I’ve been keeping something under my lid lately; I haven’t “cooked” since last Wednesday because the sole kitchen in this dorm has been locked. For the average college student, this might not seem like a big deal; you can always heat ramen in a microwave and move on. For me, however, it’s devastating.
Since then I’ve had a chance to truly realize what cooking means to me. Up until now, I thought it was just something I do. “You cook. You eat. You move on. And when you get a chance to have somebody else cook for you, you grab on and hold tight.” It turns out that that’s not the case, and not what I want. This is what I love to do. For all the reasons I can think of and more, this is a part of me. Here are a few of the lessons that not cooking has taught me.
1. Cooking is my relaxer
At the end of a long, stressful day, there’s always dinner. Chicken made in the microwave doesn’t taste nearly as good as oven roasted. And the process of standing over a stove, chopping onions, and stirring—while tedious—can also be therapeutic.
2. I don’t enjoy photographing meals I didn’t make
If there was a food photography class, I’d sign up for it in a heartbeat. I loved learning about camera setting at the HLS and plate every meal—even the ones I don’t blog about. But looking at photos of roasted potatoes from the dining hall and rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods is wholly unsatisfying(the photos, not the meal).
2.5. I will potatoes cooked by anybody if they’re roasted
I always buy organic potatoes since they’re part of the “dirty dozen”. But I can’t resist plain old conventional potatoes if they’re roasted and put in front of me. I. Can’t. Resist.
3. Food helps me say hello
I really wanted to bake a batch of chunky monkey nut butter oaties over the long weekend to pass out to old friends, neighbors—whoever. I find it so much easier to say “Hello, here’s a cookie” as opposed to “Hello, my name is…” Food does the talking for me; it’s a universal language that everybody knows and loves and I like to think I’m fluent in it.
4. I have great friends
As in, the kind who say “You can come over anytime and I’ll let you in to use my kitchen.” On second thought, maybe they just want me to cook for them constantly. Let me think about that…
I’m rawsome at “uncooking”
Along with sprouting quinoa in a blender bottle and raw chocolate protein puddings, I’ve been learning to uncook other things, like raw cashew “cheese”. I’ll include a recipe/how-to once I’ve nailed down the process. It’s crazy, involves culturing random bacteria you have no control over, and I love it.
A lot of beans do not agree with me
‘Nuff said.
Do you enjoy to cook? What is cooking to you?
Ps. Here’s a note from my friends at Uncle Sam cereal.
Starting Monday, we are kicking off an American Original sweepstakes. It’s a chance for people to enter and share how they are originals. The prizes are pretty sweet- everything from two random weekly drawings of $100 to a grand prize drawing of $5000 in January. Check it out at www.unclesamoriginal.com and tell your readers / friends! We’ll be posting some of the stories on twitter @amoriginal.
I love to cook because it is relaxing. I’ve missed it these last couple of weeks. That’s why making a menu is on my to-do list for the day so I can go buy some ingredients.
[Reply]
I hope you get your kitchen time back soon! I completely understand what you mean. Not being able to get in the kitchen and cook is about the only thing I dislike about travel. I think when we travel, I actually miss our kitchen more than our bed!
[Reply]
seriously cooking is definitely my relaxer…i hope you get your kitchen back ASAP!
[Reply]
Well, at least you learned something from it.
Although if not having access to a kitchen is your worst plight right now…I think you have it pretty good!
I have friends going down to Haiti to help with the disaster-relief; I don’t think they’re going to have access to a kitchen, let alone a microwave down there either.
Oh and that pic of the cookies – that should be in a magazine. It’s surreal!
[Reply]
I totally agree with it being easier to “communicate” with cookies than with words sometimes. That’s how I suck up to my coworkers and my inlaws
[Reply]
i LOVE cooking – its very therapeutic, i love going away, but by the end of the break i’m itching to be in my kitchen!
[Reply]
I like the idea of cooking as a way to say hello… I know I would appreciate it if someone offered me some homemade healthy cookies!
*It doesn’t seem that too many people make healthy cookies, so that would be amazing!
[Reply]
I feel the same way…Having spent the last two years at college not really cooking, and now having a kitchen full of appliances has made me a LOT happier. I feel like I’m much more creative when I can cook (and I eat a heck of a lot better, too).
[Reply]
I love cooking too!!! I started a couple of years ago and got so into it that I try new recipes almost every week!.. Love cooking for friend and LOOOOVE my cooking gadgets!
[Reply]
I hope you can get your kitchen unlocked soon! Maybe promise ResLife that you’ll bake for them if they can unlock it for you?
[Reply]
“Food helps me say hello”–you could bring a batch of those monkey oaties over here anytime and say hello on the west coast! mmmm, good stuff!
rawsome uncooking, yep, story of my life the past 5 yrs. I used to hate to cook, til I went raw. And now I actually like to cook (hot food), too. Funny how that’s worked.
Culturing bacteria that you have no control over…welcome to kombucha and kefir making…and I love that too! It’s so fun! Keep me posted on the cheeze making.
Enjoy your holiday!
[Reply]
I generally like to cook but sometimes I just dont wanna!
[Reply]
I wish I was your friend so you could give me cookies! Food does bring people together
[Reply]
Ya gotta build up your resistance to those beans! Keep eating them! People freak out when they realize how much beans I really eat. But hey, beans are way better on my system than dairy or soy…that is a whole different story. I can’t live without cooking or baking. I start to get stir crazy. I don’t know that I have a favorite, but I have to be able to bake. It is so relaxing! I hope that kitchen opens soon! Have a good evening Evan.
[Reply]
Hi Evan, hope you get your kitchen back soon. I love to view the pictures of the food you plate after you’ve cooked. Janice Paquet
[Reply]
Cooking is the ultimate relaxer, still getting used to taking pictures of my food though.
[Reply]
I rarely cooked in college, I wish I had eaten then like I do now!! I love cooking…peeling, chopping and assembling helps me wind down from a long day.
[Reply]
I completely agree. Everyone complains about having to come home and cook after a long day… but the cooking, that helps me de-stress. It helps me relax. I look forward to it!
[Reply]
I love cooking! On top of being so relaxing, it’s the best creative outlet I have considering I’m about as artistic as a tree stump and I don’t play music anymore. It’s fun to take all the different pieces of a dish and put them together in to something both visually pleasing and delicious!
[Reply]
Whenever I travel (like when I was in Maine) or when I work a lot, I desperately miss cooking. It totally helps me unwind and tonight I kicked my fiance out of the kitchen, poured myself a glass of wine and made a wonderful Indian dinner. Bliss.
[Reply]
I think its impressive that you cook in a dorm kitchen! My college years were spent in all the dining halls eating up lots and lots of food ha I wish I would have found my love of cooking earlier like you did! I know what you mean about cooking and relaxation.. I have to go on business and live in a hotel room for 2 weeks- I’m totally dreading not having a kitchen!!
[Reply]