Cooked Documentary<\/a> series on Netflix. The take away message seemed related to the foods we eat and the cultural origin, which I found very interesting. The cooked documentary has me thinking about a lot of things; like trying my hand at being a pit master or baking a loaf of sourdough bread perhaps, and of course chocolate.<\/p>\nThe theory that we evolved as humans based on our ability to cook is an interesting concept; the thought was put out that humans couldn’t live long without cooking, or if we lost our use of fire. Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney is the executive producer in this film, which was narrated by Michael Pollan; based on Pollan’s 2013 book. I like that the series isn’t preaching a particular\u00a0right or wrong eating style or behavior, instead discusses how we have evolved over time as it relates to foods.<\/p>\n
“One of the things I like about this series is that there\u2019s an angle to it,” says Gibney. “It\u2019s not some supposedly objective look at cooking through the ages, not a paint-by-the-number history series. It\u2019s Michael\u2019s point-of-view. That said, within that context, the directors were allowed a lot of freedom of style and content that brought a certain eclectic vitality to the series.”<\/p>\n
Here is my synopsis of the four Cooked Documentary episodes:<\/h3>\n
Fire:<\/strong><\/span> explores the history of cooking with fire, going back to Aboriginal culture and a people who still use cooking techniques developed over time. I’ll admit, this episode is difficult to watch at times as it graphically shows the hunt for iguana. As the show moves along, it will leave you with the desire to slow cook pork over slow heat, preferably wood, to experience the taste and smells discussed.<\/p>\nWith barbecue they go back historically the African-American culture, how people came together with food, seemingly transcending bias. Barbecue originated from African-American culture, growing in detail as it passed through the Caribbean and spices were introduced.<\/p>\n
They discuss the cultural history of the Aboriginal people, how they left their cultural lands thereby changing their diet. At the time when they left their native lands, changing to the western diet, they developed all the metabolic diseases common in our culture. When they went back to their cultural eating styles, removing fast foods and sugar from their diets, their health markers dramatically improved within six weeks.
\n