OnePot

 

Futurism / Bruno Munari/ Cosmic Map

There is a difference between cooking for enjoyment and cooking for sustenance.  Here in America, Julia Child and Martha Stewart and the celebrity chefs have taught us that only the most delicate flavors, only the finest ingredients, only the most assiduous preparation is worthy of our notice.  

I come home from a long day at work and I just want some fuel.

But I am torn between the sneering of folks whose self-image insists that only the best is good enough for them and the reality of an old man who has a limited amount of energy and time.  

I am thinking that this entitled view of your belly might be coming to grips with a harsher reality in the none too distant future.  But the truth of the matter is that the crux of cuisine is taste.  Those seven or eight some-off different types of taste buds need to be stimulated.  A body (dependent on size) needs between 2,000 and 3,000 Kcal/day to survive and thrive.  Certain minerals and nutrients need be available.  

All of this can be done a lot easier than the cooking shows show.  Granted, there won’t be the graceful curves of a white dish with color coordinated entree and side tastefully presented.  Nope, my cooking is “bowl” cooking.  

I have a full drawer of different spices.  I have onions and garlic.  I have spices, pork, rice and noodles.  Right now the farmers market is running.  I can’t imagine needing more.

Now, this doesn’t mean that when the fam-damily gets together, or if I am off visiting friends or have friends over, the methodology doesn’t change, I am completely comfortable with cooking for a family-style sit down meal.  

Cooking styles do mirror the exigencies of the food industry and the marketing industry.  All the fancy presentation and fancy preparation are a marketing ploy for industries, not a daily way of life.

Fancy cooking is fun, but it has its place.  Baseline cooking is functional, but it has its place.  

Try to keep the two separate in your head.