Why cook?

Food is one of the great equalizers.

Everyone needs it every day.

Without it we wither away.  

Eating alone allows for meditation on the day to come or that which has passed.

Dining with friends and family is the ultimate in good times.

So the question is......what does cooking bring to the table?

Of course there will always be a place that will gladly charge you a dollar for a morsel of goodness.

But the joy of creating something that someone will enjoy -- now that's some pleasure!!  Whether that "someone" is someone else or just myself, to witness a friend or loved one getting some satisfaction from your own creation can't be beat.

For me, it's also the acts of learning and creating -- the researching of past recipes, the exploring and acquiring of ingredients, the absorption of what makes a particular dish tick, and then prepping and preparing the dish, sometimes sticking to the chosen recipe and sometimes straying a little. Getting things right and screwing up royally.

It all adds up to a process that relaxes and invigorates me.  Both meditative and heart pumping, cooking is more than a path to daily nourishment.

It's part of my survival.