Non-Cook of the Month
June, 2012
Interview With Non-Cook of the Month
Matthew Nichols
Matthew Nichols
Matthew Nichols received a Ph.D. in art history from Rutgers University. As an Associate Professor at Christie’s Education in New York, he lectures widely on modern and contemporary American art. He also teaches art history at The New School and serves as the visiting critic-in-residence for the MFA program at Montclair State University. Matthew is a frequent contributor to Art in America magazine, and currently resides in Brooklyn.
Matthew took time out to answer questions via email.
Matthew took time out to answer questions via email.
Picky Grouchy Non-Cook: I understand that you can actually cook, and have in the past. How did you come to not cook? Did you quit? Was it gradual or did it happen all at once?
Matthew Nichols: I can't claim that I was ever a great cook. But there were periods when my culinary skills were developing. When I lived with a roommate during grad school our apartment had a great kitchen by New York standards, and a nice grocery store and fish market were located between the subway and our home. So I cooked fairly often back then, began gathering recipes from my family, and became confident enough to invite friends over for dinners. But my situation changed around 2000. First, I moved to my own small apartment in Brooklyn that had a cramped kitchen and zero counter space. And soon after that I met my boyfriend, who happens to be an incredibly accomplished cook. He's not a professional chef, but he could be, and he loves to cook for other people. He has happily prepared hundreds of meals for the two of us over the past decade. So I guess I quit cooking pretty abruptly, but it was mostly circumstantial, and I like to think that I could pick it up again. PGN-C: Does not cooking have an effect on your self image or self esteem? Do you think there's a stigma attached to being a non-cook? Matthew Nichols: Every now and then I feel bad about dropping my nascent cooking skills. But I think there's much more judgement directed at mediocre or bad cooks. I think we're living in a time when food and restaurants and chefs are constantly being evaluated, on so many fronts, from Chopped to Yelp to those Edible magazines. So by being a non-cook you sort of remove yourself from that conversation, and it's one less thing to worry about. PGN-C: Do you like to talk about food? Matthew Nichols: I don't have long conversations about food. But my palate is adventurous and I'm curious about the food I eat. I think about ingredients, flavors, combinations, and I'm willing to voice my opinions. So I'm thoughtful and appreciative when it comes to food, but I would never claim the title of "foodie". And I'm surprised that such a lame word has been embraced by the cooking world. PGN-C: How do you feel about food and cooking as themes in art and literature? Matthew Nichols: Food plays a major role in the history of art, and it can be fascinating. The still life, for example, may seem like a boring genre of painting, but the foods arranged by artists at different points in history usually offer a lens onto much larger cultural issues. And many contemporary artists use food as ingredients in their work. This past winter, if you went to MoMA in the afternoon, you could eat curry made by Rikrit Tiravanija for lunch, and then take some candy from a Felix Gonzalez-Torres sculpture -- a perfect excursion for art-loving non-cooks. PGN-C: In your household, is being a non-cook more like something you get away with or more like something you accept? Matthew Nichols: As I said, my boyfriend loves to cook, so my lack of reciprocation is never criticized and pretty much guilt-free. Plus, we have an unspoken agreement that I do most of the clean-up. |