I got the basic principles of cooking and the importance of using fresh ingredients from my mom. She did not teach me how to cook, though. A household with 2 working adults and 4 busy kids left little time for instruction. I did help with many cooking chores, and learned the principles by exposure. The actual art of cooking, I learned through much trial and error. It took a few years, but I discovered the cooking methods that work for me. I learned confidence for doing my own thing, and taking recipes as a guidance rather than firm instructions not to be deviated from. I learned to bake. Specifically, I learned to bake bread because my lack of a sweet tooth made most other baking less appealing. I was able to experiment through the generosity of others sharing their recipes and skills with the world.
Learning to cook is a process
As much as it sounds like it was all me, it was not. Watching my mom growing up gave me the basics. Experimenting gave me experience and confidence. But it was sharing that has made me a better cook and baker. Sharing also brought me closer to my sisters, my mom and my mother-in-law. Sharing is giving my daughter a foundation for the future, even though it will be a few years still before she can safely handle unsupervised cooking.
Many reasons to share
Sharing has become important for different reasons. One, my family and I live far apart. For years my closest sibling or parent was a nine hour drive away. Two, none of us are getting any younger and we do not want to lose favorite traditions, or recipes. Three, we all have different strengths and interests and sharing lets us expand our skills in areas we may otherwise ignore.
We share in many different ways. We share pictures of our latest creations, not over social media but via simple texts. We share recipes that way too. We discuss recipes over the phone and talk about our latest creations.
We share photos of failures too. Invariably laughter and solutions follow. Sometimes the solution is to never use that recipe again. We troubleshoot, plan, laugh and share pats on the back (mostly virtual). Sharing cooking and baking tips and recipes has brought us closer together in ways I did not think possible.
Safeguarding traditions
If you told me 15 years ago that my mom would be asking me for my recipes I would have laughed. It was a novel experience, to say the least, to be the one sending a recipe to my mom. She is a great cook and baker and I have been collecting her recipes for years. Hard to do since almost everything is in her head. She eyeballs quantities, and even if she writes it down it’s usually only the ingredients with quantity estimates and no directions. It’s often that way with intuitive cooks. How do you document and write down a recipe you prepare by adding a little of this and a little of that? It is hard to write down something so intuitive, you can do it with your eyes closed.
Our discussions and picture sharing has highlighted just how few of my favorite things I can make just like her. I make a lot of different recipes, but there are holes in my knowledge of the things I grew up eating. Our sharing over the years has given all of us an understanding of how precious each opportunity to share and learn these traditions is. It has allowed us to connect about topics that have nothing to do with food or what we are making. The process of going back and forth has given all of us the confidence to venture into areas we may not have done alone. It has allowed us to become better. Better sisters, daughters and mothers.
We all have different gifts
One of my sisters has always been a great cook. Another is fearless in trying new recipes. My mom can cook and bake (not too sweet) desserts to please everyone. Everyone calls me for advice on bread baking (still trying to get comfortable with that). My mother-in-law and I discuss her most treasured Italian recipes whenever the mood strikes. We all share a little of ourselves even when the best we can do is share pictures of the food. Food brings us together even when we are not eating.
Sharing recipes is an opportunity for so many things. We can learn new skills, and document new recipes. We can improve techniques, and learn new ways to combine different tastes. We can preserve unique recipes, methods and traditions. Most importantly sharing recipes brings us closer together. It bridges physical distances and helps us find common ground. It creates opportunities for meaningful connections that may otherwise be lost. It does not matter the circumstances, food brings people closer together and sharing recipes provides an opportunity to create even deeper connections.
Food brings us closer together
I encourage you to find different ways to share food with others. Whether you are a beginner, your skills are basic or advanced with years of culinary training everyone benefits from connecting with others. We all have something to share and something to learn about each other. Share your food connection story by submitting a comment or contacting me directly. I would love to hear from you. You can find some of my favorite recipes here.
“How to eat Mindfully and Mindlessly lose weight” breaks down our food relationships and provides practical ideas you can implement in your life to eat healthy while enjoying a delicious life. “Your food story” helps you dig deeper into your personal relationship with food so you can design your own unique plan for weight loss and healthy living. Get your copies today from your favorite online bookseller.