Art Of Cooking
Whenever I had a not-so-happy phase in life, I had the tendency not to eat and skip meals or eat soup and toast instead of a meal because I was too lazy to cook. I don't know what triggered it but at some point I realised that I should look after myself no matter what circumstances and whether I'd feel like eating or not: I should have something nutritious. I guess my approach to cooking changed when I realised that I could use cooking to treat myself, be good to me. Buying and preparing nice, good food was like buying a gift for myself. Ever since that moment, years ago, cooking became almost some kind of meditation and/or celebration instead of a daily chore.
Last week I watched a show on BBC4 about the biggest Chinese restaurant in the world situated in the Hunanese town of Changsha [circa 5000 seats]. The owner at some point explained her philosophy of cooking in relation to her chefs which -what I first thought- was quite similar to mine: food is an expression of the soul... I feel that, when you cook something that looks and tastes beautiful, you don't just feed your body but your soul too. To me cooking is relaxing [most of the time] and I try to take time and not feel rushed by a clock. I developed my own cooking Taoism [nourishment of the body, longevity] combined with some Confucianism too [taste, texture, appearance].
So what I didn't understand about this show was the owners philosophy and how it was so not applied to their ways in preparing meals which was quite disturbing to me. At some point the 300 chefs were in a competition to show how quickly they could prepare certain dishes. They showed how to descale a live fish with a knife whilst holding it down on a cutting board. Next thing they did was batter the fish and shove the still wriggling body in a wok with smoking hot oil until fried. They then put it on a plate, sprinkled some green over it and served a fresh slowly dying fish to the jury. A similar thing happened to a snake which was skinned but the 'worst thing' happened to a duck...
The owner said that to keep her chef's minds creative so they would come up with new ideas for new menus, she would take them out on a field trip to refresh the spirit. This time she took them to visit the duck farm that supplied their 200 consumed ducks a day. After a tour around the farm, they prepared their own meal and showed how to kill a duck before preparing it. It came down to poking a bamboo stick right through the breast, putting your finger through the hole to pull out the heart of the live duck. All this to keep the good flavours and happy customers... I had to turn my head away in disgust because I already had seen an overdose of animal cruelty during this 45 minutes show.
I was in total shock to see such cold-hearted behaviour. Don't get me wrong I don't approve of certain Western ways either but this was just immoral and all done for the sake of making as much money as you can to serve the country's elite and the communist party... It totally doesn't make sense to me, none of it. Well I guess my definition of nurturing myself and preparing a beautiful meal to celebrate tradition or simply to give a gift to myself and/or others is a totally different philosophy than the one showed on BBC4 that evening. Storyville: The Biggest Chinese Restaurant In The World, BBC4 broadcasted on Tuesday, 27 May 2008.
My definition would be something like this:
Last Saturday I had the most delicious flower ever... yes a thistle. Some might not realise that a certain ingredient of Mediterranean cuisine is a flower as well, the bud that is... But my thistles were huge and cheap too, only a pound each. And since it's all about simplicity I boiled them with some garlic, a bay leaf and two slices of lemon. I made a dip of olive oil, lemon juice, some Dutch herbs, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of Lea & Perrins. I was having a most exciting, delicious and finger-licking lunch that day...
Hola amiga :) For me cooking is also a celebration of life :) I love to open a recipe book and choose an exotic, different recipe when I am feeling adventurous :) I love to go to buy the ingredients and I enjoy every part of preparing the meal. It is a pity that nowadays with working and studying I barely have the time to cook or wash dishes :( Sometimes I wish I had more time for myself...Oh well...
The show that you mention sounds as you said, shocking with all the ducks killing and the chefs competitions :( I very much doubt that they were putting any feeling to the food they were preparing. I think that "love" (in the sense that you truly enjoy the whole cooking process) is the best ingredient when cooking :)
Have a nice weekend my friend,
Wen: hallo vriendin! I'm happy to hear you feel the same about cooking :) It is a celebration isn't it? I've been eating lots of healthy salads lately, I love this time of the year: all fresh veggies and fruit! I've made avocado soup with poached salmon and bruschettas last week, totally yummie *hehe* It's beautiful [all the colours and flavours] and very very tasty and most of all easy to cook!
