bunnyjadwiga (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bunnyjadwiga) wrote2005-04-07 12:01 pm
bunnyjadwiga) wrote2005-04-07 12:01 pm
Food, craft, love and sustenance
I quote ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
tigerberries:
Last night Juergen and I and, later, Maziemaus, got into a long discussion about food. Ok, it started with me and Juergen shouting at each other over what consitutes cheese for a cheese sandwich if all you are having for dinner is sandwiches, but it quickly blossomed out into other issues and, as always when I discuss things with Juergen, I had to step back and think about what my personal feeling and positions were.
Juergen, who isn't much into food, watches with amazement as we fuss and stress over food. he's not much of a foodie, so it appears to him that we are putting a lot of work into something that is basically just fuel. He'd be happy with a cheese sandwich for dinner. I told him he'd be happy with pasteurized processed sawdust if it was nutritious, and he basically agreed with me. :)
Maziemaus and I are foodies. This means we put a lot of effort into thinking about food. We also have specific thoughts about what consistutes dinner. Dinner to me is hot food. Sandwiches will do in a pinch, but to me sandwiches that are not peanut butter and jelly require condiments, and side-dishes are also necessary with the sandwich. I like to cook though I often just break down and eat popcorn for dinner or grab something.
When I cook for other people, it's an expression of my craft, and of my fondness for them. Shared eating is shared intimacy in many ways. Well made food is like a handmade blanket, or a carefully constructed letter. It's a joy to do and to share. I cook something, taste it, and do the happydance of joy if it's good.
For me, food is a hobby, a pasttime. Is that healthy? Well, there are lots of other things that people are obsessed with; Christopher, for instance, starts thinking about and planning for next Pennsic as soon as he gets home; many people are obsessed with computer games such as WoW; others are obsessed with exercising or dieting. Some people (I know you are surprised to hear this) put as much effort into thinking about sex as Maziemaus and I and other foodies do into thinking about food.
Yes, cooking can be stressful, and sometimes you want someone else to cook. But food and cooking is a treat, an experience. Even if someone else is cooking, experiencing the flavors and textures and the way it settles inside you is pleasureable. Exercise and other activities that require skill (fencing, anyone? Or swimming? Or research) can be stressful, but that doesn't make them not fun. If you don't enjoy it, yes, why do it? But if you do enjoy it, and it's not hurting anyone, why should other people bug you about it?
That's my new mantra, I guess. I'm gonna stop whining about Christopher's Pennsic Obsession, and other people's obsessions. (Ok, I may ask people to take their diet ramblings elsewhere...) Do what you love and to heck with other people's perceptions.
tigerberries:"When we cook for each other, we love each other. Food is a visual, physical representation of my love. When I offer someone something to eat, I am giving them a piece of myself, my soul, my love, for them to take into themselves. When they eat and are satisfied, I am made happy."
Last night Juergen and I and, later, Maziemaus, got into a long discussion about food. Ok, it started with me and Juergen shouting at each other over what consitutes cheese for a cheese sandwich if all you are having for dinner is sandwiches, but it quickly blossomed out into other issues and, as always when I discuss things with Juergen, I had to step back and think about what my personal feeling and positions were.
Juergen, who isn't much into food, watches with amazement as we fuss and stress over food. he's not much of a foodie, so it appears to him that we are putting a lot of work into something that is basically just fuel. He'd be happy with a cheese sandwich for dinner. I told him he'd be happy with pasteurized processed sawdust if it was nutritious, and he basically agreed with me. :)
Maziemaus and I are foodies. This means we put a lot of effort into thinking about food. We also have specific thoughts about what consistutes dinner. Dinner to me is hot food. Sandwiches will do in a pinch, but to me sandwiches that are not peanut butter and jelly require condiments, and side-dishes are also necessary with the sandwich. I like to cook though I often just break down and eat popcorn for dinner or grab something.
When I cook for other people, it's an expression of my craft, and of my fondness for them. Shared eating is shared intimacy in many ways. Well made food is like a handmade blanket, or a carefully constructed letter. It's a joy to do and to share. I cook something, taste it, and do the happydance of joy if it's good.
For me, food is a hobby, a pasttime. Is that healthy? Well, there are lots of other things that people are obsessed with; Christopher, for instance, starts thinking about and planning for next Pennsic as soon as he gets home; many people are obsessed with computer games such as WoW; others are obsessed with exercising or dieting. Some people (I know you are surprised to hear this) put as much effort into thinking about sex as Maziemaus and I and other foodies do into thinking about food.
"He'd noticed that sex bore some resemblance to cookery: it fascinated people, they sometimes bought books full of complicated recipies and interesting pictures, and sometimes when they were hungry they created vast banquets in their imagination -- but at the end of the day they'd settle quite happily for egg and chips. If it was well done and maybe had a slice of tomato."-- Terry Pratchett, Fifth Elephant
Yes, cooking can be stressful, and sometimes you want someone else to cook. But food and cooking is a treat, an experience. Even if someone else is cooking, experiencing the flavors and textures and the way it settles inside you is pleasureable. Exercise and other activities that require skill (fencing, anyone? Or swimming? Or research) can be stressful, but that doesn't make them not fun. If you don't enjoy it, yes, why do it? But if you do enjoy it, and it's not hurting anyone, why should other people bug you about it?
That's my new mantra, I guess. I'm gonna stop whining about Christopher's Pennsic Obsession, and other people's obsessions. (Ok, I may ask people to take their diet ramblings elsewhere...) Do what you love and to heck with other people's perceptions.