Why cook?

“To escape the tediousness of "fast-food", let us rediscover the rich varieties and aromas of local cuisines.” – The Slow Food Manifesto

How many times have you ordered a dish in a restaurant and asked for a certain ingredient to be omitted? I know I have countless times. One of the entirely selfish benefits of cooking is that you get to control what goes into your food. I don’t have to use ingredients I don’t like. I can customise every dish to suit my palette. Life is too short to spend time eating something simply for the sake of eating. I would rather make something that I know I’m going to enjoy. I also control how much fat, sugar and preservatives go into my food. This helps me to stay healthy, or not. Whatever I want is my choice.

In today’s society when we think of food there are an enormous variety of choices available to us. We can grab a burger from a fast food store, we can go to a cafe, reheat leftovers or perhaps make something new. Now being no stranger to fast food I must say that when I eat it I am instantly sated, however, I find shortly after that I am hungry again. Not only that but I haven’t really taken the time to enjoy the meal. This is what the Slow food Manifesto is all about, choosing to create a great meal rather than grabbing a burger.

Now a cafe does indeed change this, as now I am able to slow down and enjoy my meal, have a glass of wine and spend the time chatting with friends. And those that know me will know how much I love a good cafe.

However often I find that I walk away from a café meal thinking, ‘I could make that’. So then I think well I could make the same thing for me and my friends; it would cost less and I get the added benefit of making something beautiful and sharing it.

This philosophy is part of the slow food movement which encourages people to slow down, enjoy their meals and take the time out to spend with friends and family. It affirms the return to the family home and the use of food to bring people together.

This is why I think cooking is so important; it allows us an opportunity to create the food that we eat as well as memories with friends and family.