A New Sign. The Delicious Relationship Between Men and Cooking That Enhances Well-Being

Amid significant lifestyle changes due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, the key to enhancing "Well-being" (derived from the Italian "benessere," meaning "state of being") may lie in "cooking."

The project "When the world changes, let's cook," aimed at supporting men in cooking, has launched on "BRUTUS.jp" and "AJINOMOTO PARK." What is the appeal of men cooking that could become a new sign of increasing happiness in the With Corona era?

We bring you insights from a tripartite discussion featuring Tatsuya Okamoto, Executive Officer at Ajinomoto Co. and the project's initiator; Zenta Nishida, Editor-in-Chief of "BRUTUS" who shared his vision and developed the plan; and Yoshiki Ishikawa, a preventive medicine researcher who sparked Okamoto's focus on the connection between cooking and well-being.

" When the world changes, let's cook. "

(From left) Preventive medicine researcher Ishikawa, Ajinomoto Executive Director Okamoto, "BRUTUS" Editor-in-Chief Nishida

A "place to belong" created by actions toward food. What characterizes people with high happiness levels even during the pandemic?
 

Nishida: Many men in their 40s and 50s today probably don't cook much. But I believe this also represents a new "vein of potential" waiting to be tapped, both for society and for the individuals themselves.

In 2011, BRUTUS ran a feature titled "The Ultimate Breakfast." Amid the suffering following the Great East Japan Earthquake, we advocated that people should at least make and properly eat their own breakfast, imbued with various intentions. We included many recipes, hoping to shift our core male readers' awareness toward cooking, starting with breakfast.

Since last year, uncertainty about the path forward with COVID-19 has persisted. I believe we can't easily escape this because it's a time when society is changing. In such an era, if reevaluating our foundations, returning to basics, or changing our actions can be positive, cooking is excellent material for men. It's a culture rich in accumulated know-how, offering both simplicity and depth to pursue. This time, we've been given the chance to propose this, so we want to introduce it in our own BRUTUS way.

Okamoto: In recent years, I think there's been a trend leaning toward "cooking is a hassle, so keep it as simple as possible." There was a movement where having everything pre-packaged in products like complete nutrition meals became the norm, but I felt uneasy about that.

Personally, I find cooking enjoyable, and it makes me happy when someone says "This is delicious" about what I've made. Going shopping and finding seasonal ingredients lifts my spirits. That's why I started wondering, "Is making cooking easier really the only 'absolute' priority?"

Later, when Mr. Ishikawa shared his insights—backed by multiple studies—that "the time spent cooking and engaging with food enriches life," I intuitively thought, "This is exactly what I've been searching for!" Currently, I feel many men in Japan still haven't discovered the joy and fulfillment cooking can bring. I hope this project can help convey that.

Ishikawa: That's right. In recent years, men's cooking frequency has dropped significantly. A 2019 survey across 116 countries examined how often people cook. It revealed that in every single country, without exception, women cooked more frequently than men. While surprising, we also found that the gender gap in cooking frequency varied significantly between countries. Moreover, countries with smaller gaps tended to have higher levels of well-being.

Last year, while the hardships and difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic were widely discussed, I decided to take an opposite perspective. I investigated the characteristics of people whose happiness and well-being levels increased despite the situation. What they had in common was cooking. For example, people who started cooking more due to working from home tended to experience an increase in their well-being levels.

Nishida: I believe eating is an act that connects to a "sense of belonging." For instance, going to a restaurant and eating creates a temporary sense of belonging there, right? Now, that's suddenly become impossible, creating a very difficult situation.

So, how can men create a sense of belonging at home? Cooking is incredibly effective. It's not just about sitting and waiting for the meal; you have to participate to establish that place. Preparing food is a significant opportunity to take that next step forward.

Okamoto: People find happiness when they use their time well. Gathering ingredients, cooking, and sharing a meal while talking with family or someone you feel comfortable with—that's truly a happy time.

Nishida: Cooking tools are incredibly advanced now. Using them isn't cutting corners, and comparing features and specs should be interesting for men. Plus, there's never been a time with so many recipes available. Chefs who make your favorite dishes easily share their secrets in books, online, or through videos. I feel like there's never been a better time to start cooking.

Cooking embodies all the keywords of our modern era

Ishikawa: Beyond just the impact of COVID-19, we're at a time of broad shifts in lifestyles and concepts. As keywords like "diversity," "sustainability," and "well-being" emerge one after another, I believe cooking symbolizes them all.

For example, asking "Where do ingredients come from, and where do they go?" during cooking connects to sustainability. Men cooking promotes diversity, allowing women to have more time for themselves. That's why I say, "When the world changes, cook." I especially feel cooking will become even more symbolic of our times going forward.

