The Cook

The Cook is a pilgrim in The Canterbury Tales.

Note: The version of The Canterbury Tales ''that is cited here is "Interlinear Translations of Some of The Canterbury Tales". A link is provided in the bibliography.''

The General Prologue
The pilgrims have taken a cook along to make food for them on the journey, under the impression that he is a good cook and a good judge of ale. Chaucer comments on the open sore on his shin and does not seem as impressed with the cook.

The Cook's Prologue
The cook is thrilled with the ending to "The Reeve's Tale", declaring that the miller should not have let the students lodge at his place for the night. He enjoyed the trick played on the miller and says that it reminds him of "a little amusing affair that happened in our city" (line 4343)

He is also introduced more to the reader in his prologue, expanding upon the little we learn of him in "The General Prologue". He is from London and is called Roger of Ware. The host comments that his food isn't always very good: "of many a pilgrim hast thou Christ's curse, For of thy parsley yet they fare the worse" (lines 4349-50). He also comments on his lack of hygiene, which Chaucer alluded to in "The General Prologue", saying that there are flies loose in his shop.

The cook becomes angry at the host's comments. The latter says that it was a joke, but the cook responds with "`a true jest is a bad jest,'" (line 4357), and says that he will now tell a mean tale about an innkeeper to pay the host back for his hurtful and true comments on his cooking.

The Cook's Tale
The tale is about a cook's apprentice called Perkin Reveler, who has a nice appearance, dances well and loves women. He finishes his apprenticeship and moves in with a friend who is, like him, a gambler and a reveller. The friend has a wife who is a prostitute, but also keeps a shop for the sake of appearances.

The Manciple's Prologue
The pilgrims are near a town called "Bobbe-up-and-doun" when the host notices that the cook has fallen asleep on his horse. He wakes the cook up and asks what he has been up to that made him so tired: "Hast thou had fleas all night, or art thou drunk? Or hast thou with some prostitute all night labored" (lines 18-9). The host wants the cook to tell a tale, but the maniciple interrupts, offering to tell a tale instead, seeing as the cook is in no fit state to tell a story. The cook yawns, causing the maniciple to exclaim "Fie, stinking swine! Fie, may foul fortune thee befall!" (line 40) as he smells the cook's sour breath. He declares that the cook is drunk and makes some remarks that cause the cook to become so angry that he falls off his horse. The host tells the manciple to not be so mean to the cook. As an apology, the manciple gives the cook some wine, and the latter forgives him.