More than Fuel

Many times our sustenance stems from a half-assed mish-mash quickly thrown together in some sort of pot, pan, or standard kitchen-issue vessel. This rather flippant attitude towards food preparation is not only disrespectful, but more importantly, shoves our connections to the meal to the back burner (pun intended). Cooking food well demonstrates respect for the ingredients, for the consumers, and for the people preparing the meal.

Something had to die so that we may eat, and therefore, live. The flora and fauna of the world are continually sacrificed for our sake, and even though it is the natural order of things, respect for these plants and animals appears to be lacking in the final culinary equation. Perhaps we are appalled to think too precisely about where our food comes from. After all, it is easier to avoid thinking too much about food origins when the majority of our ingredients come entombed in some sort of shrink wrap. Ultimately, it isn’t the exalted meat producers that get sacrificed for our dinner plate. The salads and grains (yes, I’m talking to the vegetarians out there) were once living growing plants. By preparing the very best salads and breads, we are respecting these mighty morsels.

Interestingly, the care and attention given to the ingredients has a way of transferring itself to the person consuming the meal. Chain-O-Rama restaurant meals are not made with love, care, or much attention. The meals most Americans consume are formulaic and fraught with ennui. We deserve better than this damnit! There is a distinct reason why grandma’s cooking always tastes so wonderful – For God’s sake, she is Grandma.

Last of all, how does cooking well manifest esteem within the cook? When one goes into the kitchen and starts gathering ingredients, there is inherently a certain level of self-esteem that follows her into that room. Meticulously chopping, slicing, and sautéing require a person to have some sort of regard for the food he or she is about to prepare, not to mention some awareness so as not to lose pieces of digits. Fixing a meal to the best of one’s ability (not just major holiday feasts) calls for some self-worth. Granted, there may be fear involved, but look at it this way; many courageous cooks have had many culinary catastrophes, and have walked away relatively unscathed (oven/oil burns not withstanding).

In closing, a little dirt in the diet is a good thing, and if one has to lift a lowly inch worm from her lettuce leaf, it only means the meal is real. Cooking food well spotlights respect for our food, love for our fellow dinner companions, and a sense of self-worth that cannot be obtained in a drive-thru.