One of the greatest joys I get from cooking is sending awesome aromas throughout the house. You go out to empty the garbage, come back in, and, “MMMMMMMMM, that smells super.” Or you let a dish simmer for a bit while you go out to weed whack, and when you return you get blasted with a mixture of oregano, garlic and onions.
Needless to say, I love cooking. It’s creative. It decompresses you at the end of a stressful day. And you’re turning bits and pieces into a finished product.
The late great Charles Schulz, known for authoring the spectacular comic strip “Peanuts,” with wisdom from Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus, was once interviewed by a major news magazine on the issue of creativity. There were a couple of specific questions that I don’t exactly remember because it was probably over 20 years ago that the story appeared. But the gist of it was that Schulz said people are happiest when they are “creating.”
For him, that was penning his comic strip. For someone else it could be playing music (BTW, he was also asked what instrument he would want to be able to play if stranded in the desert, and he said the harmonica because anyone who breathes can learn it, and I thought that was the greatest reply). A metal worker pounding or etching out a figure or image would feel the same way. And, Schulz specifically said something about baking/cooking.
Paraphrasing, he said something to the affect of, “Someone who is baking or cooking is happy because that person is creating from scratch.”
Another bonus of cooking is eating what you created. If more people cooked when they got home from work rather than turning on the news on the TV, I think everyone would be happier and less stressed out. First, we’d be watching less blather on the tube.
But more importantly, we’d be creating every day. You have to eat every day, so cooking dinner is something to accomplish each evening, and look forward to.
Food brings us together. Sharing a meal leads to conversation. You must look at others, pause, listen, chew, swallow, ask a question, pay attention. You are a captive audience.
Putting dinner together also helps you see how dishes take shape. You have to plan the temperature of the oven, know when to fry up the chicken, boil the noodles or sauté the mixed vegetables. You have to bring each part of the meal together at a specific time so it’s all warm, ready and tasty at approximately the same time. That’s a challenge. You must focus. Pulling it off brings an emotional reward of a job well done.
Along with the timing, you may of course further decompress with a cocktail. This may help you get additionally creative with your ingredients or just help you forget about anything you want to let go from your day. Regardless of your rationale, it’s a good thing.
Finally, we get the joy of watching people eat what we cooked. Sure, there are times where you botched it and you see people grimace when they take a bite of the main dish. Oh well, sh_t happens, right?
But, mostly, if you practice and get good at it, whoever you are cooking for will like what you’ve put together. Love is involved. You cared for the meal. You can see as those around the table chew and swallow, or sometimes even INHALE the food. You performed a primary daily function – feeding others well. Turn on the oven. Get started.
Needless to say, I love cooking. It’s creative. It decompresses you at the end of a stressful day. And you’re turning bits and pieces into a finished product.
The late great Charles Schulz, known for authoring the spectacular comic strip “Peanuts,” with wisdom from Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus, was once interviewed by a major news magazine on the issue of creativity. There were a couple of specific questions that I don’t exactly remember because it was probably over 20 years ago that the story appeared. But the gist of it was that Schulz said people are happiest when they are “creating.”
For him, that was penning his comic strip. For someone else it could be playing music (BTW, he was also asked what instrument he would want to be able to play if stranded in the desert, and he said the harmonica because anyone who breathes can learn it, and I thought that was the greatest reply). A metal worker pounding or etching out a figure or image would feel the same way. And, Schulz specifically said something about baking/cooking.
Paraphrasing, he said something to the affect of, “Someone who is baking or cooking is happy because that person is creating from scratch.”
Another bonus of cooking is eating what you created. If more people cooked when they got home from work rather than turning on the news on the TV, I think everyone would be happier and less stressed out. First, we’d be watching less blather on the tube.
But more importantly, we’d be creating every day. You have to eat every day, so cooking dinner is something to accomplish each evening, and look forward to.
Food brings us together. Sharing a meal leads to conversation. You must look at others, pause, listen, chew, swallow, ask a question, pay attention. You are a captive audience.
Putting dinner together also helps you see how dishes take shape. You have to plan the temperature of the oven, know when to fry up the chicken, boil the noodles or sauté the mixed vegetables. You have to bring each part of the meal together at a specific time so it’s all warm, ready and tasty at approximately the same time. That’s a challenge. You must focus. Pulling it off brings an emotional reward of a job well done.
Along with the timing, you may of course further decompress with a cocktail. This may help you get additionally creative with your ingredients or just help you forget about anything you want to let go from your day. Regardless of your rationale, it’s a good thing.
Finally, we get the joy of watching people eat what we cooked. Sure, there are times where you botched it and you see people grimace when they take a bite of the main dish. Oh well, sh_t happens, right?
But, mostly, if you practice and get good at it, whoever you are cooking for will like what you’ve put together. Love is involved. You cared for the meal. You can see as those around the table chew and swallow, or sometimes even INHALE the food. You performed a primary daily function – feeding others well. Turn on the oven. Get started.
