Men, Women, Preppers and Photographers: True Brews
There is a fundamental difference in the instruction prepared by man vs, women. In my pursuit to know all the ins and outs of making cider, and pretty much every other type of fermented beverage, i have read reference book and blogs, watched how to youtube videos and listened to podcasts. Through all of my research different patterns have emerged.
My observations started to come together this summer. I had moved to a new city where i didn’t have a job and I didn’t know anyone. Hoping to pick up a hobby that would become a life long skill, I hit the internet to learn the subtitles of pickling.
As I frequent the food community on the internet I found it strange that where pickling was concerned it was mostly a male dominated topic. Furthermore the highest rated and most suggested recipes were videos done by middle aged men with long beards confessing to make “Mams pickle recipe”. Men are allowed to cook, never mention to my boyfriend that I said anything otherwise.
But these guys weren’t foodies, there was no mention of farmers markets or rare and obscure ingredients. There were mentions of preppers.
Someone who focuses on preparedness, generally for various worst-case scenarios like peak oil or armageddon. Sometimes used to avoid the more loaded term survivalist.
When it comes to Cider how to books and blogs, male authors have two speeds; patronizingly slow and boasting about all of the research they have done. There is either two whole pages on a simple (yet important) concept like sanitization or they skip it entirely believing that it is simply assumed. Men have taken on such domestic tasks on as a hobby, an activity in which you climb the ranks.
This draws to attention to the difference between the explanations from men and women. I think this difference works its way back to the way men and women are brought up to think about things. Not meaning to get in to a debate on feminism and what is equal, women are brought up to believe cooking is a basic skill you should know. On the other end a man who can cook is seen as someone who has taken the time to learn. This reflects in the instructions they are given.
All of this being said, I just read Emma Christensen’s “ True Brews“ a straight forward, skill building and open book cook book with the million dollar photographs food blogs have lead us to expect. As a writer for the blog the Kitchn, she has honed her craft leaving behind the regular cooking blog banality of prologs including taking your British Bull Dog to the vet, staying at a Band B over the weekend or the new damask curtains found at a posh flea market.
Straight forward explanations of how things work, why ingredients are important and many different takes building on the same premises create the type of text book which would have helped all the wood shop boys I went High School with pass Chemistry.
“True Brews” is an essential book in the hobby brewers arsenal. Not only are the recipes diverse and sound delicious but they also leave the door open to other flavour explorations.
