What is Cooking To Hook Up all about ?
The cookbook, “Cooking To Hook Up“ is written by Ann Marie Michaels and Drew Campbell. This cookbook helps to assist men by showing them how to win your way to a woman’s heart through cooking. In the book, it has step by step instructions for multiple recipes, beverages, and how to prepare your house for when you have your special lady over for dinner. Some recipes and beverages include different types of liquor, chicness with the Mary bones (chicken with the marrow in the bones), Spanish tapas, heirloom-tomatoes with grilled bison steaks, and plenty more to help make that special meal for your loved one. Also, women in this book fit into several different categories including: academic girl, next door neighbor, career, gourmet, indie, etc. – or if she is ultra complicated, a combination of two- granola/progressive, party/uptown and so on. Back in 2004 when the book was published, there were no social media sites and dating apps for people to socialize and connect through. This is a great reason why this book was published and has been instrumental in helping men connect with women through cooking and having a nice meal for dinner together. This cookbook is a fantastic guide to a great date night and teaches men how to cook their way into their desired woman’s heart. (Gulden, 2005)
Background of Authors
Authors Ann Marie Michaels and Drew were married in 1997. They had no kids and a very difficult marriage that would eventually end in 2003. The former couple both realized they were better writing partners than life partners. Ann Marie’s passion for cooking came from her sister, a self taught gourmet chef. Drew learned to make Salisbury steak from his mother and held his very first dinner party in tenth grade. Ann Marie earned a BS in film from the University of Texas Austin. Since her time in college, she has worked for some of the top ad agencies and internet consulting firms in the world. She now lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Maude. She is currently freelancing as an interactive producer and is working on a novel. This will be Ann Marie’s first book. Drew, a progressive guy, has spent many hours of his lifetime in the theater world. He gained his BA in theater from the University of Brown and MFA in theatrical technology from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has worked as a technician, designer, high school teacher, college professor, video editor, and professional musician. After a four year stint at Universal Studios Hollywood, he has now joined the faculty of the University of Texas Austin, teaching theatrical technology. He has written two guides to the backstage world of show business: Technical Theater for Nontechnical People and Technical Film and T.V for Nontechnical People. Drew remarried again to the lovely Progressive Valerie on July 23, 2004. (Campbell and Michaels , 2004, p. 307-308)
Audience for this Book
This cookbook points directly towards men that are looking to plan a solid date night with their women. The book runs through a step by step process including things like going grocery shopping, cooking, putting certain music on, and also preparing the house. It leaves no stone unturned and covers absolutely everything in order to have a great experience with loved ones. The book speaks to a certain group of men that are new to the dating world or ones that have not been very successful at dating and need a step by step process to lend them a hand. Also, I believe that this book speaks to men that are very efficient with time management and that have some skill in the kitchen. There are sections in the book that explain easy recipes for someone that has never been in a kitchen before. It explains in great detail much harder recipes for even those who have a lot of experience in the kitchen. Again, this book assists in guiding men that are trying to win one of the various types of women’s hearts over by preparing a lovely meal for dinner. The book does not provide any gender fluidity for those who identify as a different gender or have different gender expressions. This book is strictly about straight men trying to win their girl over for that night.
Linkages and Identity
I truly believe what caught my attention the most in regards to how this cookbook connects to what we have discussed in class so far is through the “food and identity” reading. The reading translates how different foods throughout the world establish people’s religions, holidays, ethnic groups, social class, individual identity, and group identity. The cookbook covers all of these things and more. It describes in detail how men should set up their home and how they should prepare their meals before having their woman over based on the type of identity, religion, or social class the woman is grouped in. This cookbook is very stereotypical. I believe the authors had expectations based on how the women were identified. Some other linkages I made from this reading were through food ways and cultural capital. Food ways were presented in this cookbook by showing how different foods were prepared by men through cultural, social, and economic practices of different females. Throughout the book, there were specific food and wine recipes that were explained in a way that made me think of cultural capital. The reason for this was a result of the way the cookbook explained some of the instructions. It made me feel as though men were supposed to have a higher class status in order to prepare certain foods and beverages based upon culinary practices that they would be presenting for their woman.
Citations
“COOK’S HOOK UP – CORRECTION DE LA SUR-ENERGIE DE COOK.” HorizonPsy, 17 June 2020, www.horizonpsy.com/index.php/2019/01/02/correction-de-la-surenergie-de-cook/.
Gulden, Erin. “Book Review: ‘Cooking to Hook Up’.” The Daily Northwestern, 26 Jan. 2005, dailynorthwestern.com/2005/01/26/archive-manual/book-review-cooking-to-hook-up/.
Images
“COOK’S HOOK UP – CORRECTION DE LA SUR-ENERGIE DE COOK.” HorizonPsy, 17 June 2020, www.horizonpsy.com/index.php/2019/01/02/correction-de-la-surenergie-de-cook/.
Oswald, Dr. Tasha. “Dating for Neurodiverse Adults: How To Show Your Partner You Truly Care.” Tasha Oswald, 8 Apr. 2020, opendoorstherapy.com/dating-for-neurodiverse-autistic-adults-show-your-partner-you-care/.
Spaghetti Pie Recipe | The Gracious Pantry | Easy Pasta Dinners.https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/spaghetti-pie-recipe-v-3-.jpg. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.
Staff, PuckerMob. “7 Amazing First Date Dinner Recipes That Will Impress.” Pucker Mob, 5 Feb. 2020, www.puckermob.com/relationships/7-amazing-first-date-dinner-recipes/.
User, Thriftbooks.com. “Cooking to Hook Up: The Bachelor’s… Book by Drew Campbell.” ThriftBooks, Thrift Books, 12 Dec. 2007, www.thriftbooks.com/w/cooking-to-hook-up-the-bachelors-date-night-cookbook-cookbooks_drew-campbell_ann-marie-michaels/614691/#edition=3019012&idiq=2196119.