It evokes a gamut of emotions, fostering creativity and genuine pleasure as well as anxiety—manifested in the extreme as mageirocophobia, the fear of cooking.

[…]: and being Landed, rideth to the Guildhall to diuner, and all the Companies of this Citie with him: and at their coming into the hall, the new Lord Maior with ii. of the ancient Aldermen, M. Recorder, and the Sheriffes, go vp to my Lords table to bid them welcome, and likewise all the other guests there, and from thence to the Lady Maioresse table, and so come out to the Gentlewomens table, and to the Iudges, and so from thence my saide new Lord Maior goeth into the Chamberlaines office, where he dineth, and the olde Lord Maior at their first coming into the hall, goeth vp to the high table in the Hustings, and there keepeth the state for that feast. 1629, The Order of My Lord Mayor, the Aldermen, and the Sheriffes for Their Meetings and Wearing of Their Apparrell Thoroughout the Whole Yeare, [London]: […]R. Young, pages 18–19: And being landed, rideth to the Guild-hall to dinner, and all the Companies of this City with him: and at their comming into the Hall, the new Lord Mayor, with two of the ancient Aldermen, master Recorder and the Sheriffs, goe vp to my Lords Table to bid them welcome; and likewise all the other guests there, and from thence to the Lady Maioresse Table, and so come out to the Gentlewomens Table, and to the Iudges, and so from thence my said new L. Mayor goeth into the Chamberlaines Office, where he dineth, and the olde Lord Maior at their first comming into the Hall, goeth vp to the high Table in the Hustings, and there keepeth the State for that Feast.

Then there are the Edenics, who exclude all cooked food; the Wallacites, who abhor salt and refuse bread containing yeast; the Haigites, who do not include peas or beans in their vegetarianism; and the Allinsonians, who abandoned tea in favor of a solution of dried cereals.

Sigrid took a bittersweet trip down memory lane when Anne opened the carton of ornaments and lifted out a crumpled tinsel star. All at once she was three years old again and her father was holding her up in his strong arms to place that same star on the very top of their Christmas tree.