On Cooking: Cooking is self-care.
Nutritious nourishment is the ultimate self-care.
Cooking is the ultimate kind of self-care.
From the sourcing of ingredients to the thoughtfulness of combinations, from tastes to flavours, textures, presentation, and how it all comes together. All things considered, cooking is an art form.
Whether someone is doing it at home or in a professional setting, whether alone or with a team of astute artisans or a group of cooks, whether in contention or camaraderie, there’s something about cooking that stirs— literally.
Probably why drama series like The Bear are incredible (and no, it’s not about an actual bear), and why anything Anthony Bourdain is gold. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly remains one of my favourite books of all time—as it makes any reader, myself included, feel like I am part of the crew of the notoriously high-stakes New York restaurant kitchen. But I digress.
There’s no doubt that cooking is emotional, as cooking is always an act of service for the people you’re cooking for—and that someone, might just be you.
Cooking is always an act of love.
(Unless you’re intentionally cooking something terrible).
But, slowing down and carving time to choose, mince, chop, season, stir, grill, broil, boil and all the other possibilities a dish can entertain. Food can either be a practicality, a masterpiece, or something in between, but even enemies will agree that it’s a necessity.
Universally, no matter where you are in the world or what class or corner you exist in, there’s something instinctually special about a warm home-cooked meal.
What’s rarely considered is how cooking is also the ultimate form of self-care. It’s a statement to prioritise our health and happiness—with a lot of potential deliciousness awaiting too.
Cooking (or learning to cook) is a win-win.
If the reason you don’t cook for yourself is that you claim you don’t know how to cook, then learning will have the bonus of advantageous neuroplastic adaptations too. Learning a new skill, like cooking, is challenging and a net positive for brain growth.
No matter how many times you cook, no matter how experienced you become there are always new things to master and more flavours to explore. The combinations are endless, which makes cooking not only an act of self-care but an enduring and timeless activity that feeds you, nourishes you, and on a very practical matter—keeps you alive. But, that’s a topic for another time.
I get it. Cooking can be intimidating; as it was once for me. For generations cooking was essential for survival, now it’s optional because of the myriad of conveniences afforded to us by technology and modern living.
Making time to cook for yourself is a real statement.
Cooking by nature of the act itself—the preparation, the process, and the aftermath of contentment but also cleaning—is all very intentional.
You can do it with friends or alone, for dinner parties or yourself, for families or friends; but no matter the way you go about your cooking, you can’t cook, let alone make a tasty meal without being 100% intentional.
Your actions and your efforts are deliberate when it comes to cooking, and that’s what makes cooking such an intrinsically, value-adding, and wonderful thing!
After more than a week of eating out every day, I was very happy to chop, dice, and stir behind the stove last night. I should have captured what I made, but my apologies—as usual, I was too eager to devour to snap a picture. I need to get better at this. But, here’s a picture of a bowl of noodles I made one time ;).
You might be thinking: Why go through all the effort of cooking for myself when a delicious meal is just a few swipes, clicks, or a 5-minute walk away— no shopping or cleanup required?
Well here’s the thing, sometimes there are things in life that are hard but good for you, then there are also the things that are hard but bad for you.
Cooking is like walking, it requires more effort, but forgoing walking is like a kill switch to yourself. Cooking is essential. Though it may not seem like it, the rewards— are in the process, intent and act—in ways that go far beyond the meal or the cooking itself.
Cooking for yourself is the ultimate act of self-love.
What message are you sending to yourself if you won't make time to learn to cook for yourself—more than just a fundamental skill of keeping yourself alive, and nourishing yourself, it’s an act of saying that you matter enough to cook for.
Have I convinced you yet?
“The goal is to create cuisine that will satisfy all of the senses. It must look good, it must taste good. The mouth feel must be good. It must smell good. The sound should be good. And all of these factors need to be in harmony. To accomplish all of this, I need to go back to my childhood…use that childlike mind to create new dishes and a symphony of a meal.”
— Kuwayama, Richard Conrad. Culture Hacks: Deciphering Differences in American, Chinese, and Japanese Thinking. Reedsy, 2018.
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