Cooking is not only enjoyable, it’s therapeutic! Add some great music, a glass of wine and l’ll spend hours in the kitchen. Not to mention the joy of eating a home-cooked meal that tastes great.
“We have arrived at a point in history where industrially made foodstuffs have taken over our need and ability to prepare food for ourselves.” - FOODSTUFFS!? The best play on words for ultra processed ‘food’.
This was a great article. Thanks for quoting my favorite chef, as she reposted so I got to read!
You laid out all the reason and more of why I am making an effort to cook and eat more real food. And for the record, you did not sound preachy at all!
Cooking can also be fun. It satisfies my innate editor/proofreader tendencies. Stripping broccoli florets from the stem and discarding the brown ones. Peeling and chopping potatoes and discarding the sprouty parts. It keeps the hands and fingers and senses occupied and exercised away from the damn computer.
About 50 years ago, yes, that’s a five and a zero, I managed to find a chef in the Auvergne who would take me on as an apprentice. My total experience had been pot washing in a fondue restaurant in San Francisco and peeling potatoes in Montmartre. You see, I was, and am, an American. At the time, utterly laughable that I presumed to cook. But I had memorized Raymond Oliver’s Ma Cuisine. And most of La Répertoire.
Let’s just say it’s the best thing I ever did. Se qui osent gagne. Learn to cook.
Oh my gosh thank you for this article. Your clarity here should easily resonate across generations and inspire people to learn to actually cook. People who don’t miss out on more than the delicious results of the efforts, they miss out on the social, mental and, yes, spiritual benefits and rejuvenation of cooking. Thank you so very much!
It’s helped moving to a plant-based/vegan lifestyle. I cook more because I have more choices than in restaurants. Plus I love cookbooks! I’m on board with you and Michelle. Just have to figure out how to make it so.
Cooking is family, passed down from grandparent to children and grandchildren. Cooking is tradition, it’s how it’s always done. Cooking is creativity, the ability to change an ingredient and add new flavor. Cooking is marriage, a combination of cultures and a melange of flavors and feelings. Cooking is ….. life.
sobremesa feels like such a crucial part to cooking and eating together that feels all but missing in my experience of living in the uk - communal meals seem to be stuck in a cycle of mass catering and minimum effort but i long for opportunities to share generously from the kitchen and then share swathes of time chatting and clearing up together, rather than food being seen as something worth rushing through!
I'm from the UK too so I know the feeling. Growing up, we ate very early and very quickly. Maybe 15 minutes around the dinner table, then we all went our separate ways. It's not something I wanted in my adult life so now my husband and I spend at least 2 hours every day on the dinner part of the day. It helps of course that we don't have kids so we have the time. But I've seen it happen in other countries with the kids running around, even sobramesa-ing too!
This is great. I knew we shared a brain on this topic. I'm honored to have inspired it in the littlest of ways. Keep killing it!
Cooking is not only enjoyable, it’s therapeutic! Add some great music, a glass of wine and l’ll spend hours in the kitchen. Not to mention the joy of eating a home-cooked meal that tastes great.
Bon appétit 🍷
Ah me too. I do it almost nightly.
“We have arrived at a point in history where industrially made foodstuffs have taken over our need and ability to prepare food for ourselves.” - FOODSTUFFS!? The best play on words for ultra processed ‘food’.
This was a great article. Thanks for quoting my favorite chef, as she reposted so I got to read!
Pleased you enjoyed it Nicki
You laid out all the reason and more of why I am making an effort to cook and eat more real food. And for the record, you did not sound preachy at all!
Thanks Preston!
There is no greater joy than watching family and friends enjoy the food you made just for them.
Cooking can also be fun. It satisfies my innate editor/proofreader tendencies. Stripping broccoli florets from the stem and discarding the brown ones. Peeling and chopping potatoes and discarding the sprouty parts. It keeps the hands and fingers and senses occupied and exercised away from the damn computer.
Damn straight about keeping away from the computer
You make me want to throw a dinner party and invite a bunch of friends over for a good sobremesa 👍.
It is so. much. fun.
Here for the rebelling!!! 🍴 Love this so much. It becomes empowering to think of cooking this way. Less chore, more boldness.
Yes, nothing like making your own food and knowing exactly what goes into it. It’s life!
It is indeed!
About 50 years ago, yes, that’s a five and a zero, I managed to find a chef in the Auvergne who would take me on as an apprentice. My total experience had been pot washing in a fondue restaurant in San Francisco and peeling potatoes in Montmartre. You see, I was, and am, an American. At the time, utterly laughable that I presumed to cook. But I had memorized Raymond Oliver’s Ma Cuisine. And most of La Répertoire.
Let’s just say it’s the best thing I ever did. Se qui osent gagne. Learn to cook.
Oh my gosh thank you for this article. Your clarity here should easily resonate across generations and inspire people to learn to actually cook. People who don’t miss out on more than the delicious results of the efforts, they miss out on the social, mental and, yes, spiritual benefits and rejuvenation of cooking. Thank you so very much!
Thank you Vicki! I always appreciate your comments
It’s helped moving to a plant-based/vegan lifestyle. I cook more because I have more choices than in restaurants. Plus I love cookbooks! I’m on board with you and Michelle. Just have to figure out how to make it so.
I love cookbooks too. And plant based food!
Well, that’s a fascinating way to influence folks to care about their health and self-care.
Cooking is family, passed down from grandparent to children and grandchildren. Cooking is tradition, it’s how it’s always done. Cooking is creativity, the ability to change an ingredient and add new flavor. Cooking is marriage, a combination of cultures and a melange of flavors and feelings. Cooking is ….. life.
Yep yep and yep again!
sobremesa feels like such a crucial part to cooking and eating together that feels all but missing in my experience of living in the uk - communal meals seem to be stuck in a cycle of mass catering and minimum effort but i long for opportunities to share generously from the kitchen and then share swathes of time chatting and clearing up together, rather than food being seen as something worth rushing through!
I'm from the UK too so I know the feeling. Growing up, we ate very early and very quickly. Maybe 15 minutes around the dinner table, then we all went our separate ways. It's not something I wanted in my adult life so now my husband and I spend at least 2 hours every day on the dinner part of the day. It helps of course that we don't have kids so we have the time. But I've seen it happen in other countries with the kids running around, even sobramesa-ing too!
Excellent piece, Sir! I wrote about UPFs the other week too, you might want to take a look: https://plantbasedplanet.substack.com/p/bread-eggs-milk-cheese
I'll check it out!