Boiling water, frying an egg, discovering the secret potential of peanut butter and living off stir fries. Every current or past post secondary school student living on their own for the first time should be all too familiar with this meal overview.
Freshmen fifteen lead us to drastic measures and reevaluating our cooking strategy may become necessity for our wallowing nutrition. As I searched desperately for those all too elusive distractions and ideal procrastination sources that could be legitimized as necessary for life, cooking landed sweetly on my lap in the form of my first cook book. It was probably bought on sale from the clearance table during the rush and swarm of last minute holiday shoppers, with it’s proud 100+ vegetarian recipes just not making the cut next to Jamie Oliver that year. (Can’t really blame them. Meat is wonderful).
But it was in the pages of that first cook book that I found the doorway to procrastination bliss!
For hours I could leaf through the recipes, planning and dreaming of the meals I would create. Artichokes to trim, mangos to slice, eggplants awaiting the grill and portobellos begging to be stuffed with goat cheese. Life became exciting in those moments of delicious escape from writing papers and studying for exams. I discovered something new. Something that left me passionate and reminded me that life beyond the confines of libraries and desk lamps was still attainable. And I hungered for more.
That passion has stayed comfortably with me since. I’ve abandoned my veggie life style, (brilliant decision when you love to cook), and still find a few nights a week to really immerse myself in the thrill of creating dishes that leave me satisfied in so many ways.
“Find something you’re passionate about, and become immensely interested in it.”
– Julia Child
Thank you, Mrs. Child. I will, I have and I do.
Just Keep Writing 