Cooking As a Transformational Tool

Cooking transforms an individual in many different ways. Right from the intention, and even through the process of cooking, various literary creations depict the transformation as an intricate part of cooking. Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen and Robert Allan’s Ramen Girl are illustrations of the transformative effect of cooking.
People learn to cook for different reasons. These reasons are a depiction of the prevailing states of these characters, who want to escape these states into more admirable or acceptable states. In this way, the intention to cook marks the first step in the journey of transformation. Some people learn to cook because they love the cuisine and want to possess the skill that produces that object of their gratification. In Ramen Girl, Abby falls in love with the Ramen and decides to learn how to cook it CITATION Mur08 l 2057 (Ackerman). Also, people learn to cook because it is a representation of achievement. Abby learns to be better to impress the ramen store owner and even learns harder to win the blessings of the food connoisseur CITATION Mur08 l 2057 (Ackerman). For other people, cooking is a source of comfort. In Kitchen, Mikage Sakurai spends time in the kitchen after her grandmother dies to find some comfort CITATION Yos88 l 2057 (Yoshimoto). Participating in kitchen duties gives her a sense of purpose. Cooking for Yuchi’s family makes life worth living for her once again.
The learning process of cooking is the real journey of transformation. This process involves a lot of resilience and is replete with transformative interactions.

One has to be willing to put up with a lot to learn. Abby has to endure washing toilets for very long just to prove that she has the resilience to learn how to cook Ramen CITATION Mur08 l 2057 (Ackerman). Mikage has to go through literary collections on cuisine when preparing meals for Yuichi. There is also a procedure to the learning process. After showing her resolve, Abby has to learn to serve the clients first. After learning that, she is then shown how to make Ramen. Even so, she has to keep improving on her recipe and practice making Ramen frequently.
Through this journey of cooking, the characters are transformed into new beings with different traits and skill sets. For both Abby and Mikage, the attainment of the knowledge marks the pinnacle of self-reliance. They both use the knowledge as a source of livelihood. This turn of events shows empowerment. For Abby, she even becomes worthy of carrying the legacy of the Ramen shop. The attainment of the knowledge also illustrates personal satisfaction. The Ramen shop she opens is a symbol of happiness for the Abby and Mikage’s cuisine is so good that Yuchi and the father appreciates. Both have attained the quality of self-actualization as they perceive it.
There is gender stereotyping in such movies as most characters are female. It is understandable since the role of home keeping and taking care of the family and society traditionally falls on the lady. In the visualization of the woman in this role, it is often, therefore, an illustration of actualization of her roles, as described by society. This is a good thing as role description avoids confusion in the home and is a common observation across most cultures globally. With a growing population of men joining the culinary enterprise, this trend will change.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY The Ramen Girl. Dir. Robert Allan Ackerman. Perf. Brittany Murphy. 2008. DVD.
Yoshimoto, Banana. Kitchen. Tokyo: Benesse, 1988. Print.