The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word ‘Food’ is my mom…The beautiful aroma of food she cooks has a special place in my heart. She is not only my mother; she is also the reason as to why I started to cook. She has been my mentor and an inspiration. Now, when I cook there are just two things that matter, first the flavour of the food and second- the smile that lights up faces after every bite. When I make food, flavours are not the only thing that I have to keep in mind but also that it matches the taste of the person being fed.
I still remember the first time I baked a cake. I guess I was in 7th standard and I made it with my friends. What we did was after baking the cake, like the smart children we are, we put it in the hot cake straight into the freezer so that it cools faster. Well, it did eventually cool down and when it did, we got this beautiful mass of rock-solid which was hard to cut even using a knife! So, well it was a hard bummer but after a while, I did go for it once again. This time I had my mom backing me up so this time the cake was beautiful, fluffy and moist. It was a big-time achievement for a kid who had never cooked or baked a thing in his life to make something that was absolutely loved by everyone. Between that and today I have baked a countless number of cakes and cupcakes in various flavours and styles for several occasions.
Another incident that took place for which my brother teases me till date is when I tried my hands-on frying for the first time. There are these ‘gol-gappas’ which are made by frying. So, what happened is that me and my brother were the only ones at home, and we were hungry, so I decided to make these, so I put oil in the pan and was waiting for it to boil, because why not, right? So, I waited for a certain amount of time and I was like why isn’t this coming to a boil. But to my surprise something did happen, it went up in flames and I freaked out. I poured water into the pan and it went bam! Water and oil everywhere and then came the infamous scolding. But all in all, it is something that we still laugh about. So for me, cooking is not just a hobby, it’s a way of life.
Cooking is an art, not a science. It is a way to express your emotions on a plate. Food is an integral part of the lives of a lot of people, it is not only necessary to sustain but it is also a medium of spreading happiness, for someone it could be Chinese, for someone Italian and for a lot of people its desserts. Scientifically in desserts, chocolate causes the brain to release endorphins which makes one feel better immediately. It varies from person to person, everybody has comfort food, you may not have found it yet, but trust me, you do. It can be a simple thing like a packet of chips to a high-priced entrée in a five-star restaurant. Personally, every time I go someplace, I end up ordering pasta or nachos since it is like my go-to dish to order. I am a complete foodie! I thoroughly enjoy eating food.
Now, this is something every hosteller goes through every day and every time they step into the mess, the longing for home-made food. The smell of the food which makes you hungry even when you’re full and the love and dedication that your mother puts in the food whilst making sure that she can make it memorable and tasty in every way possible. Sometimes when you are upset and you refuse to have food, your mother is the one person who comes up to you and makes you eat even when you are busy drowning in your misery. Next time this happens and you refuse to eat, just think about those billions of people and children who sleep with an empty stomach every night. Because while food is a luxury and a source of happiness for some, it is a necessity in extreme dearth in many dark corners of the world.
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