Why I love food

The subject of food conjures up a whole range of emotions in people, and for most of us they are good ones. Food provides comfort, brings families and friends together, and is always present at special occasions. Food not only provides nourishment, but simply makes life more enjoyable.


While eating it is certainly fun, the preparation of it can be therapeutic. Like it has been for me lately. My life has perhaps never been as stressful as it is right now, and on particularly tough days I downright crave the chance to get into the kitchen and cook (some days I just want to order a pizza). Cooking requires focus, and at least for a little while, the diversion does me good.


Taking the time to read a recipe, decide if it sounds good to me, gathering ingredients, preparing and chopping the food, finding the right vessel to cook it in, tasting it, adding more of this or that until it's just right, and then assembling it and cooking it, watching it so it doesn't burn.....requires attention. I can lose myself in this process. A momentary vacation.


It's also a great way to express creativity. A meal, or even a single dish, properly executed, is a joy. As the dish comes together, the various textures and flavors create something out of nothing other than what started out as just a list of ingredients. Will the marriage of all these flavors work, and will I like it? The suspense of waiting to see how a dish will turn out can be exciting.


This is what I find so fascinating about food. There are countless ingredients out there, from all over the globe, and it's the combination of these ingredients that either work or don't work that make cooking, and eating, so very interesting.


We all long to release tension and express ourselves. For some of us, this takes place in the kitchen.