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A Refresher On Food
Love
By
Suzette Martinez
Standring |
 Milton
- Home cooking is an act of love in our hectic world.
Packaged foods, take-out and one-minute microwave meals make
it easy to avoid standing at a stove. Food trends show that
convenience is key to the 40 to 60- something age set. Baby
boomers, especially empty nesters, eat out more often than
any other age group.
But home cooked meals are magic. Food is an energy force. It
seduces. It soothes. It satisfies. Ask folks about their
childhood and memorable meals always come up. Cooks are
inherent healers because they understand the power of food.
So who heals the healer?
Countless baby Boomers have probably prepared at least
10,920 meals - if one cooked once a day, seven days a week
for the last 30 years. And how many Thursdays were
“spaghetti days?” Be honest. After a while, creativity is
like a water spatter on a hot pan. Poof, it’s gone. Then
it’s all about slopping the family.
Even the most avid cook occasionally may ask, “Tell me again
why slicing, dicing and washing three pots is better than
hitting the one-minute microwave button?”
It’s time to get with kindred spirits for an antidote to
boredom. At a local adult ed. cooking class, I expected a
one-dish demonstration. Instead twelve of us tackled a
multi-item menu.
Sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese dip; artichoke-Parmesan
crostini; seared scallops with lemon and capers; orzo with
broccoli, Provencal tomatoes and for dessert, tiramisu.
Whoa, tasty lesson plans!
Students worked in trios and afterwards there would be
feasting. This particular class was made up of women,
ranging in age from 25- 70. It was a great place to be nosy,
to ask, why are you here? Sometimes the answer was fear.
“I get stressed and anxious about the timing when I cook a
lot of things at once,” or “I’m spending too much money in
restaurants.”
For others it was about trying something new. “I want to
learn some special occasion dishes,” or “It’s something fun
and creative for me.”
Many had long-time cooking experience. So why take a class
when you’ve cooked for years? Each woman would stop mid-chop
or lay down her stirring spoon and it felt like a
confession.
“It’s the same thing every night, I need variety.” “Doing it
in a class gives me more confidence.” “Here I’m trying new
things I never thought I’d like, but I do.”
Are we still talking about cooking?
Women and food create a social alchemy where no one can stay
a stranger. The kitchen buzzed with laughter and chatter.
Pots were stirred, recipes discussed and the veterans took
the young cooks under their wings. There’s nothing more
endearing than a novice stymied by a recipe calling for
“zest.” One innocent was baffled by calls for whipping
cream, light cream or half-and-half. “Is there a
difference?” Mary asked.
What was the most valuable advice she received? Read a
recipe through first. Then prepare the food in stages as
directed.
Apparently, on her maiden voyage at the stove, young Mary
dumped all the ingredients into the pan at once. It wasn’t
pretty. Lesson learned. Oh, I wanted to pinch her cheeks.
Love is often the reasoning behind the seasoning. “This is
my husband’s dream, that I can cook and someday he’ll get a
meal,” joked a mother of four.
To cook is to bring joy (or maybe just something new to a
potluck). Food brings folks together, casting a spell of
delicious memories.
Finally a dozen of us sat down to sample the fruits of our
labors. For the first time all evening, there was no talk,
just a lot of lip smacking and “mm’s,” our passion for food
reignited.
Magic. |
About The Author
Contact Suzette Standring at suzmar@comcast. net. She
is the author of the awardwinning The Art of Column Writing.
Visit http://wwwreadsuzette.com.
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