Eating for Pleasure

Cooking for pleasure versus eating for hunger: discuss.

I often find myself grabbing whatever's handy to eat, regardless of whether it's good for me or whether I really want it. Then, I don't feel like cooking at home, because I'm full of the things I grabbed before, and a vicious cycle happens. I'm not hungry, so I don't cook, and then I'm hungry, so I eat something out that I haven't cooked, etc.

This isn't a good thing. Food out is more expensive, bad for you (more grease, dairy, sugar), and not as tasty or satisfying. Cooking, quite simply, makes me happy. There's a contentment you can achieve out of cooking for pleasure. Eating for hunger will stop an ache, but it won't really satisfy you. Cooking and eating because you enjoy it, will. And I think that it's true of all people, that interacting with your food is more enjoyable than just having your food handed to you. Some of the best and most detailed scenes in novels are that of food-- Redwall by Brian Jacques and the countless cozy mysteries dedicated to food are just two examples. Even if they don't cook, people like knowing what they're eating, they like hearing or seeing how it was prepared (hibachi, sushi) and overall just like food.

Eat to live, don't live to eat isn't a cautionary tale against overeating to me. Eating is part of life, a large part, and if we don't fully enjoy every part of it, we won't enjoy life. Cooking is a ritual; cooking is transformation. Gathering the ingredients, preparing them, presenting them in a new form. Essentially, take the time to cook, prepare, present, eat. The extra effort pays out.