Our most recent assignment was from Michael Pollan's Cooked: "Part 1: Fire."

"Fire" made my day on Monday.  It was not because of the more interesting bits in which Pollan introduces his readers to various barbecue pit masters nor his occasional witty comment nor because of his long ruminations on the advent of cooking in human evolution.

Pollan made my day by making me appreciate--even more than usual--a barbecue sandwich from the school cafeteria.  I had been drooling over in-depth descriptions of barbecue for an hour. The whiff of pork that my nose now caught on the way to the cafeteria was like a dream. While waiting in line for the long-anticipated sandwich, I observed the mix of races in line with me and thought about what Pollan said about barbecue historically erasing social differences. Of course, there's always a mix of races in the food lines at this school.

True, I relished my barbecue alone, while sitting at a desk. (Go, ahead: scold me, Michael Pollan.) However, I opted to solely meditate on the food while eating instead of eating while reading or watching a video. 

Cooked has earned some merit in my book by interesting me enough to affect my behavior.