--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A potato is a poor thing, poorly treated…" description: "\"A potato is a poor thing, poorly treated. More often than not it is cooked in so unthinking and ignorant a manner as to make one feel that it has never..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f98/m-f-k-fisher-7947_cooked_a-potato-is-a-poor-thing-poorly-treated_35131.png" --- # A potato is a poor thing, poorly treated. More often than… ![“A potato is a poor thing, poorly treated. More often than not it is cooked in so unthinking and ignorant a manner as to make one feel that it has never before been encountered in the kitchen.” quote by M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f98/m-f-k-fisher-7947_cooked_a-potato-is-a-poor-thing-poorly-treated_35131.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f98/m-f-k-fisher-7947_cooked_a-potato-is-a-poor-thing-poorly-treated_35131.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f98/m-f-k-fisher-7947_cooked_a-potato-is-a-poor-thing-poorly-treated_35131.png) > “A potato is a poor thing, poorly treated. More often than not it is cooked in so unthinking and ignorant a manner as to make one feel that it has never before been encountered in the kitchen.” [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques careless cooking, suggesting that neglectful preparation reduces a humble ingredient to an unremarkable, unappreciated state. **In simple terms:** Neglectful cooking devalues simple foods. Key Takeaway Respect ingredients, avoid mindless preparation. Themes culinary mindfulness appreciation of simplicity food ethics cooking technique Mood contemplative critical Type observation critique When to use this quote - home cooking - restaurant kitchens - culinary education - food writing Key Concepts ingredient respect sensory awareness kultural tradition Practical Applications - teaching mindful cooking - improving menu design Questions to Reflect On - How does preparation affect perception of food? - What habits lead to careless cooking? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) ## Related quotes > [For me, a plain baked potato is the most delicious one…It is soothing and enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/for-me-a-plain-baked-potato-is-the-most-delicious-one-it-is-soothing/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [When I started out as a model, I took things for granted. Because I bagged work thanks to my looks, I didn't give my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipasha-basu/when-i-started-out-as-a-model-i-took-things-for-granted-because-i/) [Bipasha Basu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bipasha-basu/) > [Marriage is the cold potato of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/marriage-is-the-cold-potato-of-love/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [I quickly realized that more than any other vegetable, the potato evokes strong reactions in people. As the head of communications for the International…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-a-johnson/i-quickly-realized-that-more-than-any-other-vegetable-the-potato/) [Elizabeth A. 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I've never got over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-ll-never-forget-my-first-experience-of-swede-it-was-at-school-and-i/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [If you had asked me when I was 28 and in my wedding dress if I ever thought I would end up in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-mccarthy/if-you-had-asked-me-when-i-was-28-and-in-my-wedding-dress-if-i-ever/) [Jenna McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-mccarthy/) > [Don't give me no rotten tomato, 'cause all I ever wanted was your sweet potato.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/don-t-give-me-no-rotten-tomato-cause-all-i-ever-wanted-was-your-sweet/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Both sides of my family had come from Ireland in the 19th century for the same reason: There was nothing to eat over there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-donovan/both-sides-of-my-family-had-come-from-ireland-in-the-19th-century-for/) [Art Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-donovan/) > [I never heard anything about 'potatoes' or 'kanaken' during my time in the national team. However I have been called 'potato,' too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-mertesacker/i-never-heard-anything-about-potatoes-or-kanaken-during-my-time-in/) [Per Mertesacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-mertesacker/) > [I married a man once and we had been married over a year before I found he preferred potatoes. I said, "I didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-married-a-man-once-and-we-had-been-married-over-a-year-before-i/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [He set fire to some potatoes, then cooked some undelivered post in the embers." - Dad "Did he now? What a strange fellow. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/he-set-fire-to-some-potatoes-then-cooked-some-undelivered-post-in-the/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [My maternal grandmother made fantastic ox tongue with velvety roasted potatoes. She cooked sweet red cabbage and lovely cauliflower with butter and bread crumbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/my-maternal-grandmother-made-fantastic-ox-tongue-with-velvety-roasted/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) ## More by M. F. K. Fisher > [... I think we grieve forever, but that goes for love too, fortunately for us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/i-think-we-grieve-forever-but-that-goes-for-love-too-fortunately-for/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [gastronomy is and always has been connected with its sister art of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/gastronomy-is-and-always-has-been-connected-with-its-sister-art-of/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [At present, I myself do not know of any local witches or warlocks, but there are several people who seem to have an uncanny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/at-present-i-myself-do-not-know-of-any-local-witches-or-warlocks-but/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [In general, I think, human beings are happiest at table when they are very young, very much in love or very alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/in-general-i-think-human-beings-are-happiest-at-table-when-they-are/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [... living out of sight of any shore does rich and powerfully strange things to humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/living-out-of-sight-of-any-shore-does-rich-and-powerfully-strange/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [The things men come to eat when they are alone are, I suppose, not much stranger than the men themselves… A writer years ago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/the-things-men-come-to-eat-when-they-are-alone-are-i-suppose-not-much/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [In