Although cooking can be seen as an ordinary activity for survival, it is also a cultural practice that can provide entertainment, broaden horizons, connect people, and inspire.
Solo Exploration and Group Effort
Sometimes the delight of cooking comes from individual experimentation. Trying a new cooking recipe can be a personal project, and perfecting a dish can become a source of achievement. Like doing a crossword puzzle, spending time improving one's best stew or finest steak is a way to exercise a set of skills. Yet cooking can also be a social effort that brings people together. There are few activities that can break down barriers like preparing a meal as part of a couple of small group. What is wonderful about culinary expression is that it can be both solo and group oriented.
Exploration and Discovery
Cooking is as much about prepping the usual favorites as it is about trying new things. Taking a favorite cooking recipe and adding a new twist, like inventing a personal sauce to cover a chicken breast, can be a source of mental stimulation as much as taste sensation. Some of the excitement can come just from wandering around the produce area of a grocery store, selecting an unfamiliar item - like a turnip or a tangelo -- and then challenging oneself to prepare a meal around it. This is how new food pairings emerge and ultimately how people learn through trial and error.
Make It Fun
Since cooking is a necessary chore anyway, it should be made as fun as possible. One way to do this is to try a whimsical cooking recipe. Another way to keep things light is to play with food presentation on the plate to make items creative and appetizing in appearance. Shopping for oddball accessories like a flamingo shaped gravy boat or silly corn on the cob holders can result in smiles all around and make an otherwise boring meal a chance to laugh and be amused.
Information Is Free
One joy of the kitchen is that there is no shortage of free information online. Whether looking for a new soup cooking recipe or wanting to learn the best way to remove the bone of a fish, there are plenty of resources available at one's fingertips. With apps, special websites, and even cookbooks from the library, details about food preparation are available everywhere at minimal cost. Nearly everyone has an opinion and is eager to share it, too.
Learn About Different Cultures
Finally, one last delight is the education that comes through encountering foods from another country or culture. People get used to the food they grew up with, but pushing boundaries and trying a new cooking recipe means learning about a different place. A person cannot make special ethnic foods without understanding how and why they were important to their original region. It is enriching to discover why nuts are so common in African stews and why olive oil is so prevalent in Mediterranean cooking. There is always a history, and every single fruit, vegetable, meat, and bread can be used as a way to understand the society from which it emanated.
Cooking can be a delightful experience irregardless of whether you are cooking by yourself or with family and friends. Check out http://www.asiafoodrecipe.com for many different recipes to test your cooking abilities.
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