Some people cook because they love to cook. Some people cook because they have to cook. And some people do not cook.
But everyone eats food! And that’s where the specialty of cooking lies.
Here are five reasons why you should try out cooking and continue doing it on a regular basis:
Nurtures Mind:
My grandmother said this me when I was young, “Food spreads mood, so cook with good mood!”. It’s true! Over the years, I have experienced it for real. The state of mind with which you cook percolates through food. You can see it reflected in people who eat that food. If you are cooking constantly in a depressed, sad or stressed mood, you will likely see same moods in family or friends who eat those meals. Next time you see family members squabbling at night, check out how you cooked that dinner. Chances are, you were in irate mood while cooking that evening. So try cooking with a genuinely happy and chirpy mood, and see the magic! World around you will start looking bright!
Disconnect From Worries:
Being able to prepare a mouth-watering dish is tricky. You need to plan a recipe, organize ingredients, decide on proportions and execute flawlessly in order to create the dish. All of this needs a great deal of focus. If you have had a of long day at work, spend some time in kitchen instead of tuning in to TV. When you try to get a recipe right, your senses automatically get in line to ensure that the recipe comes out accurately. Cooking helps you gradually get away from worries at work, regain the much needed focus, and consolidate your thought process.
Explore Local Culture:
Today’s generation is cosmopolitan in true sense. People travel to various places for work or pleasure, and what better way to bond with a new location than to explore its unique cuisine? Adam Scott has rightly quoted, “It’s amazing how pervasive food is. Every second commercial is for food. Every second TV episode takes place around a meal. In the city, you can’t go ten feet without seeing or smelling a restaurant. There are 20 foot high hamburgers up on billboards. I am acutely aware of food, and its omnipresence is astounding.” Exploring food in a new place is a simple yet effective way to learn about the geography, local produce, new ingredients, recipes and diverse methods of cooking. So leave your good old Methi Theplas at home when you are travelling next time and try out new food in new place!
Sense Of Accomplishment:
“Empty mind is devil’s workshop”, a famous proverb that we all know to be true. We spend idle days, evenings or weekends just surfing unnecessary channels on TV or sites on internet. Why not try cooking rather than just killing time in meaningless activities? It is much simpler to learn than specialized activities like knitting, sewing, skating, or swimming. Many websites, YouTube and cookery shows on TV have made cooking easy to learn. With the diversity that food offers, there is always something new to try out. It is an amazing feeling to be able to cook a delicious dish. So if you want to lighten up a boring or monotonous day, cook a new dish and feel accomplished!
Healthy:
Cooking at home is economical and healthy. Unlike predefined meal sizes in restaurants, you can cook per your appetite each day, use ingredients wisely and eat as little or as much as you want. Do you know it’s easier to make a healthy pizza with whole wheat flour base at home? You can adjust the cheese, veggies proportions to make it both yummy and nutritious. Most dishes can be customized with healthy alternatives without compromising on their tastes. Cooking is a also wonderful form of workout that allows you to stand for longer hours, bend and twist in different directions and make aggressive use of hands. If you dislike spending many boring hours on treadmill, try cooking your own fresh homemade food at and feel the difference!
Mukta Walvekar