That show was disgusting! Just utterly disgusting, they should be sued for animal cruelty... You're right, it didn't look like they cared, all they cared about was the money. I agree, love is the best ingredient!
I had a nice weekend thank you :) Hope yours was great too?!
Cooking time is a relaxing time that is for sure but most often Sher prepares the meals. I kind of use most of the kitchens' apparel and by the way I have to be alone in the kitchen else I cannot concentrate. However if you are waiting for a meal by me-self then you have to wait :-) I kind of take it easy way too much. Probably that is why the kitchen is a place of relaxation for me too.
The program you mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg what certain people can do to animals and it seems that they cannot be stopped. What a shame.
oh my GOSH - you know, there are reasons folks turn into veggies, er... vegaterians (can't spell). I think traumatic experiences might be one.
I haven't been too keen on eating lately either. I do LOVE to bake, but don't. I love to cook and watch my family enjoy what I've given them... but I haven't cooked in months. Seriously.
I loved this post, very well done. Cooking for yourself with no one around would be one of the most wonderful ways of saying "hey, me - I love ya!"
Good going lady... nice thistle!!
Mon
Reuben: it's nice to have someone cook for you! And I agree with the concentration level: I too need to be alone, not always though, only when I want things to be perfect, when I'm experimenting and when I'm about to serve up *hehe*
Waiting for a nice meal is not a bad thing at all, I think it's about the whole experience of cooking and having a good time, then it shouldn't really matter how long it takes :)
The show was really utterly disgusting! I've never seen such cruelty before... Yes a shame indeed!
Monica: I can understand why people become vegetarians, like I mentioned earlier this was really really disgusting, I had to turn my head away and I couldn't believe what was going on, too sick and twisted.
Cooking: well you seem to be kinda in the middle of something aren't you? *hehe* So it's no wonder... but if you like to bake then why don't you take some 'you time' and bake something nice? A chocolate cake? ;) *craving one now!*
The thistle/artichoke was absolutely delicious! It was like unwrapping a gift with each leaf that I took off :)
Hallo Vriendin :) Cómo estás? (How are you?) :)
I am also trying to eat salads and more fruits this summer. I feel that my waist line is...lost :) Well, not that bad but I have certainly gained a bit of weight :) Plus it is so nice to prepare them. Yesterday I prepared "salad nicoise" Have you tried it? It is really good. Highly recommended.
Have a nice weekend,
Wen: hi dear friend, hoe gaat het met jou? (how are you?) Het gaat goed! (all is well). Oh I know the waistline problem since two years: ever since I stopped cycling :( I guess yours appeared since you stopped climbing volcanoes/mountains? ;)
Yes salads are extremely nice and easy and I love them, this is the best time of the year. I have tried a 'nicoise' and it's very nice indeed but I have a low GI version of it including beans which I prepare quite often :)
Hey, just watched the show you mentioned, and yes I was a bit shocked at certain methods, but hey, if you don't order those dishes, it won't happen, (unless they are doing it for other people or themselves). To me, it's not suprising how they can use those methods, because they were brought up that way, and their parents prob didn't have enough food to concern about animal's feelings. They might think otherwise if we promote some friendly ideologies, and show them that animals have feelings too. One good thing I saw about the animals they use is that the ducks had space to run and swim in outdoor areas, unlike some battery chickens or intensive farming methods used in many western countries. So, I suppose the ducks at least had an OK life before a bad death, maybe it wasn't in much pain since it didn't scream or anything when they took its heart out, maybe it is a better method for the duck than slitting its throat as usual in slaughter houses, and at least those people kill the animal they cook (prob made their hearts numb) and know exactly where they come from unlike ones you get in supermarkets.
Rose: hello Rose, to be honest I'm not really surprised about these methods, I'm half Asian and aware of Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian customs and habits, but knowing and watching it on TV are two different things... I can see your point of view though and I agree with you to a certain level, I think -like you said as well- that they should be made aware of other methods. You're right about the ducks and the space they had and that was probably the only positive thing of that show that I can think of.