I just want to get something off my chest.
I love food. Specifically, good food. By that I mean, food that is good for me, and tasty and really scrumptious. As most of us in the food writing world know and truly believe, they are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if A then B follows automatically. Which is to say, what you put in is what you get out.
Well, we all knew this. That is one of the reasons we, as a clan, cook or bake possibly a lot more than the average world citizen. The best way to ensure quality is well to make it yourself and we do that, passionately. I will easily wager that any of the food bloggers I know cook as well, if not better than, some of the best chefs in the world. If you could get one, their tables are the best reservations you can possibly ever make for a meal.
A lot of times I am asked two things -
1. Wow, where do you find the time?
2. How do you stay slim with all that cooking and baking?
The second bit is something that has been and is addressed in various forms. Really, its portion control. Giulia shared
, in her latest
, which, captures the gist perfectly.
- Don't eat everything on your plate, at restaurants. Or, as is practiced in most homes, serve yourself what you will eat and not more, and, eat all of it.
- Don't eat what does not taste good. This does require an understanding of what does and does not taste good but we will assume that, for the sake of argument, and go with your current palate.
- Always keep room for leftovers and next day's lunch or dinner. This helps point 1.
- Exercise and be conscious of the balance between energy input and expense. This comes in handy especially when you visit your or a friend's house and the mom would get affronted if you don't clean everything in the bowl and ask for more. Well, in that case, just work out a little more that day and next, or, possibly, the week.
Now, the first question is what I want to address today...
I caveat it with a cliche "Where there is will.." and all that stuff. The reality is that the intuitive ease of cooking does not happen overnight. Much like any other skill, it comes with interest and practice. Again, the former aids the latter. So, well, I find cooking easy now because I have a fair few years of experience in it. It was not quick when I started but I love food and I stuck to it.
But, that does not mean I like cooking everyday. I don't and falling for the rather common excuse, I don't always have the desire, time or energy to cook on some days. I may have the best cut of awesomest pasture raised meat and the crispest farm produce in my pantry. I still don't want to look at them, much less make them into something I know can be mouth wateringly delicious. There are days, I wish someone would just cook for me because I would prefer that over ordering in. Nevertheless, the gist is I want food to appear magically and I want none of the work.
Sometimes, it is not fatigue, it is spontaneity. When you are with friends, it may be easier to eat out and simply focus on the experience of enjoying the company rather than step away from that bubble to cook, especially, when you have not planned for it.
And, I say,
it is OK!
It is ok to have down days. It is ok to not want to cook everyday. It is ok to order in some days. It is ok to be a couch potato some times. It is ok to put your feet up.
It is
OK to take a photograph of a take out container
and of leftover food from a night of ordering in. It is ok to put that up on a food blog dedicated to homemade goodness and recipes sharing space with an incredibly yummy
.
Just remember to expend a little more energy the next day! :)