Real Talk About Home Cooking
My inbox has been deluged with stacks of recipes for lunches that will be easy to make and power me through my day, dinners that I can make in batch quantities, and everything BEAN. Granted, I read a decent amount of culinary content in non-pandemic times, but something about the onslaught of encouragement has rubbed me the wrong way.
Reading these can-do emails, I was instantly more stressed out. I felt pressure to take advantage of this time at home to take on big food projects or try new recipes; feeling bad for leaning on the same old tricks I use to feed myself in normal times. Then I remembered the thing I'm always striving to remember: to allow myself to have my own experience. Even during a crisis.
Yesterday I discovered I was not the only one struggling with the notion that there's a "right way" to approach cooking while sheltering in place. The editor of Bon Appetit shared how he cooked with such gusto that he flamed out in less than a week, and the NYT recalled the words of food writer Sam Sifton who said recipes like sheet music, open to improvisation.
If you're having a hard time feeding yourself–wasting food because you don't know how much to buy, cooking giant batches of things that don't taste that good and then suffering through them lunch after lunch, or wanting tasty food but not wanting to cook–spending a minute devising a strategy might be helpful. Buckle up. It's about to get advice-y in here. Straight from the person who just finished telling you how annoyed she is by all the "help" in her inbox.
The first two things I recommend are what I would tell anyone facing a big life choice–jobs, relationships, vacations, volunteerism, finances–to do:
1. ASK YOURSELF A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS (see below)
2. ANSWER THEM HONESTLY (for real, no one else even has to know)
What's important to me here? Potential responses might be things like flavor, nutrition, ease, variety, my time, family-friendly, adventure, minimal cleanup, familiarity, etc.
What am I afraid of/worried about? (and, can I do anything about those things?)
Your answers to these questions might help you let yourself off the hook, find recipes better-suited to your situation, or understand what kind of support you need. Maybe you develop a new set of rules? No recipes with more than 5 ingredients. No recipes! 20-minutes max prep time. Save every penny I would spend on groceries for take-out orders from restaurants near me. Lunch is always leftovers. Design what will feed you best–your tummy and your spirit–and then do your best to stick to it.
The truth is, I'm not feeling adventurous in the kitchen right now. When I roll up my sleeves and open the pantry I'm seeking comfort and ease. I'm thankful that I know how to manage my refrigerator so things don't go to waste and do it in a way that doesn't make eating feel like a chore. (That knowledge came from making tons of mistakes, btw.) And I am grateful that I enjoy the challenge of making a satisfying meal from the disparate items I have on hand. That's not a skill I developed on purpose; it came from years of my desire to not leave the house trumping my desire to have the ingredients to make a specific recipe.
Be kind to yourself, or maybe, more importantly, BE YOURSELF. If you've got a cooking dilemma, scroll up and hit reply. I'd love to help.
