Joyful
Cooking
“'Cooking
without remuneration' and 'slaving over a hot stove' are activities
separated mostly by frame of mind. The distinction is crucial.”
Barbara
Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life)
Are you a cook? Is it a
joy for you to have a whole day to plan, shop for, and prepare a
fabulous meal for friends and/or family? Is it drudgery? One of my
sons was briefly married to a woman who said explicitly, “I do NOT
cook.” as though preparing food was not only beneath her, but
offensive. What's up with that! I know a human being can get by
without cooking but, honestly, that's a sacrifice of about half of
what is most precious in life. People of wealth can afford to go to
fabulous restaurants and eat chef creations that are artful and
delicious, but they miss the creative, hands-on element of
cooking—the wonderful aromas of yeasty bread rising, and meat
roasting with fresh herbs. These are the substance of life itself.
I think growing up with
parents who cooked is probably the crucial element. My own mother
made hot breakfast and dinner—every day. Occasionally, my dad made
a pot of soup—but he happily grew the vegetables for that soup, and
took great pride in the height of his tomato plants and the fruit
they produced. One of my earliest memories is of me at about age
three, running through rows of corn, seeing the shadow-patterns the
leaves made, and watching the tassels high above me blowing in the
breeze. Eating out was not an option for us, but Mother was a good
cook.
Americans are overweight
and have high rates of diabetes because we no longer have a
one-on-one relationship with our food. We drive through instead of
slicing, order out instead of dicing, pick up instead of tossing, eat
pizza and chocolate pie instead of pork chop and cabbage. Working people in other
countries still cook. The tradition in Europe is to stop by a market
on the way home and find what is freshest for dinner. Simple
preparation makes for the best meals. There's almost nothing better
than quickly sauteed meat or fish, a green salad, and pasta tossed in
browned butter. A complete meal in thirty minutes, and food for the
soul as well as the body.
Reinventing mealtime is
one giant step on the road to health and wholeness. Gulping supplements
won't get you there. Falling in love again with the creative process
of cooking a simple and delicious meal will.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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