What COVID Helped Me to Discover
When it comes to cooking, I never flexed my confidence muscle to prepare my own food. I know, sad. I grew up in a household where my mother never invited me to help in the kitchen because she proudly prepared delicious meals for the family. This non-invitation was a norm and shaped my relationship with the kitchen. While I was fortunate to have home cooked food when I woke up in the mornings and came home from school, the downside is that it didn’t shine any opportunity whatsoever for me to learn any basic cooking skills.
As I grew older I aimed for outings at restaurants and indulged in trying new foods. I was a connoisseur of eating out knowing the latest and greatest eats around town. Then COVID showed up and basically messed with my food routine and I often found myself asking “what the heck am I going to eat now?”
For savvy cooks reading this, you might be asking what’s the big deal, you go to the grocery store and get food, duh. Well, as a non-cook, this IS a big deal and it’s pretty stressful. I barely even know what pots, pans, and seasonings live in my kitchen. I’ve literally had to do specific meditations so I can stay calm and will myself to embrace food in a whole different way.
During that initial period when people made mad dashes to clear out the store shelves of toilet paper, I too made my way to the local grocery store and piled up my shopping cart. I wasn’t even sure I would eat what I was picking up because my confidence about cooking was at an all-time low.
The first week, I made steaks and chicken for my family by recollecting the savory tastes of our favorite steakhouses. I poured sauces and flipped the meats as if I was the master chef. I acted as if I knew what I was doing. I referred to google to help me search for easy recipes. The slabs came out okay and we high-fived each other because at least we were nourished.
The week after I focused on fancier dishes that required chopping, steaming, mixing, and learning about the different oven settings. Again, I envisioned myself like the happy cooks preparing meals on instagram stories. I even blasted music in the background to make sure I was in a flow state. I didn’t know what I was doing but I was determined to finish making the meals I started. The dishes came out okay (could’ve used more spices here and there) but me and my family again were happy to have fresh cooked food in our presence.
I started baking and loving the outcome of my sweet goods. I didn’t mess up the boxed brownie mixes too bad <insert laughing emoji>. I then started making the more complicated meals inspired by my mom and grandmother. I called up family members to ask about the secret ingredients my elders would pour into the family favorite dishes.
Over the weeks my momentum and relationship with the kitchen has been kicked up a notch. I can honestly say cooking is now one of my favorite activities to do. I can’t wait to make my next meal.