My take on cooking

Food, by definition is a substance that a being consumes in order to survive, grow and thrive. Aside from holding a spot as a basic need in our lives, food is yet another extraordinary medium for expression of self. We see it in our daily lives, in our friends and family, and of course in Tita - the protagonist of the novel Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel. It is the mirror to our culture, well being and our emotions.

In my experiences with food and cooking, everything was done by my mother. I never really wanted to learn how to cook, but I definitely always wanted to watch her. As I grew older, I had a better understanding of how to describe my mother in the kitchen. Her fluidity of movement, harmonious chopping, clanking and scraping of knives and pots was simply therapeutic. It brought me joy to see her float gracefully around the stove, just because I knew it brought her the same joy cooking for my family. She wasn't the perfect cook; sometimes the bread never rose, the Thanksgiving turkey was still pink on the inside, and the steaks took forever to chew, but she still made each meal with love and care.

Until recently, I wasn't the biggest fan of cooking. Because my mother was recovering from surgery, I had to pick up a few extra responsibilities. I had to do more laundry, cleaning and yes, ...cooking! I didn't mind the extra cleaning or longer errand lists, but the cooking part really made me uneasy. I knew that my father and brothers would soon get tired of the pizza and Chinese food take out, which meant I had to buck up and make something finally. I think that my first home cooked meal was macaroni and cheese [thank you, Kraft box instructions!] with broccoli. It was a relatively simple and quick meal, which I was truly grateful for. Most importantly, it fed the boys and kept them quiet ( haha ). This was the case for the following two weeks, where between work and school, I made dinner for the rest of my family. It started to grow on me, this whole cooking thing. Cooking and baking changed from being things which, in the beginning, I would agree to do into two hobbies I wish I had more time for! I really enjoy cooking now. In fact, I enjoy it so much that my mom and I agreed to let me make dinner Friday nights, or on the days she just wants to relax. Like my mother, I'm no Chef Ramsey - but I can make some killer strip steak burritos!