What's Cooking?

What's Cooking?

I love to cook. However, I'm not a very good cook. I say this, because while I am quite capable of reading a cook book, I am not very good at following simple directions, nor do I understand the harmony of different food products.

When I bake cakes, it usually comes from a box packaged by Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and etc.. When I make pasta, it's usually hamburger helper or tuna helper (hey, but I do make a pretty darn good hamburger/tuna helper -- I think it's time I tried the chicken helper!) I honestly wish that I could be a better cook though, and by cooking, I mean starting from scratch, or at least close to it. Not merely tossing things together in a pot and boiling it. If anyone has ideas on becoming a good cook, please feel free to enlighten me.

There are two good things I am able to make. I know how to make the world's most fabulous spaghetti. Of course, I don't make the sauce or the noodles, but it doesn't come in pre-packaged portions with directions. Second things is, I make good drinks. Smoothies? Milk shake? Yogurt soju? I can do it. Give me a good blender, and I will show you how! And when I say that I make good smoothies or other beverages, I don't mean following directions closely. I just know how much of each ingredients should go in, depending on my feel of the day. Sometimes more fruits, sometimes more milk, sometimes more ice cream (in fact, more ice cream is always good!). It's like when you ask an old housewife about recipes. They don't normally give it to you in exact measured proportions -- they just tell you add a pinch of this and a dash of that, and season to taste and etc.. That's the hard part, but when your soul goes into it, and you just feel your creation, you just know how much of something should be added in, and even if you're missing an ingredient, you just know how to make up for it with something else. Maybe try mandarins instead of lemon, or something like that.

I think all creators have things in common. Whether it is creating a novel or a poem, creating a portrait, or creating a new fusion pizza, you're creating something from nearly nothing. You're concocting something from the most basic and elementary things, and your work results in masterpieces (on a good day). And each product produced, whether it be a delightful etude on the piano or a sensually languorous landscape, or the most ethereal piece of chocolate you've had, is a marvelous indication, a delectable motivation, on why you create, and why you must create.