Cooking From The Soul

Cooking from the Soul

Who am I? I am a young woman of Hispanic origin that was brought up in the Logan square Humboldt area. This is significant to understand where my talent arose from. The Logan Square area is or was when I was brought up a very Hispanic in culture area. The belief of cooking that I began to love was a tradition handed down to me from grandfather to mother to me. The love of cooking can be learned, but in my upbringing I believe it was inherited at birth. I speak of myself first because to experience my liminal/sacred place you need to know where I came from, and how I developed this gift. My gift of creating the types of food I create I have learned and evolved them to my taste over the years. I believe that food is creationism, and with good people come together. I once was asked to offer my time to a homeless facility, the facility is a church. When I went there I was not sure of what to expect, but as soon as I entered the facility the people there surprised me. They were not what I always thought homeless people were. I was asked to cook for them, and in no time flat I created a meal. The meal was chicken soup I added onions, garlic, chicken broth, chicken, and noodles. With this group of foods I was able to feed fifty people, and the smiles I received were my thanks. I always loved to cook, but this transcended my feelings for cooking in general. I began to understand what cooking did for me, more than what it was initially intended for was to feed others. I always have cooked for my family, but I never really understood the joy it brought to me.

I find cooking a form of love, and cooking does more than allow me to be artistic, it brings me to my Zen. When I was younger I watched my mother cook I began to realize what a joy cooking was to me. I was only six when I was using my imagination to create and duplicate foods as I do today. When I begin to think about food I have a fondness for the type of foods I use to create a meal. Cooking to me is more than nourishment it is life. It can tell a story about a culture, and it can bring memories as it does for me. When I cook I find peace, happiness, gratification, love. When I cook it is more than cooking it is a soul searching experience, a challenge, art. I engulf my will into my desire to bring all of this to my creations. Speaking of creations this is where my sacred belief come into play I get to be the creator, provider, I get to devote my talent to my duty, and thank him for his touch on me with this gift. Cooking is more than providing nourishment for the body; it is a way to live.

Cooking is more than food, fire, and ingredients it is made of countless emotions, countless feelings, and countless amounts of imagination. When I begin to travel to my Zen I go into my imagination and begin to create wonders. I intend to share some of my recipes and techniques with those of you that read my essay, and are intrigued with the culinary arts. The first thing to do when you begin to cook is of course find your place that you do your creating many believe it is the kitchen, but for me it is within myself. I can cook anywhere and still feel the same way. But in the physical sense yes it is the kitchen for most. My kitchen is small. Within my kitchen is all the essentials a fridge which is stainless steel average in size with a freezer on the bottom portion instead of on top or side by side. The next item is a stainless steel stove nothing out of the ordinary with four burners. I also have a round table where I lay out my ingredients and my ingredient books. I have a small counter space and cabinets where I store my necessities to make the right

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