Cooking Is Teaching Me How To Achieve Zen State

It is no secret that I love to eat, but I rarely stay home and cook. To me, cooking is a skill that requires patience and creativity. While I have the creativity side, I am not known as a very patient person. When I want something, I always want it right the way. However, this self-isolation period has helped me to tackle my weakness.

This cooking journey started one day in April when I was craving for my mom’s homemade meatballs. Unfortunately, I never have the chance to get her recipe when she was alive. Therefore, I had to use my memory (and little research) to recreate the dish. I enjoyed the process a lot and interesting enough, I felt so calm while making the meatballs. From that moment on, I have decided to make more food that I enjoy to eat.

As spiritual as it sounds, cooking is very similar to manifestation. First, I select the dish I want to make (the end result). After that, I simply follow the instructions (go with the flow) and create the dish. Since I already know how the food is going to taste and look like, therefore I don’t really have any doubt or fear when making it (unless I freestyle). Also, I can’t rush the steps so this teaches me to be patient and enjoy the process.

Another thing I learn from cooking is that it is fulfilling when I can share the food with others. Obviously I cannot do this at the moment, but I can now understand why my mom liked to cook. That joyful moment when you see people are enjoying your creation is priceless, and in my own opinion, this is a win win situation.

There is also one more reason why I have decided to cook more and it is related to mental health. In order to have a good mental health to deal with the current situation, we must consume food that is rich in nutrients. Frozen food is convenient, but it is not as healthy as home cook meals. Since I am focusing on my mental health right now, I know I must make this choice so that I can feel good most of the time.

It is great to see the things I can make right now (no bread, not into that yet), and I know my body is happy as well. After this pandemic, I probably will stay home and cook more as I want to keep myself healthy. But once in a blue moon, you might still see me getting a box of chicken nuggets, and that’s the guilty pleasure I don’t think I can get rid of anytime soon.