Secret Ingredients -- Casserole Reading Response

We have been discussing various food cultures, from Bich’s American food culture experiences in Stealing Buddha's Dinner, Anthony Bourdain’s own explorations in food around the world, as well as our own food experiences.  M.F.K Fisher’s essay, Nor Censure Nor Distain, brings up another aspect of food that we have touched on before: time (or lack thereof) and how it affects food preparation and food enjoyment.  I would like to therefore discuss the casserole as a symbol, not only for their undeniable American-ness, but also for their flexibility and ingenuity.  

First, there is the adaptability of the casserole.  The casserole follows a basic form, “A good casserole will have clear-cut textures as well as flavor, and tired food can never stand up to the slow baking it should be given.”  Besides that, a casserole can become anything.  it can adapt to a certain person’s tastes and can feed many people.  People change the recipe, experiment, and share their findings with each other, acting as food in my opinion should act: as an outlet for people to gather and share.  I think it makes an interesting point for the fast-paced lives that U.S. Americans live while still maintaining this slow-cooking method.  Fisher explains the casserole as a “compromise between one’s knowledge of good cooking and one’s harried way of life.”  The casserole in this sense seems to be the epitome of American food culture.

I am, however, a little confused by the author’s argument.  On one hand I feel like the author is saying that casseroles are a symbol of America’s downfall from sophisticated cooking; on the other hand I get the sense that Fisher really likes casseroles.  Any thoughts?  Back to the casserole, it does seem to stem from some kind of American tendency to spend more time at work and less time doing housework, and if one looks at the casserole as a compromise, I think it does do a good job at fusing great taste (most of the time) with low preparation time, as well as big portion size.  We also have to look at the working middle class.  More and more often both parents are working, and a casserole does not require any special skills.  I personally love casseroles, and love the idea that Fisher brings up as a casserole being a compromise.  Fisher describes that “in times when I have combined going to an office and running a decently nourished household I have evolved many ways to cook more than will probably be needed for a meal, so that something will be left, to challenge what I prefer to think of as my inventiveness rather than my lazy penury.” This almost seems to reflect the idea that to make a casserole is lazy but necessary.  I would like to counter this argument and say that, while the casserole can symbolize America’s fast-paced ways, it can also symbolize America’s adaptability and ability to take a simple recipe and make it unique (and quick!).