Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Why We Cook
The other night at a friend's house, someone asked the woman who brought the delish lentil soup, "Why did you learn to cook?" And the woman said, "I was poor! I needed to eat!" Indeed, but some of us in that very situation choose to scavenge, more or less, rather than cook. Before I learned to cook full meals well, the food I ate fit into four categories: attempts at cooking (many a strange vegetarian meal composed of recipes from the Moosewood Cooks At Home), abject failures (plum reduction for dinner, anyone?), eating out (cheap eats only!) and leftovers. Some people have even more scant categories on their resume: microwaving, cheap eats, delivery and leftovers. It's got to be more than "poverty" that impells us to cook. Fresh ingredients are still costly, though less so than prepared food. Time is money and cooking takes time. It also takes thought and planning. I think it has something to do with the simple satisfaction of making something. Most days, making dinner is the only task of the day that has a clear beginning and an end. It has boundaries. Sometimes I think the best decisions I make are the ones about what to buy and then how to cook it. The more I think about it, the more I know that I learned to cook to keep my self in balance, not just my checkbook.
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This is a good question. For me it was never a question of not cooking. I had interest in cooking/baking for a long time, since I was a young girl helping my mom make Christmas cookies. I didn't actually start cooking full-time until I was on my own.
It's actually amazing that I do cook - and do so pretty well I think. I grew up with a grandmother who hated to cook (and in turn put little effort into eating) and family members who would hate food I would try to cook as a teenager (discouragement at an impressionable age might be why more people don't cook). Now these family members can't wait to come over for dinner (if I can brag - my stepfather says he prefers my lasagna over my mother's, something I know caused friction there!)
But back to your question. I really love being able to spend this time by myself creating something - even if it's only going to last the hour. I also see it as the buffer between work time and home time, too, a transition between these two worlds I really try to keep separate. I'll freely admit, sometimes I get home from work and we just order a pizza.
Making certain foods is just plain theraputic. Kneading dough, for instance, can be downright meditative. Watching how egg whites turn from liquid to a glossy puff is like alchemy. Cooking has taught me to be self-sufficent - I don't need to rely on someone else to handle one of life's basic needs. But at the same time, cooking has also taught me that I don't need to do everything. For instance, I don't need to make home made puff pastry or work with philo dough.
When I get right down to it, sometimes I feel a need to cook, especially if I've been away from home for a while. I can't explain exactly why, but it has to do with taking pleasure in the small events, even if it's something as simple as pesto and pasta. That's probably what separates those who like to cook from those who see it as an unpleasant necessity.
Anyway, probably more than what you wanted!
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