I love creating with food. Without rules, in the kitchen, I have access to truths, guides, and sources of creative wisdom. Many of the recipes I start with use a measurement framework of feeding four. When cooking for two, playing with the framework to strike the right balance is easy. Cooking for one is a challenge. The portions often do not work. Consequently, I turn my attention to comfort food that can be assembled for one, two, or any number without much thought.
As I savoured my early dinner with a relatively unknown jazz artist singing in the background, I reflected on the lesson framework for the day ahead.
Great meals take time. Investing in what sustains one’s physical being and soul is a priority. I know it can be rushed. In the moment, I replayed memories of shared food experiences with others that stretched out for hours and, at times, a whole afternoon. At the time, I saw them as indulgences. Looking back, each experience is part of my life’s highlight reel. Descriptions include words like epic, amazing, extraordinary, and life-changing.
Great meals are best understood with experience. I was fortunate to be the son of a mother who loved experimenting with food. As incredible as the experiences were, at the time, I thought everyone had these kinds of opportunities with food. With the passing of time, I came to appreciate the talent, creativity, and gifts of sharing I found in food. I look back, deeply missing the presence of those who shared it with me. We knew, even in the moment, it was special.
As subjective as food can be, there are reference points. When I experience the best, I often know it! As I walked through steps to deconstruct how a dish was made and how this led to the result, I found myself out in the open, aware, learning, and living. A writer reminds me, “solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.” (Hebrews 5.14)
I hear the kitchen and life calling.
