Learning to Cook
Learning to cook has been a challenge for me. My mom started me young, helping her stir ingredients, which was hard, followed by slicing vegetables, which was really hard, followed by getting things in and out of the oven, which seemed absolutely impossible.
The kitchen is full of jars that are hard to open, knives unwieldy to chop with, and pots that are heavy to lift. Simply put, cooking is a task for this girl. But thank God for my mom, who refused to allow me to become dependent on ready-made foods. She understood what a lot of of people today don't understand, that cooking real food with real ingredients is worth all the effort and expense!
Many people come to our office as adults who never learned to cook, and they are discouraged to learn that eating healthy will require them to actually use their pots and pans. When I hear people complain about having to take the time to cook, saying they "just can't," I think of something that happened many years ago.
Mom had decided it was time I learned to pull a dish out of the oven. Now, for you, this seems simple. But for me it felt like I had to put my entire body in the oven just to grasp the pan. I was deathly afraid I would get burned, but our eating supper was dependent on me removing this pesky dish from the blazing oven. I began to cry, thinking she was really mean for making me do this, but through my dramatic sobs, I managed to get the dish out, and yes, I did burn myself a little, but yes, I survived.
I think about this story because what if she had never made me learn this skill?? I would be killing myself slowly with the microwave most likely.
The moral of the story is this: cooking is hard, but worthwhile, and you only get better with practice. You make a lot of really bad dishes, you burn yourself, you cut your finger with a sharp knife and you make a mess on the floor. But after years of dedication, you discover you can put a dang good meal on the table, from scratch, no doubt.
So, my friends, roll up your sleeves, get yourself an apron, and start cooking. Make scrambled eggs, but start somewhere; we are cheering you on.