While actions like going plastic-free or carrying eco-bags symbolize sustainability, when I think about "actions that symbolize our current era" from a broader perspective, I believe it's cooking. While it has a wide entry point, once you delve a little deeper, a profoundly deep world awaits.

Okamoto: Cooking is fundamentally a creative endeavor. Once you try it, you discover so many enjoyable aspects. A little ingenuity shows up somewhere, and I think many men enjoy testing and refining those ideas.

Ishikawa: While it's not universally true, even if there's no one else to eat your food, the act of cooking itself has a high potential to boost your sense of well-being. Shopping, cooking, and cleaning up are all time-consuming tasks. But if you skip them and just grab fast food, what are you doing with that freed-up time?

I know this from personal experience—if you're just mindlessly scrolling on your phone or zoning out to kill time, it's probably not something you genuinely want to be doing. As an alternative way to spend that time, cooking is an activity that can definitely enhance your well-being.

Nishida: Cooking also gives you a sense of properly managing and controlling your own life.

Ishikawa: Exactly. Plus, there's a sense of accomplishment. With work increasingly divided into specialized tasks these days, it's rare to handle an entire project from start to finish yourself. It's hard to find meaning or fulfillment in just a "part" of the work. In that sense, cooking lets you be involved from beginning to end, making it a deeply fulfilling way to spend your time. Through this project, we hope people will see cooking as the new normal for eating and find a new life balance that incorporates it.

Nishida: What changes the world is still "proactivity." Amid ongoing stay-at-home requests, people who passively binge-watched streaming services, for example, seem to be experiencing content fatigue. When you tire of consumed content, create your own. I believe cooking is that. Your own dish is a one-of-a-kind creation.

People who haven't cooked in a long time often feel the initial prep work is a high hurdle. But if mincing is difficult, you can start by buying pre-cut vegetables.

Okamoto: I myself was deeply immersed in work for a long time, and back then, I think I was chasing only material wealth. But talking with Mr. Ishikawa, I realized that the most important thing is still "time."

Time is priceless. That's precisely why how you use it matters so much. When people use their time well, they become happy. I believe that's what well-being is. I started this project believing that the best way to create well-being is through food and cooking. But such initiatives lose meaning if they end quickly. I'm involved in this as something to be sustained long-term. First, I'd be delighted if I could help even a little in creating a movement where Japanese men discover the joys of cooking, start doing it, and in turn, bring happiness to those around them.

"When the world changes, let's cook."

Check out the feature page on "BRUTUS.jp"

Check out the feature page on "AJINOMOTO PARK"

<Content Details>

①Talk ～Actor Akihiro Nagayama's 'Listening Recipes'～
Actor Ayato Nagayama discusses "Cooking × Well-being" with experts from various fields. Featuring preventive medicine researcher Yoshiki Ishikawa, lyricist Amako Kodama, and information science researcher Dominic Chen.
https://park.ajinomoto.co.jp/special/well-being/talk01/

Talk 1: Actor Ayato Nagayama × Preventive Medicine Researcher Yoshiki Ishikawa "The Key to Well-being Was in Cooking!?"

②Fun Cooking ～Recipes You'll Want to Make (with videos) Cooking Can Be This Much Fun!～
Content introducing simple recipes anyone will want to make, complete with videos. Featuring Hideki Yamada, who develops recipes under the theme "Food and travel connect people," and Chef Taichi Hara, who runs "Bistro Rojiura," "PATH," and "LIKE."
https://park.ajinomoto.co.jp/special/well-being/funcooking01/

③Recipe Archive ～Recipes You'll Want to Make: Recreate the Flavors of Those Beloved, Now-Closed Restaurants at Home!～
Featuring 30 best recipes selected from "Ten Times Out of Nine, the Same Taste! Recipes for a Trip Down Memory Lane," a series by Cook Inoue—known as the "Ultimate Cooking Entertainer"—published in "BRUTUS." Also introduces Cook Inoue's culinary techniques.
https://park.ajinomoto.co.jp/special/well-being/recipearchive01/

④Book: In Search of True Deliciousness 2021 ~ A Booklist to Deepen Your Understanding of Food ~
As an homage to the Taisho-era classic "In Search of Deliciousness" (by Kinoshita Kenjiro), which laid the foundation for Japanese gourmet culture, this section introduces books related to food. Food culture researcher Hatanaka Miyoko selects 11 titles from Japan's premier food-specialized library ("Food Culture Library").
https://park.ajinomoto.co.jp/special/well-being/book01/
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