Another Cooking Faraddidle

I have given more thought to what made me cook; like to cook, feel connected as I cooked, compelled to cook, feel comforted by cooking, understand the science of cooking and so many other emotions (plus how often can you employ a semi-colon in a food thought?). Cooking has always been a safe haven and a joy in giving to others. For me it has roots in nourishing, providing an 'experience' especially when poor and travel is confined to walking someplace not too far away. It is armchair travel with recipes read and experiments tried, drag out those clothes that mimic the cuisine.

In addition to the early work with my mother and gran, another vivid memory of cooking is rooted in my first real apartment with roomates in college. I shared a large apartment with two chaps both of whom loved to cook but knew less of ingredients, prep or presentation than I (though they both took professional jobs and went on to be successful chefs). They were both very game to host parties and try new dishes. It helped that we lived in a wild part of Minneapolis and had neighbors who were all older and more experienced in life than we, they brought every sort of good drink and story to help us out.

One (now) funny consequence of our joy in the kitchen was a lack of serious oversight. I plunged a filet knife into my finger resulting in buckets 'o' blood. I found myself telephoning my mother, 500 hundred inconvenient miles away, for consultation (go to the emergency room of course, she is rooted in practicality). The boys were likely more horrified and confused at the blood-fest than I. My collapse into shock and duh was rather less the issue, it was a disgusting mess, let's not make more. We just hadn't planned on a serious wound and had no supplies on hand. I am now the proud owner of a scar, no loss of finger motion and I keep my knives sharp and lots of bandage material on hand.

When I think of several phone calls at strange hours in those days, they always involved, "can you tell me how to make X" which included chocolate mousse for 200, what to do with 50 pounds of leftover Y, "I have buttermilk, kale and some sort of Indian spice that tastes vaguely like licorice, any thoughts?." Alas, today all I have is a mobile phone and I turn it off at night. Think of what I am missing.