I've been reflecting on my relation to cooking lately. And I kind of have more respect for people not knowing how to cook since I started that process. Mainly because I am considered by a genius cook among them. While I am considered as an idiot that barely learned to cook yesterday by people good in the kitchen
I always considered myself as an idiot that can't cook, especially seeing what my grandmother was doing in her own kitchen. And what my best friend's family was also doing. I have been raised by mom, who will tell you she does not cook TM.
On top of those consideration, i have two other problems. First stomach disease, which for some time really stopped me from eating a lot of things, and a lot of thing that doesn't cause issues in other regime. When I was in a work trip, and I sent my restriction, the organiser answered "are you fucking kidding me"? " at a school field trip, they just decided to ignore the problem all together, and I ended up eating apples for a week because nothing was fit. Second problem : the family kitchen is basic. We have plate to put a pan on it, and a microwave/oven, which sucks at ovening.
So generally my problem is that i can't follow a simple recipe, because either at step one, I can't eat that, or at step two, i don't have that tool. It's was systematic. So officially, i didn't know how to cook, I wasn't gonna learn, and in a team cooking, I was the dish washer, which was satisfying for everyone
It's when i started to go to the university that I discovered I... Was actually not the worst? I discovered people buying deliveries everyday? Which was maddening, because in my family, were we don't cook, we never got a meal delivered ever.
My mom and dad bought stuff in a can, fresh vegetable, pasta, pizza, bread, cheese, rice, meat, bla bla bla... And were doing basic shit with that. but were doing stuff. We eat salads five evening each week, but composed salad with a lot of différents vegetable, and always with something, like pizza we need to recook, croque monsieur, tartines with cheese and ham, or mix of stuff, or crepe were my parents were buying the crepes already made, but then added all the ingredients an coocked. On lunch, it's some sort of meet, and a cooked vegetable with some spice or herbs. Again nothing fancy. Half of the time the vegetable was coming put of a can. But the other half it was fresh.
And my parents taught me EVEYTHING. I know every recipe. Just... They taugh me while telling me that not cooking, and when I was describing what I was doing, the majority of people also told me it wasn't cooking. Tumblr also told me that wasn't cooking btw.
So yeah I didn't know how to cook. But godamnit i was eating some much better that half of the student at uni? I never followed a recipe from a book, but I always followed the advice on the packaging to cook or warm the thing I bought. And at worst? Salad, bread, cheese, meat.
My ex told me a lot that she knew how to cook, but I almost never saw her doing it. I brought the veggie into her life.
And my game have even more changed about 2 year ago. Because I "didn't know" how to cook, but wanted to learn (even if I wouldn't tell it to any cooker in my life because they would then give their opinion for like 30 minutes) , I downloaded an app. In which I put all the tool I have in my kitchen, and all the thing I can't eat. Miracle miracle. The recipes were adapted. Finally i didn't have to eat pepper or mix a zucchini to create an emulsion or some shit. When i have the tools and I can eat the thingy, I do become extra good at following orders.
So I started cooking complicated stuff while... Also keeping a lot of my old not cooking skill. Because it's simpler, cheaper and still healthy. But everyone congratulated me on my cooking improvement. I was super duper proud of me... Until a week ago.
I don't know who the fuck talked about my mixed salads. But someone said "yeah that was for when you didn't know how to cook. It's over?" and like... Mdr ? No? I still eat that? My salad are not a work of art, okay, but they are actually good as fuck? What the heck? Why would I not eat them anymore?
So yeah, reflecting on myself... "I can't cook and I won't cook" is generally not just a "don't wanna". I mean... Not always. We now know Sarkozy would rather drown in yogourt than put pastas in water. But for the majority of people, there is health and cultural background that weight a lot in the question of cooking. I was talking with a colleague, and we came to the conclusion that we don't know anyone with an healthy relaxed relationship to food.
Personally it was pretending that i will not approach the topic ever to anyone asking me about it, that freed me from the expectation, and allowed me to create my own path. And that helped me understand I already was good at cooking actually, since yeeeeeaaaaars. Even if know to cook now , some people still tell me i can't cook. And I still answer "yeah. And I hate that and I'll never learn" even if I did a Coucous the night before. Because I got it, whatever will be my skill, i will alway be a genius cooker for half of my peers, and a dumb idiot who can't hold a fork for the other half.
