Recipes: Revisited

 

If you know me, then you know I love a few things. I love martial arts (obviously) and I love to cook. I sometimes write about the parallels between them. I even did a post about baking and its relevance to martial arts. Not once but twice. I used Filipino adobo to talk about martial arts as well.

When learning a new recipe, I basically go through three phases:

Discovery
In this phase I am researching and checking every detail. I refer to a base recipe frequently and measure every ingredient exactly. I use each ingredient as described and go to the store as needed to be sure I have exactly what the recipe calls for. No substitutions. I check all the cooking times and watch the food cook constantly. I check the result against the video or cookbook to see if it looks like it is supposed to look at every stage. I ask a lot of WHY questions to better understand the goals and how this recipe achieves them. I look at the science so I can connect this recipe to any other similar ones I know. I'm usually a bit nervous the first few times and always a bit worried I might fail. Sometimes I still do.

Repetition
Once I have a version of the recipe I like, I make it again and again. I still refer to the base recipe from time to time, as a guideline or a reference, but as I get more comfortable I feel free to experiment by swapping out some ingredients for what I have at hand and may even adjust the amounts or add/subtract ingredients as I dial in exactly what I want. Every time I make the dish I learn a little something I didn't know before. I finally start to understand every variable in the dish that can affect how it turns out.

Mastery
When I get really comfortable, the recipe is MINE. I no longer refer to any source, and I rarely measure anything exactly. I confidently add ingredients by eye or by feel, and I know as I'm doing so exactly how the final dish will turn out. Having made it dozens of times, I hardly think about the process any more. As I'm in the kitchen with the music on my hands just move. Voila! It's done. By this point I am thinking about the whole meal, the presentation and plating, and maybe even pairing a wine. These recipes are as good or better than any I have had, perfectly matched to my palate and the palate of the people I serve it to. You can feel the love in every bite. For me, this kind of cooking is meditative. I'm very relaxed and I enjoy it deeply.

I watch a lot of cooking videos, but I never feel bad or think some masterchef's food is better than mine. My food is not for TV presentation, it's to bring joy and happiness to my family and friends. It's a very personal thing, so I don't feel the need to compare to anyone. It's fine if they like their scrambled eggs a bit different from how I like mine. Cooking is about elevating the way you live and enjoy your life, never about showing off or comparing yourself to others.

OK, by now you probably see the parallels. It's quite obvious (or should be) that cooking and martial arts (and anything else that can be called a "Way") have so much in common. Good practice yields good results. Namely, that we master something we enjoy and then use that to increase our happiness and the happiness of those around us. I try to learn cooking from everyone, everywhere, since I think every recipe has something beneficial to teach me. I keep what is useful and discard the rest. Sound familiar??

Whatever your passion, I encourage you to stay with it and do it often enough that you feel you have achieved mastery of it. If it happens to be martial arts, I will be even happier for you. The journey through discovery/repetition/mastery will teach you so much.

Bon Appetit!!  See you at class!