Response to Annie Dillard's "Fecundity"

I remember watching the Food Network one day and the show "Good Eats" came on the air. Alton Brown plays the host and within a half-hour segment gives his interpretation of--well-- "good eats." He brings on the entertainment through use of scientific knowledge and a sense of DIY accessibility. The food he makes looks delicious as well. But that wasn't the reason why I felt so intrigued by the show. I remember watching one episode where Alton said that he never used cooking utensils that served less than two functions and then he'd somehow create his own gadgets that he would use for multiple purposes. He then went on to make a carbonated smoothie using a a fire extinguisher and an empty water gallon jug.

I look at Alton Brown's transformation of simple objects into complex cooking multi-taskers, and think, "Shouldn't it always be that way?"

I liken Alton Brown's transformations of simple everyday tools/objects/what-have-yous to that of Annie Dillard's breaking down of small everyday objects that everyone seems to take for granted or hardly notice at all. I decided with this I would go the unconventional approach and describe what someone else would do with an object. He did say in an interview that he thinks cooking tools found in an appliance store are just overpriced hardware supplies. I thought that statement so true that I felt that Alton Brown was exactly the kind of person to really appreciate the little things in life and go the less unconventional route for more or less the same goal.