A writer needs a kitchen, like a fish needs a bike
…and reveal the first unexpected life lessons from 18+ months of cooking experiments.
Fulfillment comes in a mug cake.
During my questionable weekend in Dublin I saw a fish riding a bike. It was inside the Guinness factory but I swear I was sober. It could move the tail up and down in a circular motion as if it was born for it.
Beside the talented animal was an anonymous quote: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”. I won’t spark a feminist discussion here — one could argue that some women do need their men like this fish seemed happily bound to its vehicle. Let’s move to an analogous and more general question:
Do you need other people in order to feel fulfilled?
Do you always wait for someone’s feedback, approval or help to perceive yourself as complete? To find purpose in your actions and life altogether?
If so, I won’t blame you. I do it myself sometimes — as a former obedient kid and now IT girl with little work experience. But I’ve learnt it’s definitely not worth it. Stop keeping your fulfillment dependent on others! Stop looking for approval before you make a change.
May it be that new pair of shoes you saved money for (even if you could survive without them, hehe) or that cake recipe you saved months ago and still lingers at the bottom of your bookmark list.
Why waiting for the squad of hungry friends coming over in the weekend to colonize your sofa and test your baking skills? Just bake the damn cake all for yourself during the week, acquire more experience in the process and bake a second one for them (Plan B: have them bake under your ruthless supervision). You and the messy eaters will both grow and get satisfied. Win-win!
Of course there are serious cases when it totally make sense to turn to your loved ones for advice. But when it comes to treat yourself, fulfilment comes in a mug cake. It’s a single serving recipe.
Don’t wait for the right occasion that will never come. Create your own, take action when you feel it’s the right moment. Learn to love yourself and detach your happiness from the family, best friend, partner, spouse who may not always be there for you.
As you probably noticed, I have a passion for writing and I think I’d like to be a journalist. But I don’t really know the dark sides of the profession. Like those awkward moments and colleague-envy you laugh at, watching The Office.
Here on Medium I found my place to be. I contribute to publications as if I was employed for a real magazine, only without the fuss of having an editor (for now) and fixed working hours. I’m independent, I can produce new content from a cozy, stylish home office and leave out what depends on other people.
Focus on the flexibility and everlasting energy that sparks from doing what you love. Do it for yourself, firstly. Mug cake party, anyone?
Tiny leads to tidy.
Sweekly was born in a tiny kitchen. Seriously, no more than 3.5 square meters. I suspect either the room was originally intended as a storage space, or one wall was moved to make the bedroom bigger. I remember the previous tenant chuckling at my disappointment, as we first toured the apartment: “Ah, you’re Italian, you wanna cook”.
Well, no matter the nationality, this kitchen is damn small, I thought. Can’t we move the washing machine to the sitting room or something?!
But then after a couple of weeks I got used to the refrigerator occasionally stroking my butt. And the dishwasher door opening max at 70 degrees angle. If I had wider hips I wouldn’t fit in there haha.
However, a narrow kitchen counter hasn’t kept me away from the joy of cooking, experimenting, taping baking hacks on the dish cabinet. On the contrary, it fostered order and tidiness. If you can’t spread all the tools at once in front of you, you are forced to proceed by stages, closing each package after adding ingredients, removing peels and waste as they form during the process.
Even if my next kitchen will be (hopefully) wider, I might nonetheless stick to this discipline — except maybe using a scale instead of cups and eye measure hehe. I’ll continue to learn from errors, write down adjustments (more sugar, less milk, higher oven temperature…) and be eager to make another batch till it comes out just right.
Sometimes I dream of opening a small coworking-space-slash-cafe for creators. People would sit, enjoy my home cooking and get s**t done. I would listen to their stories and get interested in their work. Maybe I could host startups. Lately I’m fascinated by business initiatives like this foodie AI Chatbot. The founders are based in the beloved town of my semester abroad! So guys, I’ll let you know when tiny Sweekly kitchen opens for business.
If Proust had eaten vegan Madeleines…
Most of the food blogs I read are vegan. I love how they reinvent classic dishes and create new ones with healthy ingredients (try black bean brownies!). I’ve kept up with superfood trends and learned how to pick avocados. Everyone was talking Paleo, gluten-free, low carb. So why not get informed?
But joining a craze can be dangerous. You can end up taking decisions based on what everyone else is doing at the moment, with no evidence that you’ll actually benefit from it. I haven’t stopped eating meat but I also cook vegan dishes. I now ignore the latest articles about new superfoods but I still make quinoa salads.
If something becomes a huge trend, it is probably worth to get informed about it. Pick different sources, try things out and drop what doesn’t fit to your body or budget. Don’t get manipulated, just squeeze the best out of everyone’s trial-and-error and walk away.
Leave those absurd smoothies to Instagram freaks and prefer simple overnight oats instead. Overall, I believe veganism is an opportunity especially for top chefs and educators. It makes us face unfamiliar ingredients and ways to cook. It opens new perspectives.
A good example are the healthy banana donuts I mentioned at the end of this post. I made a visual recipe:
You can replace the banana with sweet potato or pumpkin puree; in this case adjust the sweetness with more honey or maple syrup.
My lazy frosting has been simply plum mousse (it comes in jars like jam) topped with coconut flakes.
But I also recommend cream cheese mixed with cocoa powder and mashed banana (delicious by itself). Or again Greek yogurt, honey and chopped nuts. Variations are unlimited!
Bottom line: Don’t get obsessed about measurements. Just keep in mind the wet + dry ingredients structure; you’re surely smart enough to correct a liquid dough with a little more flour, or vice versa add some more melted butter to increase moisture. Just don’t mess up the proportions! Flour-fat-sugar ratio is the key.
My winning method: mentally visualize the final result and make small adjustments towards it. Your oven, oil and flour might work differently than those of recipe authors anyway.
I promise they won’t come to slap you and the world will still run on crappy gearwheels.
Psst! Next recipes: the marvel of yeast dough & shepherd pie from a country you’ll never guess. Plus more life lessons about fighting depression and learn to love MONDAYS. See ya! — Sweekly
