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Thesis--Ohiolink Final 2.pdf (524.5 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Compliments to the Onscreen Chef: Cooking as Social and Artful Performances

Sinewe, Rebekah
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1491165097470373

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Theatre and Film.
From the earliest performances of the act of cooking while gathered around a fire, humans have layered meaning onto the embodiment of cooking. The performance of self and community illustrate ways in which cooking has moved through generations and shaped roles and identities related to cooking. In this thesis, I examine the act of cooking as it expands from social performances to artful performances through the development of cooking in mediated spaces, specifically televised cooking shows ranging from early programs in the 1950s and 1960s to the Netflix series Chef’s Table (2015-2017). Chapter One provides a foundation to the overarching argument by establishing cooking as a social performance as well as a performance of identity and community that spans domestic spaces. This leads into Chapter Two, where I discuss early cooking shows in the 1950s and 1960s and the legitimized identity of “chef” as opposed to the domestic, social performances of the home cook. Chapter Three explores the types of audiences involved in cooking shows and the effect of viewership preferences for the Food Network offerings, which encouraged more competitive and entertainment-based programs. Finally, Chapter Four provides an analysis of artful performances of cooking within Chef’s Table through close readings that illuminate the spectacle, aesthetics, storytelling, innovative techniques, and the cinematic use of the camera. This analysis reveals that the act of cooking can be positioned as both social and artful performance, and suggests opportunities for further study of ways these areas can overlap within contemporary programs and media culture.
Cynthia Baron, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Lesa Lockford, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
99 p.
Theater
performativity; cooking; cooking shows; social performance; artful performance; performance studies

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sinewe, R. (2017). Compliments to the Onscreen Chef: Cooking as Social and Artful Performances [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1491165097470373

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sinewe, Rebekah. Compliments to the Onscreen Chef: Cooking as Social and Artful Performances . 2017. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1491165097470373.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sinewe, Rebekah. "Compliments to the Onscreen Chef: Cooking as Social and Artful Performances ." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1491165097470373

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1491165097470373
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.