandenjoyable,whileanotherseesitasa
necessaryevilthattheymustcompletetocompletetheirday.
Theculinaryartshavegrownalongsidemankindsincethebeginningoftime,atleast,
sincethebeginningofrecordedhistory,about5115yearsago.Theyhaveshapedtheway
humanshavelivedandevolved.Ideologiesandreligionshaveformedandthrivedthroughthem
intheformoftheancientMesopotamians.Theyprovidedasenseofsuperiorityintheancient
Greeks,leadingtoimportantstudiesintheareasofmathandsciencethatremainimportantinthe
modernworld.Todaytheculinaryartscanprovideasimpledeliciousmealwithfriends.

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Nowadays,employerslookforahigherlevelofeducationandcollegesanduniversitiesare
demandingahigherpriceforaqualityculinaryeducation.Duetothefactthatthefieldof
culinaryartsareinthemiddleofaboominsize,thelikelihoodisthatmanypositionswillopen
themselvesupintheforeseeablefuture.Asonesexperienceintheprofessionincreasesother
fieldsaremoreandmoreopenfortransferintheformsofhospitalityandchemistrythisiswhy
lateroninonescareer,onewillnotfindthemselveslockedinaprofessiontheymayfindisnot
forthem.Humansasaspecieswillneverandcannoteverlivewithoutfood.Howthehuman
racechoosestoenjoythem,however,isentirelyuptotheindividual.

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WorksCited
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Dornbusch,Jane."101Cooking."Yankee71.2(2007):76.MasterFILEComplete.Web.6
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Evans,Patrice.PersonalInterview.23February,2015
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Horng,JeouShyan,andChenTsang(Simon)Tsai."CulinaryTourismStrategicDevelopment:
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a3c823ce66%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4109&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGN1c3R1a
WQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&A
N=67757158
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Montanari,Armando,andBarbaraStaniscia."CulinaryTourismAsAToolFor
RegionalReEquilibrium."EuropeanPlanningStudies17.10(2009):14631483.
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Opara,ElizabethandMagali,Chohan."CulinaryHerbsAndSpices:TheirBioactive
Properties,TheContributionOfPolyphenolsAndTheChallengesInDeducingTheir
TrueHealthBenefits."InternationalJournalOfMolecularSciences15.10(2014):
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Plenda,Melanie."TrainingNextGenCulinaryWorkers."BusinessNHMagazine31.4
(2014):2122.SmallBusinessReferenceCenter.Web.5January.2015
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Reese,Susan."CulinaryArts:EducationForATasteOfSuccess."Techniques:Connecting
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Standage,Tom.
TheHistoryoftheWorldinSixGlasses
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1. Intro
a. Thesis:TheCulinaryartshavebeenanimportantpartothedevealopmentofthe
humanracefromthediscoveryoffiretothecreationofthemodernovern,and
willcontinuetobeapivotalpointinhumancultureandmoderntourismintothe
distantfuture
b. Support
i.

History

ii.

Everyday

iii.

Health

iv.

Education

v.

Compensation

vi.

Relatedfeilds

2. History
a. Discoveryofcooking
b. creationofwine
c. devealopmentofseasoning
3. Everyday
a. Cookingjobs
b. Basickitchenskills
c. Benefitstocookingyourownfood
i.
4. Health

Transitiontohealth

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a. Herbsandspices
b. Balanceddiet
c. Freshingredients
d. Nutrition
5. Education
a. Schools/programs
b. cost
c. typicaldegrees
i.

Specificallysoughtafterdegrees

d. Internships
e. Grants/loans,etc.
f. Jobacceptancesfreshfromcollege
6. Compensations
a. Costofschoolversusstartingpay
b. Debtfromschool
c. Howlongtoclimbtheladder
d. usualupperleveljobs
7. Relatedfeilds
a. Hospitality
b. Chemistry
c. biology
d. nutrition

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