The P's and Q's in The Kitchen

Of course, we don't go "Thank you" and "Please" so often in the kitchen, especially to the utensils and all, but our mood and character is often shaped in the kitchen and also often affects the outcome in the kitchen.

For example, have you ever wondered why some people just cannot cook at all, even though they followed recipes to the very last detail? Sometimes, it just attributes to lack of skills but most of the time, it boils down to two things: patience and common sense. A lack of patience often makes someone try to do shortcuts which may spoil the dish. If you were to keep on stirring a soup, the time it takes to boil would be longer. If you keep on opening the oven door while you're baking a cake, the cake will not rise at all. When you cream together butter and sugar but not until it is fluffy, then not only will the batter be not mixed properly, but the cake's lightness will be affected as well. If you add in eggs into the batter, all in one go instead of one yolk by one yolk, your cake batter will curdle. So you see, patience is truly a virtue and is much needed when you cook or bake. Of course, your mood also affects your dish as well. A rather complex concept, but it's true.

Common sense is simply gained through using your eyes, sense of taste and application. When you are in the kitchen, observe your mother as she cooks. You would notice a natural flow to her movements and cooking, then apply it. The best lesson is through observation. Your level of alertness will also be heightened in the kitchen. You can be amazed how you become more alert in other areas of life, simply by doing more housework. :P

When you eat something, do not simply shove it into your mouth. Take the time to taste the dish. Notice what you are eating! I know of a friend who cannot remember whether the dish was chicken or pork, or what is in the dish. When you taste, you will know what goes inside the dish and through time, you will understand which ingredient enhances the taste of your dish, and which dishes complement each other.

It's cool how simple lessons from the kitchen can be applied to our spiritual lives (no wonder my mother's prayer sanctuary is always in the kitchen, while she cuts and cooks). Patience is akin to obedient endurance. It is not easy to be patient in the kitchen, no matter how good a cook you are. Similarly, it is not easy to endure hardships. But I have learned that the more patient you are, the more you learn and the better your cooking. The more you learn to obey and endure, the more you learn and the more you become like Jesus.

Common sense is learnt through observation and application of things around us. But the key to it is the willlingness to learn and apply. Likewise, our spiritual sense is guided by the Holy Spirit but we have to be willing to listen to His voice. Unless we learn that, we would not be able to identify His voice. The next step then is to heed Him. This is one tough call, but thank God for Jesus who died on the cross for us, so that we can be more than conquerers in Him.

Next post: I'm gonna give a step-by-step on how to cook simple pasta with sauce!