Answer: C) setting a basic, age-old part of life.
Step-by-step explanation: The connotation of a word is the meaning given by the context or even by the readers (or listeners) based on their emotions or personal experiences. In the given excerpt we can see the description of how cooking has brought families together for thousands of years but also can be deadly to our health and to our environment. In the paragraph the word "simple" is used to describe cooking, with the connotation of setting a basic, age-old part of life.