Hannah Frey
Dr. Emery
English 101 (11:00am)
20 November, 2014
Food Should Always be Made with Love “Mom, what’s for dinner?” “Mom, when will dinner be done?” “Mom, is it time to eat yet?” are typical phrases a mother hears countless times a week. Mothers are typically held responsible to be in the kitchen making food for the entire family. I mean, what else is better than your favorite food made with love by your own mother. When my stomach starts to growl, I look to my mom for help. It is almost humorous how much we depend on mothers, assuming they know when their kids get hungry and automatically start cooking to fulfill their needs. However, Nigel Slater’s life is quite the opposite, as he grows up with a mother that cannot cook, but is soon surprised when delicious, home made meals start appearing on the table every night when his father re-marries. In Nigel Slater’s, Toast, the comparison and contrast of the two most important women in Slater’s life, shows how much they impact and influence not only his cooking skills, but also his everyday life. To start, Slater’s mom is a horrendous cook. Food never turns out the way it is supposed to look, the kitchen always turns into a mess, and the toast is always burned. She does not sound like much of a mother, but the love she has for Slater is unending. Her love is shown when she lets Nigel help her make the ever-so-famous Christmas pies. The crispy, sweet pies that brings the entire family together as a whole. When Nigel and her enjoy the sound of cupcake batter slowing hitting the cookie sheets together is just another example of the abundance of love she has for him. Slater may have been saddened by the fact that his mother could not cook, but he had to be grateful for having a mother that would anything for him and always puts forth the effort to try and cook for him, even when she is feeling ill. Even though she made shitty food every single night, she always made sure to provide and that is the best kind of mother there is. After her death, Nigel’s curiosity about cooking turned into a passion. On the other hand, Mrs. Potter is a cold, narrsastic woman, yet still manages to create the most delectable, mouth-watering meals that are full of life and seem never ending. When Slater looks at his new step mom, he sees no resemblance of his mother, yet he cannot deny the fact that she is an astounding cook. Her personality is just so cold and selfish that Nigel has to secretly spy on her to try and learn new techniques and tips to make his cooking skills perfect. In contrast to Slater’s mom, Mrs. Potter, discourages Nigel from cooking and trying new things. Each Wednesday out of every week was nominated Slater’s time to shine and cook for his father, yet conveniently enough, every Wednesday when he would get home there was already a full cooked meal laid out on the table. Mrs. Potter sparks a flame in Slater’s father that most people, including Nigel, have never seen before. She makes him dance, try new things, and even smile and laugh, which was something foreign to his fathers lips. Mrs. Potter seems to be the ideal woman, I mean what guy would willingly deny a clean house, food on the table every night and sex? Not to mention she is a ravishing young lady, but the honest truth is Mrs. Potter is nothing but a cold, selfish, pleasure-seeking gold digger. As a matter of fact, these two women are completely different yet have