Saturday, July 21, 2007

Joy in the kitchen

"I don't cook," said a certain relative of mine, by way of turning down a proffered bag of potatoes from my garden yesterday.

I can't imagine that. I love going out to eat as much as anyone, but I also love fooling around in my kitchen, baking the ocassional loaf of bread or making a steamy pot of soup from scratch.

And I have enough cookbooks to make Emeril Lagasse turn green.

My carrot cake yesterday stuck to the Bundt pan and thus looked awful, but it tasted like heaven. It was so much fun to make.

I can understand the distaste of people who have to cook under pressure, every day, for a big, whiny family - my poor Mother was that way.

But I don't, thankfully.

I love food and I love making it.

One of my earliest jobs was working in a deli, and to this day, I still remember with pleasure the aroma of the spices we mixed into big tubs of ground pork to make sausage from scratch. There I also learned the exquisite joy of a Reuben on rye and how to make a pizza all by myself.

She doesn't cook, this relative of mine. Why on earth not?

5 comments:

heartinsanfrancisco said...

I love to grow food, select food, especially at farmers' markets, and to cook it into something wonderful that satisfies the soul, not just the stomach.

I feel bad for those who don't share the joy of making a meal for loved ones, or for oneself.

Eastcoastdweller said...

Heart: We have wonderful farmer's markets here on the East Coast, too, and it is truly a pleasure, as You said, to pick out something for the soul: golden squash, a couple pounds of fresh green beans or some other treasure of the earth, and carry it home to be savored with fresh herbs from one's own garden.

Amar Mandair said...

When I cook it's with the music on, dancing and cooking go hand in hand for me.

The Empress also enjoys watching a man cook...it's such a rare sight and also very sexy.

Rebecca said...

I absolutely LOVE to cook. And I do it daily, on somewhat of a schedule for my family. It is therapeutic, rewarding and affirming for me. Another way I get to take care of mine.

My husband used to get home from work before I did, so would cook most nights. And he's a great cook, but more the short order variety than I am. I am so glad our schedules have changed! On the few occasions he offers to cook for me, I practically chase him out of the kitchen :P

Eastcoastdweller said...

Ah, You should let him indulge You, RP, at least once in a while!