From America to My Kitchen.

I think it is easy to argue that the apple is only known for its negative symbolism. But, they are also positive things associated with the apple, which I mentioned in my last post. I believe the apple is a contradictory symbol that changes meaning according to gender. In Carol M. Counihan’s Food and Gender: Power and Identity, she also identifies this contradictory nature of food and gender:

Despite the disparity between the positive/negative representations of the apple, I still think that it cannot truly escape its underlying image of being an icon of sin and temptation. Evidently, the tree that God warned Adam and Eve against was called the “Tree of Knowledge”, and even though wisdom/knowledge is seen as a positive thing, too much of it can lead to corruption. (Think of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the theme of dangerous knowledge as an example). When I was doing research on John Chapman, I read through Micheal Pollan’s The Botany of Desire and found this relevant quote:

This image is an example of how the apple cannot really escape its past. The inclusion of the Snake with the apple on his head alludes to the original biblical depiction.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the representation of apples, and if you’re interested in looking at how they are represented in other cultures look at this link! I am going to have a go at making a 'forbidden' apple crumble... As you guys know, I challenged myself to make an apple crumble and can proudly say, I have done it!I owe my accomplishment to this video:

Kate instructs you step by step through the process in such a conversational manner that you almost forget you’re baking! Time flies by and before you know it you're watching the crumble in the oven like a hawk. So why an apple crumble? Because apple crumbles are a type of nostalgic dessert that make me think of lazy Sundays after a roast, where shoving spoonfuls of custard laden crumble both comforts and keeps the horror of Mondays away. Justin Picardie brings this nostalgic food moment to life in Daphne:

References

Counihan, Carole, and Steven L Kaplan. Food And Gender. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998. Print.

Picardie, Justine. Daphne. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009. Print.

Pollan, Michael. Cannabis, The Importance Of Forgetting, And The Botany Of Desire. Berkeley, Calif.: Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, 2002. Print.