"Cooked" by Michael Pollan: FIRE

I have never been a fan of books about food. But for some reason this book, especially this section, appeals to me in a way that I would not have thought possible. I am a reader primarily of fiction, which is a domain of literature that has always engaged and fascinated me in a way that other forms of entertainment have historically failed to do. But the non-fiction that I do enjoy reading involves my interest in mythic history, which is exactly what Michael Pollan tapped into while I was reading about man's love affair with the cook-fire. It probably helped that he started out talking about the history of barbecue as an extension of the origin of man's fascination with animal sacrifice to God. From the Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC to a huge BBQ festival on the streets of Manhattan, to an odd little joint in Spain, Pollan engages by relating his personal experiences with these cook-fire artisans and, at the same time, provides context by relating the stories of these cooks and how their methods of cooking came about. I was surprised to learn that the secret behind good barbecue had less to do with the cooking flame itself than it does the flaming wood embers shoveled beneath the pigs. Perhaps I'll learn even more about this process during our field trip to Bridges' Barbecue on Wednesday. I'm not so sure I buy the idea, frequently revisited by Pollan, that the ability to cook with fire is the primary difference that separates us from the animals. That seems like a slightly dramatized viewpoint. I would think that the ability to behave in a moral fashion by suppressing our baser instincts is a far more important factor. But, overall, he did build a fascinating case for his idea.