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| Christmas 1996 |
The love of my life is food. Sounds depressing, right? It’s not. Food has always been a part of my life. I learned how to cook in the kitchen of my house around thirteen years ago. Yes, that would have made me three years old. I don’t only love to eat but I love the smell, the texture, the look and the history surrounding food. Food at my house is not only about eating. It is a way to connect as a family. When I get home from a hard practice, I smell spices and flavours as soon as I walk through the door. When we sit down to eat, we talk about our days and don’t rush through the food. We savour it.
Coming from my cookie- making family, people assume that I love deserts but they couldn’t be more wrong. I love the main course of a meal. I appreciate all the spices and the processes to make the food. Nothing is better than cutting up vegetables and putting them in the wok with some olive oil and seasoning.
The part of my brain that food stimulates is different. Sports activate adrenaline and passion, music promotes tranquility and harmony, and cooking accesses culture and global differences. When I cook, I think about where the foods or spice palates originated from. I consider how each ingredient is made and the process by which it is grown. I think about organic versus non-organic, the 100 mile diet, low-fat versus high-fat and I think about how fortunate I am to be able to cook in my kitchen with all my ingredients readily at my fingertips.
In addition to cooking, I also enjoy reading about food and different recipes that other chefs use. My favourite chef is Sam Stern. You have probably never heard of him. He is a teen chef from Britain and he is a complete genius. He published his first book when he was fourteen years old and he has written four more since. I highly recommend his cookbooks!
I find that when I’m stressed, I like to cook. It is very satisfying to throw some ingredients into a pot and to take out a fully fused meal. I like to cook whenever I have the chance which at the moment is rare because of my busy schedule but I try to cook at least once a week. You should try it. It relieves stress, lets you explore alternate passions and lets you appreciate how fortunate you are to live in Canada. Cooking is an amazing past-time.
Adieu for now class. ~Rachel
Yes! I never really thought about cooking in the sense that each ingredient has its own story and how different cultures affect our food choices. I just worry about whether or not something's edible :) Rachel, you have completely changed my view of food and now I have an entirely new outlook on life! jk... Woolley food is amazing and I love how your kitchen always smells like spices and baking!
ReplyDeleteCool XP I like to bake sometimes, and cook a bit too, but I only do so occasionally. So far my favourite thing to make is strawberry pie. I can make fresh strawberry pie that wil make you melt.
ReplyDeleteSo what's your top dish? Either the most delicious or the most fun to make. ^_^
The best desert I have ever made was a banana cream pie! I took it to a family dinner and it was gone within minutes!:) The best regular dish I have made was a recipe from Sam Stern called Lemon Chicken. It's like roast chicken but with lots of fresh herbs, lemon and bacon (truly) laid on top. It is one of my families very favourite!
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