Cooking: An Evolutionary Pleasure
I feel guilty when I enjoy myself. It’s a nagging feeling that doesn’t go away until I can either justify what I’m doing is productive, or start working. Cooking is one of those things that exists in between. On one hand, I must cook to eat, and eat to live. On the other hand, it’s so fun it feels like cheating. Given the right recipe and the right justification, I can spend hours making things from borscht to steak tartare, and relish in the fact that I am saving money, eating delicious food, feeding my housemates, and plating something beautiful.
My friend asked me what I did for fun on days when I was completely free. I admitted that all I do is look up complex recipes, explore grocery stores, cook, and slowly eat all day. I felt a little guilty, but she said, evolutionarily, cooking is what humans should be doing for fun anyway, like walking long distances, looking at nature or talking to people. Cooking and eating are in our DNA. What she said really stuck with me because I’ve never heard a justification to cook and eat as simple and irrefutable as this one. How could I possibly deny myself of something I’m literally designed to do?
Since then, I’ve cooked foods from all around the world and found people who share the joy of traveling around the world from within the kitchen. I find myself noticing what people pack to lunch and gravitate towards in the grocery store, and incorporating their style into my own life. Cooking with someone is like an open-hearted conversation, a peek into each other’s home and culture.
My favorite dish to make is red-braised pork belly. The pork is blanched, chopped up, and fried in oil and rock sugar. Herbs and spices are mixed in along with Shaoxing wine, water, and soy sauce, simmered until each piece is tender and the sauce is reduced to a glistening coating. It is a dish I miss from home, and the first complex recipe I’ve attempted alone. I consulted my mom and the internet for advice, begged my friend with a car to drive me to Super88. The smell attracted my housemates, drawing them into the kitchen to try and judge my food. After a whole day of simmering, I finally sat down at the dining table to eat a true meal, and was completely blown away. It was delicious!
Cooking is fun, and nourishing not only to the stomach but the heart. Until you start cooking, you won’t know how much it deepens your relationship with yourself and the people around you. From one student to another, the next time you’re tempted to order food from the stress of an upcoming assignment or exam, think about what you have in your kitchen. Sure, cooking takes more time than clicking a button, but if you’re worried about losing valuable study time, remember that when you cook, you’re letting yourself be human. You’re learning a life skill, traveling the world from just your kitchen, and bonding with people. How could that be unproductive?