PHOTO: Mary van Balen
Another cool, blue-sky day. I rose early to bake a carrot cake before driving off to work. A friend’s birthday is Monday, and this particular recipe requires refrigeration for two days before icing and serving. A kitchen that smells of spices and carrots justifies an earlier than usual start to my day. After making counter top room for cooling cake, I noticed the striking color combination of drying Italian chili peppers and chestnuts waiting to be roasted.
Both were shared bounty from my walk with Melanie a few days before. With packing mostly finished and legal papers finally signed, I look forward to spending more time cooking and baking. One of the pleasures of making one’s own meals is enjoying the variety of colors, textures, and aromas that accompany such culinary pursuit.
I will succumb to fast food, restaurants, and take out pizza, but they will not constitute the major part of food intake. At least I hope not. Truly “seeing” an apple, feeling its shape, smelling its freshness is part of my food “ritual.” I leave eggplant resting on the counter for a day or two to drink in its shiny purpleness; appreciating the assortment of shapes and infinite shades of green in a tossed greens salad before the first forkful is raised to my mouth; smelling cinnamon and ginger when lifting the cookie tin lid.
Cooking for oneself has many advantages. Cost of course is a big one for those of us on tight budgets. Even greater than that is the opportunity for immersion in the experience, from beginning to end. Present to the moment, as I like to say, equals prayer since God is right there with us, enjoying our enjoyment.
© 2010 Mary van Balen
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