Art, Passion and Dreams
I’ve never been able to fully explain how I feel about cooking. It is , for a rather “strange” reason, my favorite thing in the world (Sorry Salma). A friend once explained why to many people, my food tastes “different”. In her words, “You take a little more care when you cook. Most people cook because they have to. You cook because you love to and that love reflects in the food you make.” I’ve thought about this for a while and relating it to programming ( yes, I am a software engineer), I finally get it. Most programmers write applications because they have to but there is a niche of programmers who write applications with every single byte of memory in mind. The first group of programmers usually have certain (no matter how minute) performance issues that the second group almost always never have basically because they write “more efficient” code. In the same way, how I treat my ingredients and art directly impacts the taste of my food. Cooking is how i express my Art, Passion and Dreams.
Art
Why art? I see art as any activity that leverages the creative and technical skill of an individual to bring forth a creation that mesmerizes the intended audience. To me cooking is the purest form of Art. It involves me entering a zone in which I have the freedom to create masterpieces that tends to excite my consumers. These creations exhibit my creative and technical skills in the kitchen. It has a lot in common with all other forms art. Paintings mesmerize the eyes. Music brings about auditory fascination. All forms of art target specific senses of their consumers and affects them either directly or indirectly.
Cooking is one of those rare forms of art that targets multiple consumer senses. The smell of freshly baked pastries can create a need to have a quick snack. The look of a juicy, succulent Philly Cheese Steak can make you hungry even if you just had lunch. The smell of some Ap)nkye Nkakra(Chevon Light Soup) can uplift the spirit of a deeply troubled soul. If this isn’t the ultimate form or art, I don’t know what is.
Passion
Passion is actually the little brother of addiction. I do not want to call the almost uncontrollable urge to cook an addiction( And rehab is a no no for me.. Word to the late Amy Winehouse) but rather a passion. Ever loved someone and cant figure out why? Thats how I feel about cooking. The entire process of making a meal, from the preparation of ingredients to the actual cooking gives me a rush. A rush that I cant explain but cant live without. Knowing I am going to have time to prepare a meal for anyone energizes and excites me in ways very few things or people can.
All I’m trying to say is, Pablo Picasso had an avidity for cubism. Steve Jobs had an obsession with simplicity and Bobby Flay has ardour for the grill. I have these similar sentiments for cooking good food for friends and family alike.
Dreams
For about 6 years, I have fostered the dream of owning a restaurant. A restaurant that will redefine the restaurant experience in Ghana and possibly the world. A restaurant that will consolidate all my treasured skills under one roof. To be able to achieve this dream, My skills in the kitchen must be stellar. Culinary school is currently not an option (The way my account is set up) so I try to cook as often as possible to make sure my skills get better. Cooking like most skills is part talent and part experience. I’d hate to not be prepared skill-wise should the opportunity to live my dream present itself. I like to think that cooking is the means by which I develop my “Ninja Way”.
Your Food Bard
Kiko Reborn
