You can't cook no more!

Yes! You can COOK!

Just a few days ago, a friend told me that she could not cook. No matter how I assured her that she could, , she kept saying she could not.

The common reasons that people don’t cook could be – “I don’t know how to cook”, “I just could not be bothered as it is so much easier to eat out”, or “I’m just too busy and could not find the time”…

I have always been very passionate about encouraging parents to reconnect to their kitchen. Bring out your creativity and whip up loving and nice dishes for your family – it can be done. Therefore, nothing makes me more sad than seeing people choose to eat out three meals a day.

Maybe I am naive or have never been exposed to this scenario, but I just cannot comprehend families not preparing meals from home, even at least one meal on a consistent basis?

I am not saying don’t eat out, yes, of course you can. Some working parents purchase lunch every day and eat take away during those nights that they are just too busy to cook. Go out and enjoy wonderful food with your family during the weekends… yes, by all means; go out and experience nice eateries with family and friends. However, do try to incorporate at least a solidly nutritious breakfast and dinner for the family sometime during the week.

Therefore, why do you wonder people say they can’t cook or do not know how to cook? Some reasons to think about:

Lack of practice

I fully understand where this statement is coming from. My daughter is quite a reluctant cook as well. Perhaps, it is because I tend to occupy the kitchen space more than her, thus she lacks the opportunity to try out her skills. As a result she believes that she can’t cook. So it is not that you can’t cook, it is just lack of practice; like anything else, it is all about practice.

You have to love what you are doing

In order for you to enjoy cooking, you need to love your food and love what you are doing. Because, when you love something, you will find ways to make it happen. You will then make it a priority and you will even go out of your way to find the ingredients to create a beautiful dish.

As the saying goes, food is prepared with love and care, thus when people sample your food, they will feel the thoughts, love and care that you put into the dish.

You can’t cook no more!

Keep trying. Give yourself the opportunity to practice through trial and error; be patient and kind to yourself when the dishes did not turn out as you would expect. Don’t give up even if you burnt the food or cut yourself. Be patient, and learn to love what you are doing.

Have fun in the kitchen! and YES you can COOK!