It’s funny
isn’t it that sometimes themes go in waves? Last week one of my Spanish
students who is learning English told me about how his daughter is part of a
group of girls who are participating in STEM based projects, such as making
robots and designing apps. Later in the week I was speaking with another
student who is a Vice-Chancellor of one of the universities in Barcellona.* She
talked about how the number of women in senior roles has gradually increased
from practically zero to a few during her career as a palaeontologist. Progress
has been made but clearly much more needs to be done to achieve parity.
In between
times, I stood in for a colleague and found myself teaching three young women
who work for a cosmetics company. The first student arrived several minutes
before the others and on introducing herself and her role as a training manager
for the company said, “It may seem strange that I work for a cosmetics company
because my background is in chemistry.” However, I could see the connection and
it sounds as though the industry is doing more to develop products that work in
harmony with the natural chemistry of the body, which seems encouraging. Asking
her about her interests, she told me that she loved cooking and then emphasised
that part of the attraction of cooking for her is that the process is
essentially practical chemistry in action.
I could
hardly believe it! She sounded like a modern-day version of Bonnie Garmus’s
wonderful character, Elizabeth Zott, in her novel, Lessons in Chemistry! I had only just read the book a week or so
before! All the way through reading it, I kept telling my wife how brilliant
and original the book is. Apparently this is Garmus’s first novel. If she keeps
going like this then phew!
The novel is
set in 1960s America, in an environment largely unsupportive of a determined
and brilliant female chemist. However, despite inevitable challenges Zott
progresses unstoppably and unpredictably, most notably by becoming the unlikely
presenter of a cooking programme, in which, you’ve guessed it, she focuses on
the chemistry underlying the cooking process. Not only is Zott an inspiring, formidable
character but she is accompanied in her absorbing journey by a diverse cast of
supporting characters, including her laser sharp daughter, an exceptionally
intelligent dog (named Six-Thirty), a neighbour locked into an awful marriage
and her agonised producer who is initially desperate for her to conform to the stereotypes
of the time.
I think
anyone with even a smidgen of interest in science and women’s roles within it
would absolutely love this book. It might particularly inspire older teenagers
to consider the idea of a STEM career, which would be wonderful if it sometimes
succeeded in doing so. However, I also think it would reinvigorate interest in
anyone, who for whatever reason lost interest in science. Having taught maths
and science in the past, as well as English, I think nearly everyone has had
negative experiences at some stage in either or both of these subjects, with
girls especially being told that, ‘this subject’s not for you’. I went to
university to do a biology degree and couldn’t have been more inspired after
completing my A levels. Three years of generally awful teaching squeezed every
ounce of enthusiasm from me and was only restored after, thankfully, someone
asked for some help with the subject, which gradually revived my interest, so I
know how powerful the negative experiences can be. (Also I gave up chemistry as
soon as I could at school because the teacher knew my dad and picked on me.**)
As you may
have gathered, I highly commend this remarkable book! I hope you enjoy it
should you decide to read it.
*I know! She
could of course run rings around me on most topics but has the humility to take
lessons from a simpleton like me, who’s only advantage is being a native
speaker of English!
** To be
fair, I pushed back strongly so gave as good as I got – he was probably pleased
I gave up the subject too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lessons
in Chemistry by
Bonnie Garmus. Penguin Random House UK ISBN 978-1-8049-9092-6
7 comments:
My mother was an industrial chemist (unusual for a woman starting work in the 1940s) and always tackled cooking as an exercise in chemistry. She wasn't actually a very good cook - always more interested in calibrating the oven than choosing good flavours!
I tend towards the view that once you start considering cooking as a branch of chemistry, you're unlikely to ever produce anything worthwhile. A notable example, perhaps, might be a certain Margaret Thatcher. She was deeply involved in the invention of those disgusting 'Mr Whippy' style air injected ice creams. All in the pursuit of cheapness in production costs.
I think there's a difference, Andrew, between enjoying being interested in cookery, and being aware of all the effects of one substance on another, or the effect of temperature and so on that is a form of appreciation - why does this do that? why does this happen when? = and so on that does not lead to Mr Whippy or Margaret Thatcher. I can see it in my adult son and my husband.
Also I loved the novel!
Other than if we eat our food raw* then at least one chemical reaction is occurring, even when we make toast** or if we do anything to an egg. Check out the Maillard reaction regarding the cooking of meat. The two can run in parallel with the creativity involved in cooking and that's partly what comes out as a point made by the main character in 'Lessons in Chemistry', particularly explaining the nutritional benefits of cooking good food. I agree with Penny, Andrew, don't let Maggie Thatcher put you off reading this book! *Though there's a fair bit of biology and chemistry going into producing the food! **And to make the bread you're going to toast... :)
Penny, Steve. Well, I've ordered up that book to read. The post set off a couple of my triggers. One was the cosmetics industry. My specific interest on that was Anita Roddick's Body Shop. I recall when she started, in Eastbourne..., banana shampoo made from real bananas, and noted how, eventually the company was basically destroyed by the traditional cosmetics industry with their synthetic knock-off cr*p. In food terms, it's like the difference between a Borders biscuit, and just about anything churned out by Mr Kipling. The determination to make an excellent biscuit versus the determination to sell ultra processed mediocrity at a maximum profit margin to those who know no better.
My own experience of school day chemistry was pretty good, really. I always enjoyed the lab work, experiments. I also did chemistry at university. Although I was studying engineering, chemistry as a subject was there to link through to science of materials, grain boundaries in metallurgy etc.. That chemistry course was dismal, sat in lecture halls, just taking notes. All fascination sucked out of the subject.
As said, I've ordered the book, should receive in a few days.
That's wonderful news Andrew! Please let us know what you thought of it when you've read it!! :)
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