Do you love to Cook or Eat?

Most of us might at first lump ourselves into one category or another. Asking myself that same question evokes a somewhat uncomfortable churning in the pit of my stomach. It's a torturous proposition to think I might have to choose.

On one hand, I love the idea of just showing up at the table to a fabulous meal. I consider it a gift to have be served a meal by another. When I sit with friends, it’s not as much about the food. {although it certainly is preferred!}. It’s more about the celebration of the eating and being with people I enjoy. The same holds true when I think about some of my fondest childhood food memories. They don’t usually include extraordinary food. The meal is more remembered for its tradition, celebration or comfort. I always appreciate eating a good meal, but sometimes, a meal that matters is more about our food memories than our tastes.

Eating out is a whole other affair. I have my local neighborhood favorites that may not all be the definition of gourmet, but everything about the eating experience is just right. It usually involves a chilled cocktail, a few tasty appetizers, and a waiter who knows how to help us unwind after a long day’s work. If I am paying good money for food, I expect to eat well. Whether it is a simple meal or an elegant affair, I want the food to taste good. What each of us defines as “good” may vary, but I think we can all agree that processed foods do not fall into that category. It takes restraint and an appreciation for high quality ingredients to create food that tastes good. Simple is best in my book. If I feel like I can cook it better myself at home, chances are, I probably will. But when I find a few favorite places that consistently cook all the things I love to eat, then I am a loyal foodie fan forever. So, the choice is clear, whether simple or sublime, I love to eat.


On the other hand….. I love to cook. For me, cooking is as much about nurturing as it is about nourishing. I am not talking about putting food on the table to feed a family of nine three times a day, like my mother did. She always fed us well, but I am sure there were days when peeling another five pound bag of potatoes might just send her over the edge. No, I am talking about cooking for the love of it. I relish the process of cooking. It is like meditation, except the practice is in the kitchen instead of on the cushion. Cooking requires we put our attention to what is in front of us. It helps me slow down from my otherwise frenetic pace. When I am truly present, cooking can be a holy experience.

If I couldn’t cook, I would be utterly jealous of others and completely frustrated about eating . Shopping the farmer’s market would be mostly meaningless if I couldn’t come home and cook up something with the inspiring ingredients. How could I write recipes if I didn’t cook? There is no substitute for creating it in the kitchen. Any idea I have about a recipe usually changes once I get cooking, so going through that process is essential. Most of my best recipes are created from cooking in my everyday life.

Improvisation is part of the fun and creative process. It ‘s like iron chef meets Food Network, without the insane time constraints and a table of judges waiting at the table to critique the creations. I am quick in the kitchen, but I don’t want to be rushed. Like any creative craft, it takes time to let ideas evolve into the final work of art. I still wouldn’t dare call myself anything other than an inspired cook. But one thing I know for sure- my love of cooking has always been a part of my life. So, there you have it, I love to cook.

Now, let’s revisit the question of cooking or eating? It’s tougher to choose than I thought. Thankfully, we don’t have to choose. We can enjoy the joy of cooking and appreciate the art of eating. This is making me hungry. Time to go cook something to eat.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Alice Waters on the Art of Food

I never get tired of hearing inspiration and ideas from Alice Waters.


What I Believe about Cooking
by Alice Waters

"My approach to cooking is not radical or unconventional. It may seem so because we as a nation are so removed from any real involvement with the food we buy, cook, and consume. Food should be experienced through the senses. What could be more voluptuous than a perfect unblemished apple right off the tree or more appealing than a briny fish straight from the sea? It is a fundamental fact that no cook, however creative and capable, can produce a dish of a quality higher than that of the raw ingredients.

"Finding the best food sometimes seems complicated, but there is nothing very mysterious about it, nor is it something only restaurants can do. You only need to open your eyes. When we began our search for the best tasting foods, even here amid the abundance of California, our choices were limited. However, within a short time, an assortment of people began to show up at our kitchen door. Neighbors brought us bunches of radishes, sorrel and herbs from their backyards. A few eccentric foragers would arrive from time to time with baskets of chanterelles and morels, buckets of Pacific mussels, blackberries from the hills, and fish just hours out of the sea. All these beautiful foods were here, just waiting to be discovered. If possible, plant a garden yourself, and above all, patronize your local farmers market. There is no better place to find the best produce of the season—and usually at a good price, too. Always explore your garden and go to the market before your decide what to cook. Plan your menu around what you find there. Select produce that looks freshly harvested and at its peak—food that looks alive.

"When I cook, I usually stand at my kitchen table. I may pick a bunch of thyme and lay it on the table; then I wander about the kitchen gathering up all the fresh ingredients I can find. I look at each foodstuff carefully, examining it with a critical eye and concentrating in such a way that I begin to make associations. While this method may appear chaotic to others, I do think best while holding a tomato or a leg of lamb. Sometimes I wander through the garden looking for something appealing, absorbing the bouquet of the earth and the scent of the fresh herbs. Sometimes I butterfly my way through cookbooks, quickly flipping the pages and absorbing a myriad of ideas about a particular food or concept. You can use these recipes and adapt them to your regional ingredients. Flexibility is an essential component of good cooking. In the early stages of my culinary pursuits, I cooked as I had seen cooking done in France. I copied some of the more traditional cooks, and I stayed within the bounds they had laid out so carefully because I didn’t yet trust myself. I found that with time and experience, their fundamental principles had become a part of my nature, and I began to understand why they had done certain things in a particular way. It was then that I could begin to develop a different and more personal style based on the ingredients available to me here in California.

"We all cook differently. My style of cooking involves combining ingredients that harmonize because of their quality, freshness, aroma and flavor. But learn to trust your own instincts and don’t be fooled into believing that all the “gourmet” equipment and utensils are vital. To begin with, the terms “gourmet” or “gourmet cooking” have all the wrong associations for me: they somehow seem to imply that one is more interested in the gleaming copper pans than in what one is cooking, and certainly more impressed by them than the food itself. Strangely, some of the best times to cook are those occasions when you are faced with virtually nothing in terms of equipment—you must make do, improvise, and focus primarily on the food itself. So you may gather rosemary branches from the yard and use them to skewer the meat before you put in on to the charcoal grill. If you do, you will have learned something fundamental about food, unrestricted and unhampered by equipment.

"When people come to the restaurant, I want to insist that they eat in a certain way, try new thing, and take time with the food. I opened a restaurant so that everybody could come and eat. Remember that the final goal is to nourish and nurture those who gather at your table. And it is there, at the table, that I have found the greatest satisfaction and sense of accomplishment."

Excerpted from "The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook"
Copyright 1982 (Random House)

Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry