Last week Elena on her Wellness Wednesday post blogged candidly about cooking while being upset at her partner and how she soon realized that she was transferring her inner feelings on to the salad that she was making.

Her post reminded me of all the times that I have been pissed off about one thing or the other while cooking.  For me cooking is an enjoyable process.  I love planning, playing, and creating with food.  What I love is the fact that it is a creative process and I am not afraid to put my imagination to work.  I can honestly say that while cooking I enter a different state of mind which is filled with peace, creativity, and love.

I also know that whenever I cook while I am not  in the right mood or I am in a hurry things are always bound to go wrong or not reach their full potential. I know this because without a doubt when I am pissed off I mess things up. My mind is not into what I am doing.  There are times when I am pissed off at let say the Sous Chef; you know the kind of pissed off that you want to take one of the iron skillets and chase him around the house, just like you see in cartoons.  Now do you think that whatever I am making in that moment is going to taste as if that same dish was made with lots of love during a more peaceful time??? 😉 Of course not, I might end up cooking one thing a little too much, messing up the seasoning, maybe there will be too much salt or too little salt, or simply not think through the cooking process because my mind is simply some place else.

The same can be said when I am in a hurry and careless about what I am doing.  I have a couple of good example of being in a hurry and messing things up. They both happened recently.  For those of you who read this blog you might remember the incident that happened while I was making my Lima Bean and Dill Kuku. The first time I made it all was well in the world. But the second time, I was in a bit of a hurry. You see, there is a challenge in our kitchen. The best natural lighting is during the early morning hours. I was trying to rush through that morning to make the most of the good lighting for the pictures.  So all was well until I was about to transfer the onions and garlic from the cutting board to the pan when the unthinkable happened. Next thing I knew the stuff from the cutting board was on the floor.  Now had I not been in a rush…

The other incident happened when I making ice cream in our new ice cream maker. I was in a bit of a hurry because I wanted to make it all before I went to pick-up my mom and sister from the airport. At the same time I was also prepping stuff for dinner. Sure enough something went wrong and the ice cream came out very grainy. Now had I been more careful and given my full attention to the mixture on the stove…

I am a firm believer that if you put love and passion into what you do the results will show.  I know that the best dishes that I have made have been when I have worked when I felt good and peaceful.  So cheers to good food made with love.