Food is one of those things that you need to survive, there’s no two ways about that. Some people simply eat just for sustenance, because they know that their body needs something in order to survive. But food is often so much more than that. I love food and I love eating, possibly a bit too much at times, and I also love cooking.
You can love food without loving to cook, but I enjoy both food and cooking. I’ve been cooking from a very early age. One of my earliest memories is of making soup when I was around 5 (supervised of course) for some video on healthy eating that my dad was involved with. That said video came back to haunt me when I was around 11 and half my class saw the video on a satellite channel one evening.
I’m not sure what happened to the video but I’m sure there must be a copy floating around somewhere, maybe if I ask my mum she’ll know where it is, or if I look around my Dad’s old house. I mostly just want it to be able to embarrass my brother on his 21st birthday, I’m sure there’s footage of him putting his soup bowl on is head. However, I digress from my point about food.
Food seems to have some magical power that can change the way you feel. We’re all aware of the stereotype of eating ice-cream and chocolate when you’re heartbroken. But I’m sure we all have a meal or two that we class as comfort food, something that makes us feel happy and safe and comforted. I have a few that spring to mind, sausages and mash, corned beef hash, ham and leek sauce.
These are all things that my parents and my grandparents made for me growing up and I’m sure if anyone thinks about the food that they class as their own comfort food then it’s probably something their parents made for them growing up. Something that was made for them with love. That’s another connotation of food isn’t it? That it always tastes better when it’s made with love.
I know that it’s something that I do a lot. I like to cook for people, or bake for them. For my friends, for my family, for the people I love. I like that aspect of taking care of someone, I enjoy cooking and I enjoy food and I want to share that enjoyment with other people. I also think some of it is to do with the fact that I feel like if someone enjoys my cooking they’re more likely to like me.
If I ever bake you a cake, it’s probably because I want you to like me.
Sophie x
A Place of Mine 