Sandra Keros
So often we look at cooking as a chore, something to get through. And sometimes it really feels like it after a hard day, no doubt. But even the Top Chefs of the world, whose kitchens full of line cooks with laser-like precision and focus, can get sentimental about cooking. How? Family.
Thomas Keller of famed restaurants
The French Laundry in Napa and
Per Se in New York is the embodiment of perfectionism in the kitchen. Recipes in his
French Laundry cookbook can take hours to prepare. Yet when his long-lost marine father came back into his life recently, he cooked him a simple meal of BBQ chicken with collard greens and strawberry shortcake. What could be more satisfying?
Even Thomas Keller has become a little more casual by recognizing what's important in life, and it has been reflected in his new,
more casual restaurants. When we cook at home, it is often an expression of love. It doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to be done by you to be special to the people who receive it.
Cooking is the only art form that literally becomes part of every cell in our body. And to say food is just about vitamins and antioxidants is really selling food and ourselves short on many levels. The care with which a meal is made tells us intuitively that we're getting something good.
A pleasurable experience with those whom we love while we're eating lowers our stress levels and increases our digestion. According to
Marc David of the
Slow Down Diet, the cephalic part of our brain that registers the aromas, textures, presentation and whole dining experience comprises anywhere between 30-70% of digestion. So don't rush through it.
Keller's story is a great reminder to take time today to appreciate what you do when it comes to nourishing yourself. Choose dining companions you enjoy or be by yourself for much-needed solitude. Even if what you're eating isn't "perfect", be grateful and enjoy the experience. As with food, your body, and your life, it's the thought that counts.
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