As I was walking to work today, I kept asking myself, “Do you really think you can do it? Can you do this stuff everyday? Is it worth it?”
I ask these questions a lot.
I have a feeling a lot of people ask these questions.
How long do you think you can do what you do? When is a good time to move on or are you content? As I’ve grown older, I’ve stepped out of the circle that says you have to move from thing to thing to stay on the edge of what’s new and fresh. I guess that’s why we see our parents and their parents working the same jobs for 20, 30 or 40 years.
There’s this saying, “Be careful with what you get good at, because you’ll be doing it the rest of your life…”
And it’s true. I believe we were all meant to do something really, really well. I’ve yet to determine if cooking is just that for me…or if it’s because I love the act of feeding people. Maybe some of both. I’m a firm believer that love finds its way into food.
I was watching this guy Jamie Oliver tour around Louisiana. I’m a huge fan of Jamie and what he does for schools and families — getting us to cook more and what not.
He was talking about Louisiana culture from an outsiders point of view (as only a pale British ‘bloke’ can…) and stated how food brings people together after disasters and death.
[The clip was Jamie eating street food with New Orleans natives. They talked about how food lifted morale and brought folks back together during the harsh realities of post-Katrina New Orleans.)
And more so on how food simply brings people together — Its sense of normalcy when the world around you is in chaos.
Sometimes, life wounds us deeply. Like losing a loved one or something personal, we imagine the world might stop and look upon us, but it doesn’t. The sun will always rise and set on our pains and pleasures.
But when we pull out our chairs to sit and eat — it is that something familiar that helps us in the midst of changing variables. As I develop a deeper philosophy on food and what it means to the world, I think it’s important to recognize its emotional and sentimental aspects.
I understand that sometimes, a cheeseburger is a cheeseburger; and that’s just fine.
But when my world gets shaky and scary, it helps to have someone to cook for and share a meal with..
And when it’s all said and done…we’ll do it over.
Again and again.
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