How to Make Cooking Fun Again

It’s True, I Find Cooking Boring

Here’s my truth: I hate cooking. My food never looks as good as the photos in Women’s Day (eg. see above for how good my food never looks), and it certainly doesn’t taste as good as the food in restaurants. I lack inspiration almost every night, and often just give up and order take out.
 
When I do cook, I reuse recipes that work, oldies but goodies that I know are quick and easy and even I can’t mess them up. But even then, the day to day struggle of deciding what to cook for dinner can suck all the enjoyment out of the task. I never thought deciding what to cook for dinner could be such a source of stress!

After working all day, my thought process generally follows this pattern:

Me: oh crap what are we going to eat tonight? Hmmm, what’s in the fridge, oh yeah we have lettuce and half a tomato that need to be eaten, maybe we can have tacos…. it’s quick and easy and cheap too, But we had tacos a few days ago… I’ll just swing past the shops and see what inspires me, I’m sure there’s something at the supermarket that will give me a better idea.

Significant other *coming into the kitchen an hour later* Tacos again?

Me: Yep

Let’s be honest, after doing the same thing every evening for any number of years, most tasks would likely fail to inspire. But, the other day, I invited some friends around for dinner and the whole experience was new and fun again. I got to googling and planned a meal, picked some wines, set the table, kicked my hovering husband out of the kitchen, and got to work creating my masterpiece.

When Did We Stop Inviting People Over For Dinner?

You see, this was a rare occasion in our house. We always have good friends over, and being Australian BBQs are a stable part of our lives, but having a sit down dinner with people around a table and copious amount of wine…? Well, not so much. 

I can’t for the life of me work out why we don’t have people over for dinner more often. I can still remember my mum cleaning off the orangey-brown fondue set for when guests would come over. I remember the three courses she’d serve up after hours of prep time in the kitchen. I remember being on my best behaviour and sitting quietly at the table otherwise I wouldn’t get dessert, then being excused as quickly as I could to get away from the boredom of adult conversation which flowed, along with the wine,  until late in the evening.

Cooking For Friends Is Good For The Soul

Somewhere along the way, I lost that inclination and with it the joy that it brings. So, the other night, with sore cheeks from laughing and my friends sitting around the table, I thought “I need to do this more often. It’s so good for my soul.”

And there is actual science to back-up my new-found inspiration. You see, cooking is a way of nurturing people and sharing a meal is a great way to create deeper social bonds.

Cooking is also a form of self-care, and if you’re mindful and take the time to enjoy the process, you can reap the benefits of preparing a meal for others.

I’m still no chef, and I still don’t like cooking, but it was a surprisingly fun night, with great friends and lots of laughs, and despite my fears, the plates were all clean in the end.

Related content: Read Moving On article What You Didn’t Know About Practicing Kindness

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