The joy of cooking (...and eating)

A good friend sent me a Ruth Reichl post about the joy that she gets from cooking, and it got me to thinking. Yes, I really love being in the kitchen, even when I have to drag myself there. Sometimes it’s those nights, like tonight, when I’m dead tired that cooking is most powerful – while a quick meal out may seem like the easiest way to satiate myself, I rarely feel as good about scarfing down take out as I do after I’ve eased into the evening with a chef’s knife in my hand.

But more importantly, I’ve realized that food and cooking has brought me much more. Just like how people are drawn to the kitchen during a party, food brings people together in a broader sense. One of my dearest friends is exactly that because of our mutual love for all things yummy.We met in the kind of environment where it’s easy to stick with folks like yourself, but the fact that we come from different parts of the country and sometimes have very different perspectives on the world (things I truly value about her, but also factors that I recognize sometimes inhibit the kind of friendship we have from forming) didn’t matter while we were searching suburban Columbus for what the Food Network called the best brownies in the country. (frankly, I disagreed and I can’t even remember the name of the company anymore!)I’m richer for having a friend like this, and it’s food’s fault.

I have other friends who likely would have ended up in that category anyway, but we still connect over food. Whether it’s sharing tips and techniques, a meal or a drink, food brings us together. It can be a dinner in a fantastic steak house in New York, or steak and brownies consumed in a crappy college apartment during a snowstorm – it doesn’t matter. I started this blog as a way to examine and celebrate the ways food and drink make life better. For me, that often means finding ways to make time for the good things in life. (the good things in life, of course, include puppies and beer, and making time to enjoy both!) Sometimes it’s a stumble, or even failure, on the way to that goal, but that makes the journey all the more interesting.

What I didn’t expect was to become part of a community – all of these people whom I will likely never meet in person but who are teaching me things and challenging me to be more creative. I've pushed myself to play with flavor in new ways, sometimes just so I can write about it. (case in point below...quick and easy Indian) It’s amazing that the act of growing, preparing and consuming a food can provide both individual solace and an amazing sense of community, all in one shot.

As you can see by the banner that’s been gracing Green Peccadilloes lately, I’m participating in something called Project Food Blog. The first task was to describe what defines me as a food blogger and why I should be the next star. I’m honestly not really sure about either. I can’t tout my genius recipes because I’m rarely organized enough to follow a recipe, and frankly don’t often enjoy it anyway. It’s certainly not my gardening tips. What I do know, however, is I’m having so much fun conversing with old friends and new and as a result Green Peccadilloes has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thanks so much to all who have been coming along for the ride.