In March of last year, we were all forced to stay in and eat at home. All restaurants closed down overnight, and we were forced to show our best culinary abilities. Some learned how to prepare salads. The more knowledgeable how to bake bread. Someone, very proudly, shared with me she had learned how to use the oven. And it was not an easy task, since this person had never had the need to feed herself three times a day without leaving her house or have someone cook it for her.
For me, as a person who loves cooking and baking, these months were simply delicious in this aspect of life, since we were able to try a vast number of new dishes. We allowed ourselves to try ingredients that we would normally not buy at the store, but which made it into our home simply because we were trying to avoid constantly going out to get groceries and were presented to us. Even more, it was kind of a therapy session, since we would put some music on, and it was the main weekend activity to disconnect and de-stress from it all.
In fact, I implemented a production day, and even though I now spend several hours in the kitchen once during the weekend (Sunday is my day of preference), it is when I now prepare everything to be eaten during the week. By Friday it’s all leftovers and the weekend it’s a do over. Now, even when going back to work outside of the house and getting back into having activities here and there, I think this is a habit we will stick to, since having the refrigerator with ready to be eaten homemade options is something we enjoy. It gives us peace of mind. But I suppose not everyone agrees with me, and even when several have enjoyed taking their first steps into the kitchen, I’ve heard several, even people who allegedly enjoy cooking, they are anxious about stopping to do so. Personally speaking, this is very sad for me, because thinking people see cooking or eating at home as punishing activities simply bruises my heart. I hope I’m wrong, and even when I don’t deny that I may also want to visit a certain restaurant we would regularly go to before lockdown, these last few months have allowed us to eat healthy and homey in a way we might have never before given ourselves the chance to do.
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