A Week of Meals
Document a week of your meals focusing on the origin of the ingredients used, how they were prepared, and why those particular items were chosen. Reflect on how your choices relate to your personal health, the environment, and economics. Include photos and recipes to enhance the narrative.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Use one example from your own life.
- Open with a specific story, then widen out to the big idea.
- Write for a curious friend, not an expert.
Writing cooking books
Recipes that work, and a reason to cook them.
Cookbooks and food writing cover everything from a single cuisine to the science of how cooking works. The best ones have a point of view: a voice, a philosophy, a story behind the food.
What readers expect
- Reliable, tested recipes
- A clear point of view
- Stories behind the food
- Beautiful, useful design
A tip before you start
Test every recipe more than once, ideally in someone else's kitchen. Readers forgive a lot, but not a cake that fails.
More Cooking, Food and Wine prompts
- The Family RecipeWrite an essay detailing a family recipe that has been passed down through generations, focusing on its cultural significance and the memories…
- A Cuisine Across TimeDraft an essay on the evolution of a particular cuisine that you admire, discussing historical influences, key ingredients, cooking methods, and its…
- A Menu from the Local HarvestImagine you are a chef creating a sustainable menu using only locally sourced ingredients. Describe the challenges and triumphs you face in gathering…
- The Generations Old RecipeChoose a recipe that has been passed down in your family for generations. Write about the history of this recipe, including any stories about who…
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