Cooking Beyond Eating

Eating is a joy to people because it is the activity that appeals to all the five senses. The tastes of dishes play with the tongue, the fragrance appeases the nose. The eyes are visually seduced by the colours and presentation of the dish. The ears crave the sounds of gulping, sizzling, crunching, slurping. And the skin enjoys the seductive warmth, the pliancy and the textures of the food as we eat with out fingers.

Cooking meets all these needs. You see the colours of the ingredients and how they blend together, and enjoy the maturity that the smells achieve as the dish cooks. You have the textures ranging from the strong ones of rice and dals to the silky soft ones of flour and spice powders for your skin. You have the musical grilling,sizzling, whistling, boiling, frying sounds for your hearing and of course the graduating tastes of the dishes at different times in cooking.

But cooking also has so much more for those who love it. It jogs your brain and memories and tests you on your creativity. Ask someone who cooks daily for the family how he/she comes up with new menus to keep the interest going and fingers licking, and you'll know what I am talking about. It brings with it a sense of great accomplishment with every meal. Ask the mother of a three year old who manages to find new ways to make the toddler eat the veggies the toddler has an absolute dislike for, and you will know what I am talking about. And it gives you a way to express your love. Ask the lover who has just appreciated the home-cooked meal cooked by their loved one, and you'll definitely know what I am talking of.

No wonder I love cooking!

P.S. This is just an aha moment that had to be captured! The week of the dals continues today with the recipe for the Punjabi favourite, but ordered by all only at restaurants, Dal Makkhani later today.