Matt's+UFG+Proposal

Matt Hamilton ENGL 408 Unfamiliar Genre Proposal


 * Recipe **

**Why I am interested:** I have of course used many recipes to make different meals, snacks, drinks, etc. and I’ve never really considered what goes into writing a recipe. I’m interested in exploring the different instances of recipes and the modes in which they are presented (i.e. blogs, handwritten/familial, high-end recipe books, kid-friendly instructionals). I’m sure that this will be a challenging genre for me to compose because while I spend a lot of time cooking and baking, I rarely follow a recipe exactly and I rarely systematize my techniques. It will be interesting to try to transcribe something that I know how to cook, or to even decide what is “perfect” enough to publish as a formal recipe.

**What I know about the genre:** I know that the genre of recipe encompasses many different styles and variations. The formal composition of recipes that I have seen has been very similar, but the wording and style very much depends on the audience and the purpose. The language will change depending on if you have children or adults cooking, experienced or inexperienced cooks, a mother with a half hour to throw dinner together or a culinary student working on a dessert all afternoon. I know that a recipe has to be specific in regards to both ingredients and directions because a small difference in technique can largely affect outcome—and this will certainly be the most difficult for me to capture in my composition.