Do you prefer cooking or being cooked for?
I am not a huge fan of cooking. I mean, I will do it but I would much rather have someone cook for me and then I will happily clean up the dishes (also maybe because I like my kitchen cleaned a certain way). I always admire those individuals who find complete and utter joy in cooking. You can tell in what they make how much they love it and how happy it makes them to see people eat the amazing food they made. I think it is also deeply rooted in family tradition, you can just tell families who all share the same feelings about cooking. My family was not this type of family, cooking was kind of a chore. My mom always made well balanced meals during the week and the weekends were saved for fun foods like pizza and tacos. Once my Dad retired, he took over most the cooking and I am pretty sure Mom was 100% on board, not missing it a bit. What usually sticks out the most in my mind is Thanksgiving dinner. We hosted my Mom's side of the family every year and every year it made is us all bitchy. The house had to be cleaned perfectly, my Dad woke up at 2 am to put the turkey in and my Mom did so many other things to prepare. By the time everyone arrived, it was a house packed full of people who gobbled down dinner in less than 20 minutes, probably most of them being done eating and watching football before my parents even got a plate. It was kind of sad.
Which is why I am not a big fan of cooking, I do, however love sitting down with my heartbeats and eating a meal. I love the courtesy of waiting for everyone to be seated before taking the first bite. I love having music on low in the background and the clinking of the fork hitting the plate. I love the conversation of people who take time to be present, making connections with each other and actually enjoying their food. There is something so magical that happens around the table.
Not everyone gets the opportunity to share a meal with someone everyday. Some of us are alone. Some of us look at an empty chair and are missing someone. Some of us have a plethora of people we could sit down and eat with, but we don't make the time.
I don't care what I eat, or when I eat as long as I can share it with people I love.
#embracethehellyeah
~AE
