Some of the best memories in life circle around the idea of the 'home-cooked meal'. In many cases, it was our mother and father, grandma or grandfather who made the best recipes and the tastiest meals. There's a good reason for that. In most cases, we are very connected to our families, and we grew up eating family meals together at the table - and how lucky were we for that? Food - right up until now, was always about sustenance and community. You cooked for your family, and you enjoyed a great meal together. Our ancestors tackled great beasts and shared in their meat together - then they learned to grow food and shared it together - then they went out to the market and bought it to bring home, and shared it. Food? It's always been about getting it and sharing it. Unless you're Joey from Friends of course! Some of us don't like sharing, but even then it is all about eating in the company of others. A lot of modern households owe their development to the family meal.
We’re losing it though. Society is so focused on the now that we almost never have the time to sit back and enjoy our food, let alone cook it. We want our six-inch sub of the day right now, we want our fries and coke now, we want to eat it fast and get on with our lives. On the occasion, it’s all well and good, but have you ever been walking to work with a sandwich hanging out your mouth only to think that the situation isn’t right? Food is meant to be enjoyed, not rammed down the throat as quick as possible. There is beauty and joy to be found in cooking. Always.
Some of us are fighting back against the 'bad food revolution' by doing a simple thing. Finding the time to cook. Yes! It's possible, even in this day and age! Shopping Kim will help show you how, but you can always carve open a slot for cooking, so you carve open a chicken and potato meal for the family! Once you’ve found the time to cook, you can find the beauty in cooking. You are not just roasting something, you are creating a meal and thus a moment for the family - what could be more beautiful than that? Not much I’d venture. Beauty can certainly be found in fleeting moments, but it needs time to be cultivated on every other occasion - by finding the time to cook, you are finding the time to cultivate that little bit of beauty.
Cooking isn't just beautiful because of the meaning behind it or what it creates for your family, but because of the fact that you get to be hands-on with food! Food is beautiful and one of the best things you can get to grips with. From the bright colors of peppers and fruits, to the smells of spices and oils, to the tenderness of meat - food has it all. Cooking is the chemical craft of combining these ingredients into a meal. You can sear and sizzle with oil, bake with sheets and trays, season with salt and spice - what you do is up to you, be you artist or scientist in the kitchen - or a little bit of both. Cooking is only ever going to be limited by your imagination and creativity. The true beauty of food comes out in your cooking and your ideas.
There's no reason why you shouldn't involve the kids in it either. Let them discover the beauty of cooking from peeling carrots to sizzling steak (with supervision from yourself). Teaching them the basics of cooking and a number of techniques (that you might have to teach yourself!) can set them up well for later life. Learning to cook from a young age is invaluable and such a great skill. Of course, you need to supervise the actions of the young chefs due to sharp knives and hot pots - but with careful cultivation, you can have a happy and talented kitchen. Not many people learn to cook, so give your kids the gift of cooking and find the beauty in that.
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