Cooking with Love

No recipe in this post, except maybe a recipe for inspiration. I read an article/post on the NY times website and felt particularly inspired to delve into why I love cooking so much. When I cook, as you know, I rarely use any measurements. My family and experiences have taught me that, for me, measuring spoons and cups make recipes quite constrictive and can hinder my creativity.

Cooking for me is more than simply throwing ingredients together to feed oneself. It's an artform, a creative expression that I take very seriously, and one that I use to meditate, connect and reaffirm my roots as well as explore the wide world that is out there.

I use cooking much like I use language. It expresses who I am, my hopes and dreams. Every recipe made is a constant reminder that nothing lasts, but it is the intensity of the moment and the memories surrounding it that make all the difference. I like to keep my ingredients simple and readily available to as many people as possible. I like for my cooking to tell stories, to engage the senses and create experiences we can't get any other way.

I'm no gold star chef or anything, and as I grow, so does my cooking. I am in a constant state of learning and improving. As I explore the world, I connect through cooking. I gravitate towards open air markets and food shops. I browse everything, ask how things are used, create entire conversations and interactions around food, and then add my own twists to the dishes I make. I love the hustle and bustle around ingredients that we all need to nourish ourselves, that we all need to survive.

The article made me realize that I especially love to cook for others. It's not about trying to impress people, if that were the case, I'd probably use more salt in my cooking ha ha. For me, it's about allowing people to taste a part of me, to experience food in a similar fashion as me, to bring us closer together using more than just words, and to build deeper spiritual connections.

I hope that when people eat my dishes, they tie memories to them. I hope that I can be something like that grandma in the article I read. I hope that people can taste not only the time, effort, and detail I put into my cooking, but also the immense amount of love and patience that are key ingredients as well. In one of my favorite movies called "Como agua para chocolate," someone asks the main character how she makes her mole. Her response is, you have to make it with lots of love. It really is that simple.

And so as my love for others grows, adapts, matures, accepts, tries new things, goes with the flow, and essentially lives life to the fullest, so does my cooking. Never forget to put love into all of your creations, it's an essential ingredient no recipe can function well without.

Here's the link to the short article I read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/dining/from-a-tortilla-the-feeling-of-a-warm-embrace.html?ref=dining&_r=1&