spite of my conviction that a group of deliberately assembled relatives can be one of the dullest, if not most dangerous, gatherings in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/in-spite-of-my-conviction-that-a-group-of-deliberately-assembled/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [This is not that, and that is certainly not this, and at the same time an oyster stew is not stewed, and although they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/this-is-not-that-and-that-is-certainly-not-this-and-at-the-same-time/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [death ... so seldom happens nowadays in the awesome quiet of a familiar chamber. Most of us die violently, thanks to the advance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/death-so-seldom-happens-nowadays-in-the-awesome-quiet-of-a-familiar/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [Sharing our meals should be a joyful and a trustful act, rather than the cursory fulfillment of our social obligations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/sharing-our-meals-should-be-a-joyful-and-a-trustful-act-rather-than/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [I can no more think of my own life without thinking of wine and wines and where they grew for me and why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/i-can-no-more-think-of-my-own-life-without-thinking-of-wine-and-wines/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/the-smell-of-good-bread-baking-like-the-sound-of-lightly-flowing/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [I notice that as I get rid of the protective covering of the middle years, I am more openly amused and incautious and less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/i-notice-that-as-i-get-rid-of-the-protective-covering-of-the-middle/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [It is puzzling to me that otherwise sensitive people develop a real docility about the obvious necessity of eating, at least once a day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/it-is-puzzling-to-me-that-otherwise-sensitive-people-develop-a-real/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [One ... aspect of the case for World War II is that while it was still a shooting affair it taught us survivors a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/one-aspect-of-the-case-for-world-war-ii-is-that-while-it-was-still-a/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) [Explore all 86 M. F. K. Fisher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) ## More Cooked quotes > [“Vegetables you’ve grown in your own garden just taste better. Meals that you’ve cooked yourself just taste better. And yes, animals that you’ve killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-durant/vegetables-you-ve-grown-in-your-own-garden-just-taste-better-meals/) [John Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-durant/) > [“cooked alive or forced to eat the severed ears from their own heads”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-t-leeson/cooked-alive-or-forced-to-eat-the-severed-ears-from-their-own-heads/) [Peter T. Leeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-t-leeson/) > [The heart is cooking a pot of food for you. Be patient until it is cooked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-heart-is-cooking-a-pot-of-food-for-you-be-patient-until-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Want to get Chinese?" "I though you cooked." "Like I know how." "That's my girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mallery/want-to-get-chinese-i-though-you-cooked-like-i-know-how-that-s-my-girl/) [Susan Mallery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mallery/) > [“I understood that if ever one wanted to live with someone you cooked for them and they came running. But then it is my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/i-understood-that-if-ever-one-wanted-to-live-with-someone-you-cooked/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [“I cooked with so many of the greats: Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, Wylie Dufresne, Grant Achatz. Rick Bayless taught me not one but two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-ballis/i-cooked-with-so-many-of-the-greats-tom-colicchio-eric-ripert-wylie/) [Stacey Ballis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-ballis/) > [Fact is, awards shows were never really about recognizing achievement. They were a publicity ploy cooked up in the late 1920s by MGM topper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/fact-is-awards-shows-were-never-really-about-recognizing-achievement/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [I love to cook and I've cooked a lot of Bulgarian food over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/i-love-to-cook-and-i-ve-cooked-a-lot-of-bulgarian-food-over-the-years/) [Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/) > [There's nothing like a home cooked meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taissa-farmiga/there-s-nothing-like-a-home-cooked-meal/) [Taissa Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taissa-farmiga/) > [ “Mmmmmm, said Ardent \[the Royal Dog\]. He liked cooked food. Also raw food and semicooked food, and things that might be food and so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/mmmmmm-said-ardent-the-royal-dog-he-liked-cooked-food-also-raw-food/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [He set fire to some potatoes, then cooked some undelivered post in the embers." - Dad "Did he now? What a strange fellow. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/he-set-fire-to-some-potatoes-then-cooked-some-undelivered-post-in-the/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [I've been very fortunate, because I've cooked for a lot of actors and actresses and musicians. I've cooked for presidents and I've been to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-because-i-ve-cooked-for-a-lot-of-actors-and/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [I met my husband through a mutual friend. He invited me over for dinner and cooked this meal that knocked my socks off -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-riegel/i-met-my-husband-through-a-mutual-friend-he-invited-me-over-for/) Eden Riegel > [When I was very young, I got my first opportunity in television with a show called 'Surfing the Menu,' and it was myself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-stone/when-i-was-very-young-i-got-my-first-opportunity-in-television-with-a/) [Curtis Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-stone/) > [Back in the day, we ate fresh; our parents cooked. Now, we're starting to think things are fresh because they're in a can, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-whitley/back-in-the-day-we-ate-fresh-our-parents-cooked-now-we-re-starting-to/) [Kym Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-whitley/) Browse all 143 Cooked quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A potato is a poor thing, poorly treated. 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