I learned to cook one summer when I spent 4 months living on my own. I was working at a hotel, Siemsens Gård, cleaning the rooms in the morning and then I’d return in the evening to dish wash at the restaurant. As though that wasn’t enough, on my days off I started working at the local camping site, cleaning there too. I was young and full of energy (apparently) and was very determined to make a lot of cash as I was heading off to university in the fall.
Scandinavian summers are incredible and summer evenings, well, they are amongst the most wonderful. It never really gets dark so there’s plenty of daytime to fill with activities and socializing and in my case, learning to cook.
I was living in my family’s lovely summer house and so I had access to all the cook books my parents used when I was growing up. It was funny to see the original source of my favorite dishes and how my mom had changed ingredients over the years or how my dad had sort of just switched stuff around in the recipes. It was there, at the summer house that I learned to make pizza from scratch. I can say, without a doubt, that this has been my most successful skill to learn. While in university I not only mastered this skill but I did it faster than the delivery guy could get to the house. Two large pizzas? 45 minutes? No problem. And even if I was slower, isn’t a homemade pizza so much better than delivery? My roommates seemed to think so.
There’s a reason why most people love their mom’s cooking and feels that there’s nothing that can ever comes close to the apple pie they grew up with or their mom’s version of the Thanksgiving turkey. It’s not that your mom is necessarily the best cook (although she might be) it’s the association of something wonderful linked to the food. I do realize that not all family dinners were equally cozy and lovey-dovey (recall the awkward silences, the sibling rivalry across the table) but I still believe that the majority of home cooked meals result in something positive. A cooked meal brings people together, creating conversation, building relationships, and hopefully, bonding people. Plus, there must be a reason why parties always end up in the kitchen: the food.
I would like to say that I always cook at home, but then I’d be lying. Who has time to shop for groceries and cook and do the dishes when there’s so much great TV to be watched? Kidding! But seriously, work, family, extra-curricular activities, commuting, seeing friends, hobbies, your favorite TV show (is that really an excuse?), all of it can get in the way and make us think that it’s easier to hop in for a bite to eat at your local café, shawarma house, sushi place, pub, (depending where you live in the world). Unless you are single and you have no kids, this cannot be the most economical route to take, much less the healthiest. And I’m not even sure if it is that economical when you’re single. Economics aside for a moment, cooking a meal can seem a wee bit daunting for those who have trouble boiling water. But fear not, in today’s great world, we have Jamie Oliver!
I don’t quite agree with or like everything Jamie cooks, but I love the way he presents it; very easy; very user-friendly. Jamie has an entire website dedicated to home cooking. How fitting to this topic, don’t you think? He explains everything, from how to prepare artichokes, to how to chop an onion while still keeping all 10 fingers. There are some great dishes worth trying out and for those who’ve just learned to boil water there’s an easy recipe, Fried Eggs on Toast.
So, roll up your sleeves, wash your hands and get cooking! Oh, and don’t forget to wear an apron*.
More on aprons later.
