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The Psychology of Cooking
from:Why do you cook? Is it simply because you "have to"? We have been bombarded through time with the idea that someone in the home, usually the woman, has to cook the family's meals. The above idea presents the concept of cooking only as one of "obligation".
OK. Who likes an obligation? Certainly no one I know. Work is the most important obligation of all, and even if some of us like what we do, still the idea of working because one has to does not please anyone. Just having to get up in the morning and interrupt the wonder of sleep is annoying enough. Then again, at the end of the day, when one arrives home tired from working, the simple facing the fact that there is a meal to be prepared, besides all the other "obligations" of every home can send chills up anybody's spine.
Coming home is supposed to be "going back to our castle", to that place on earth where we reign in peace. Who said peace? Kids running around or calling for help with their homework, and a partner who either gets home very late or decides that the news or any other TV program is important enough for him/her to be disconnected from everything else are not necessarily signs of peace. That's when facing the kitchen becomes a burden and the person reacts with stress and rejection.
We are creatures of thought. What this really means is that everything in the human being begins with a thought. There is nothing going on in the world without an idea having been the origin of it all. And we are definitely going to feel according to how we think. Not only that...we are going to act accordingly too. This very simple reality is forgotten all too frequently by us.
That being said, let's go back to the kitchen . Try to imagine the thoughts going through the above imaginary, but very real person, in the example. Pleasant? Relaxing? Leading to the idea of pure enjoyment? Heck, no! On the contrary.
Ah! But what about changing that thought? What about facing the kitchen as a place for unwinding while you cook? The place where you can channel all your frustrations while creating something wonderful, even if simple, not only for yourself, but for those around you, who will thank you both for the meal and for the attitude?
That may seem utopian to many. I know.
Not everyone is a renowned chef, with the knowledge and the experience to make something fantastic out of any ingredients presented to him/her. We also know that.
But...we can , if we want to and decide so, make their attitude towards cooking our own. That we can do, because all it takes is a change in our process of thinking about it. When you look at them in the kitchen, you can feel their passion and pleasure even when they are under heavy pressure. You can see the spark in their eyes.
We can become creators and people who enjoy, who savor and delight. We can make the "obligation" a therapeutic moment, in which we decide to put that stress to work for us , pouring it into the art and enjoyment that cooking can be.
We start thinking about ingredients: maybe we have the illusion of being able to cook specialty and gourmet foods. Why not? Even though finding everything we require may not be easy, there are always places where we can, because they specialize in providing the customer everything he/she may need to make those dreams come true. Probably the store around the corner does not carry those articles, but we do not have to throw in the towel. Think internet!. All one may need in the kitchen is there, waiting to provide us with the necessary tools to make those illusions a reality: ingredients like, truffles,special oils, hard to find meats and sea products, international chocolates and cheeses, herbs and spices of all sorts, seasonings that really complement what we cook, caviar from all over the world, etc. They are there... just waiting to help us.
And what about the equipment? Perhaps it is time to check our pots , pans, grill or whatever we believe will be necessary for us to cook like a real pro. Again, going to a mall and visiting stores that sell that sort of thing may be successful...and maybe not. So, the internet comes to the rescue one more time. It is fantastic being able to pick what one wants and have it delivered to one's door, probably at a better price, too. No hassle there.
As we can see now, there is really no excuse for not being able to change our mind and jump into a new adventure at the kitchen.
Raquel Cervera is the President/owner of http://www.allinthekitchen.net, a company dedicated exclusively to products and articles related to the kitchen, not only for the individual customer, but also to the restaurant market.
She decided to enter this field of work because of her tremendous interest in the gourmet aspect of cooking, even if this is not in the least her first profession, which is that of Psychology.
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