The Road to 40 Day 318/365: Cooking For Purpose

Cooking was never natural for me, but as the years went by, it has become a source of joy and purpose.

I love eating, and in my first few weeks alone in the house, it sparked a curiosity in me to recreate the flavors I enjoyed through my own cooking. I took pride in recreating sauces when I first started. Now, I’ve developed techniques that I am confident in.

Sometimes, I keep some recipes in my back pocket for special occasions. However, since getting told to lower my cholesterol, I needed to pull out special old recipes for fish and discover new recipes to try.

I bought some fish last week that I thought I’d cook in different ways. One of them was a seabass that I thought I’d steam Chinese-style. I haven’t done this in years, but I think I still got it.

I paired it with a garlic-soy string bean recipe that has been in my inbox for quite a while now.

Vino had plenty to eat, which I appreciated. He’s been having pork, beef, or chicken all this time because of me, but at least I am able to incorporate fish into his diet now.

Meanwhile, Che requested beef pocket triangles again for lunch. I cooked a fresh batch with proper adjustments this time around. Last time, I didn’t realize my smoked paprika was too spicy. I figured I could make it better with the right ingredients this time.

Last week, I brought lunch for Che I think for three days, and one of those days, I just brought her mouse. I joked that I should clock in already at the office because I was almost always there.

But I love bringing her lunch, and I try to make extra servings so that she can share it.

When she’s in a zone, she usually forgets to eat. It’s a habit of hers since she was in school, and she brought it with her when she started working. She has gastric issues, so I never want to see her skipping meals.

It helps that she requests specific dishes, so I don’t have to think about what to cook that she would enjoy with her friends in the office.

I guess it’s one of the perks of living so close to her office – I could cook her fresh food for lunch, so she doesn’t have to just re-heat things that I packed for her in the morning.
I’m almost tempted to do the same for Vino, but he says lunch is fine for him to just bring to school.

I never would have imagined that cooking would be such a big part of my life, that it’s now tied to my identity and purpose, but I guess there’s really no age limit to learning new things.