Last week I cooked venison steak, coleslaw and roast potatoes for dinner. I tried to have a think about affordances while I cooked the meal. My understanding is that affordances refers to 'what comes out of the activity'. Well, for me I can see how communication is brought out between members in my flat and how one's cooking can often be a reflection of their personality.
As stated in my previous blog my role as cook on Wednesday night makes me feel like I hold some responsibility within the flat which is important to me. I also get satisfaction from doing my best to make a tasty meal which I feel is a sense of giving and caring for my flatmates.
Sometimes I communicate with my flatmates regarding what I should cook and they will request certain foods, I often then cook those foods as I know this will please them and heighten my sense of giving. For example, my flatmates have expressed that they enjoy vension steak and often request this as they find it an enjoyable meal, therefore it is a meal that I make quite frequently within the flat. We also communicate in terms of the weekly grocery shop to ensure each person's needs/wants are taken into consideration and the right ingredients are purchased for each person's planned dinner meal. I find that we also communicate over the meal that has been prepared as it is generally a time that we are all home and have a chance to converse.
Because we share the workload between us I feel that as a flat we have created a 'homely' sense with each member being a fairly competent cook and providing for the flat on their nominated day. To me, the food someone prepares tells you something about their personality. This is where a quote from the movie 'Chocolat' by Lasse Hallstrom (2000) interests me. It is a character describing chocolate as "rich" and "sinful" which are terms I would consider in sync with the women who makes the chocolate. I think this is a good example of how someone's cooking can reflect them as a person.
References:
Brown, D., Golden, K., Holleran, L. (Producers), Hallstrom, L. (Director). (2000). Chocolat (Motion picture). United States: Miramax Films.
Hey Bean! Awesome job on your blog so far! I love how much quality information you have in this post around how cooking brings communication into your flat. Love how your flat has created a 'homely' feel! That must be such a nice environment and atmosphere to be a part of! Fantastic that you have gone out and found the reference about the movie chocolat. It could be helpful to you if you explain what affordance is and also talk about the other aspects of affordance- Connection and moral properties, good/bad aspects.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work :)