I Love to Cook
I’ve always loved to cook.
I come from a big ass Italian family that centered all of its activities around food and in the kitchen, so cooking was basically a prerequisite for me to continue being a member of said family.
Seriously, we would talk about the next meal while eating the current meal. It was a little much.
But it taught me the power of food, and the power of good food. How emotional it can be, how it can bring people together, and for me, how it could teach you about your family and your culture.
My big ass Italian family did the Sunday spaghetti dinners, the huge holiday dinners, even the 7 Fishes Dinner for Christmas Eve. There were specific dishes for specific dinners or holidays, and those dishes always followed a specific recipe and were always perfect.
But really, some of my favorite memories are me cooking with my grandparents. I remember them teaching me how to make all the Italian cookies for Christmas, well really, it was me sandwiched between them as they argued over my head about who was doing it correctly. It was never the other person.
I loved those times. I love that one of my prized possessions is my Grandfather’s rolling pin and HUGE cutting board. I love that even though they’ve both long since passed, I bring them alive every holiday when I cook what they taught me to cook, and now that I have the opportunity to share that with my daughter.
Cooking for me was never about the literal task. It wasn’t about it being a chore, it was about family.
I feel really fortunate that I’m in that smaller category of people who enjoy cooking, who don’t see it as just a necessity, and who like to learn who to make different things.
I don’t mind being in my kitchen and at this point in my life, I would rather cook at home than go out to eat. In transparency, because I’m so used to how clean we cook, when we go out to eat, I always get an upset stomach. Truth. I’ve learned a lot about different oils and other things restaurants use and I know those things do NOT agree with me anymore. But I’ll dive into that more another time.
I realize though that not everyone feels the same way. Are you one of those people? Someone who either hates cooking or cooks purely out of necessity and not out of enjoyment?
There is nothing wrong with that, there’s nothing wrong with not enjoying meal prepping, or finding recipes. I totally get it. When you’re busy working and raising a family and barely have time to breathe, at the end of a long day, the last thing you want to do is go into your kitchen and cook.
But we also know that when you’re working hard at maintaining your health, the healthier option is to eat at home instead of going out. Want proof? Go into one of those chain restaurants, grab the menu, and find something healthy to eat. Then look at the calories. Then join me in the astonishment of trying to understand how a salad could be over 1500 calories.
I’m also guessing that as a result, you’re on the constant journey of finding healthy things to feed your family so you feel like you’re giving them your best in keeping them healthy.
I also know you don’t need that extra stress in figuring out what to feed your family when shit just got exponentially more stressful.
