How Cooking Helps Me On A Daily Basis

June 10, 2019
by Anijah

What are OS/OT?

I learned how to cook at a very late age. In Guyanese culture, it is common for young girls to learn how to cook at the age of 8 or 9 years of age so that they could start putting food on the table while their parents went to work. Both sides of my family are from an English-speaking country in South America called Guyana. My mother spent half of her life in her home country but my siblings and I were born and raised in North America. Both my sister and I did not learn to cook until we were 12, which is a common age for those who were raised in America.

My mom has always loved to cook since she started. She enjoys cooking traditional Guyanese food and trying new things. My mom was also excited to share her love for cooking with her daughters. However, I was not comfortable in the kitchen until I reached college. Once I entered college and had to cook for myself, I realized that cooking meant a lot to me. After a long day in class or at work, I enjoy coming home and making dinner for myself and my roommates for many reasons. The first being the thrill I get once I have successfully made a new dish without burning it. Since I do have this excitement every time I make a new dish, my phone and social media is filled with pictures of my creations and my Pinterest is filled with future recipes. The smell of onions and garlic in a pan and listening to the sizzling of the food cooking allows me to destress after a busy day.

Cooking is an everyday activity that many people engage in to eat, on the most basic level, and for others, cooking allows them to promote a healthy lifestyle. Engaging in an activity that a person truly enjoys will lead to a better physical and emotional life. For me, spending time in the kitchen allows me to accomplish a meaningful life. For anyone who wants to start learning how to cook it is not too late, just find the right recipe and get started.

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