Just woke up to a beautiful snowy day in Telluride. I am inspired and on a mission. I just read these two articles and had to comment. I figured I would share my thoughts with FFC readers.
Is it Really Stupid to Cook? by Mark Bittman
Understanding the Blueberry Muffin by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I agree that cooking takes great effort and time. Between the shopping, prepping and preparing the food, a small marathon has been run. With a high energy, controlling personality (and someone who has run multiple marathons!) I welcome the opportunity to provide nourishment and cook for my family.
It is so rewarding when we have accomplished a task that does take so much effort. It makes us more accountable for what we put into our mouths. I like having that control and I enjoy providing home made foods to my family.
I take great pleasure choosing the right fruits, veggies, organic meats, poultry, fine cheese, and seafood. It is only the past few years that I have had this ambition. I feel so much more energized and fit, mentally and physically with this “homemade” lifestyle. The ambition to prepare and eat high energy, clean, healthy, yummy meals has turned in a passion. I launched my blog this summer:
192.163.193.237/~marlamer
I am having a great time providing creative recipes, tips, tricks and techniques for getting delicious meals on the table. It is fun to be an inspiration to others! We all seek balance in our lives and preparing our own foods helps us recalibrate our balance each day.
I absolutely agree with your views on being more accountable to our intake when we see exactly what goes into our meals. We are less likely to overindulge when we go through the process of cooking. It becomes obvious why certain things taste so good and add inches to our waistlines!!!! I do think certain foods taste better when they are freshly prepared. Shipping and time lags compromise flavor. The more we can do at home the fresher it will be and the more we will understand its nutritional content.
Even though we opt not to see it this way, most foods we prepare at home come from ingredients that have been processed and packaged in some way. Unless we live on a farm (and even if we do live on a farm), we haven’t milked the cows, grown the veggies, harvested the grains, killed the meat and fished for the seafood. The best we can do is source our foods from the highest quality places we can access and afford.
The fewer bags, bottles and containers we open, the less imprint we leave on our all ready compromised environment. It saddens me to see how much waste is thrown out with heavily processed fast foods. In my family, we drink our water out of Sigg bottles and I buy organic bulk foods as often as possible to cut down on our carbon footprint.
This family will stick with home made foods. We will continue to NOT support the quick and easy, money hungry, bi product/chemical filled, flavor lacking, fast food joints!
That said: Gotta go cook!
Couldn’t agree with you more!
You are absolutely right that cooking at home leaves you in complete control. I always feel like it’s a bit of a “cheat” when we eat out every Friday because I just KNOW they are including something in that dish I wouldn’t! I love it anyway 🙂 and make myself feel better by choosing the healthier items off the menu.
As for my view of cooking, I think it’s the creativity that I enjoy. It is truly and art from salad to dessert. The kitchen is my canvas LOL!
Yes, I love to dine out as well. We go out about once a week and I am very particular as to where we go. We rotate between about 3 restaurants on our “date nights.” It has gotta be worth it if I am gonna go to a restaurant!! Super fresh, clean, healthy and yummy. I basically stick to the way I eat and cook at home when we are out.
I agree with you, I love cooking. And Mark Bittman is right about fast food restaurants. Jacques Pepin has a great cookbook that’s been out for awhile called “Fast Food My Way,” and in it he uses a lot of great ingredients. Much, much better than the drive through window!