You Don’t Eat No Meat?! That’s Okay. I Make Lamb.

by AmyDolores

Last night, my girlfriends and I played a game of “Would You Rather.” Topic of choice ranged from baby names (my 9 year old self would have loved this, I had a list that could match the yellow pages) all the way to what sense you would give up…. well, none of them! All things sensory are kind of a necessity, ya know? Part of me thought if I lost my sense of taste I would become a health guru. When you can’t taste the orgasmic splendor of chocolate, who needs it?! But then I remembered that food is kinda my whole life.

Pardon me for sounding like a gluttonous pig, but food is such a glorious indulgence that I could definitely rate it as…mmm… one of the top 3 factors for happiness.  Food is the center of enjoyment, socializing, experiencing and most importantly, my family LOVES food. By this I mean, if you reject food offered at my house we will collectively agree that:

A – You’re being polite. Silly, silly you! Eating at our house is being polite. DUH.

B – You are a miserable person who lives a life of strict health and depravity.

C – You have no taste. (My parents are damn good cooks).

D – ALL of the above.

Case in point, if you are offered food at my house, you accept it. Furthermore, you enjoy it and take seconds.

The best way to describe our love of food is to show how closely it relates to our social gatherings and just all feelings of warm-fuzzy. While it took about 15 years to realize this, I’ve spent my entire life being spoiled by lovingly-made, delicious food – accessible 24/7. I used to assume that everyone’s family ate in more than they ate out and that their parents spent absurd amounts of money on groceries too.

Oh how wrong I was.  Very, very disappointingly wrong. I wish everyone recognized the power of it. The fact that food is not merely a necessity for nourishment and survival, but a key ingredient to many brilliant, fulfilling possibilities. Eat it and you’ll be pleased. Cook it and you’ll have the instant gratification of creating something  – reveling in your success immediately. Share it and you’ll have the pleasure of  making others  gloat with satisfaction. Thanks to the habits of my parents, nothing makes me happier than the process of cooking and eating. I love every step – shopping, measuring, sauteing, baking, presenting and enjoying. There is something incredibly therapeutic about getting immersed in the rhythms of cooking and forgetting about the rest of your day, knowing that you will have a result -something tangible – to enjoy.

I know many people say they hate to cook. They become impatient or it seems too much effort for 15 minutes of eating or (my boyfriend’s personal favorite) it makes too many dishes when you can just order food, mess free and quick.

No, no, no. If there is anything I urge people to do. Try to cook. Attempt it 5 times and if you truly hate it, order out for the remainder of your life. Just try it for the mere fact that you’re creating something  that is all at once necessary and enjoyable.