Cooking for me is such a microcosm of life. I have grown to love to bake and cook. It also gives us such a lens into how people approach life.
I have two modes in my cooking. The first is to religiously follow the original recipe to make sure it works. But once I've made something I am just as likely to start to 'tweak'' the recipe I then tcome up with my own version of the recipe. This is especially true with my breads. I am constantly changing an original recipe with a dash of cinnamon or a teaspoon of honey or sugar. I love the results.
The second part of the process is called 'empty out of the refrigerator' meal. I start with some kind of meat, then throw in a bunch of different vegetables, and perhaps some potatoes. I may throw in broth or some diced tomatoes. I have no idea where I am going but in the end I have a meal. Most of the time I have a beautiful little dish though I must also confess I have really ended up with some one-time dishes that I will never make again. There are just some meals that are against the natural laws of the universe.
When I was in college I started to date a girl. She was beautiful and incredibly though she often just did things without thinking. She invited me for a meal at her co-op (8 girls in bedrooms with a common living room, bathroom, and kitchen), She decided she wanted to impress me so she set a table in the courtyard with a beautiful tablecloth and silverware and china. The table had two place settings. I sat down and she brought two bowls of homemade soup. When I took a full bite of the soup it was immediately clear 'this was wrong'. I didn't want to embarass her so I swallowed the entire spoonful of something. I managed to smile and said, "I've never had anything like that in my life. What is it?"
She smiled and with full seriousness and pride said, "It's my own recipe; this is actually the first time I've ever made tuna fish soup." I gently explained to her this might not be the best combination and then took her out for a pizza.
So how interesting it is that the way we approach cooking and putting together a recipe gives us such a deep feedback about how we approach life.
Do we follow every rule put out there knowing someone else knows what they are doing and our job is to follow the experts? Do we get wildly creative and take some parts of our recipe of life and then change it? Or do we live the full contrarian life? We are told 'this is the way you do things' and our response is always to do it our way. It is good if you are not sure which way is your approach, now is the time to take a look. Self-understanding always helps us to be in the decision-making process. It will help. Take a look! How else will you be sure that you have all the right ingredients?
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