Mastering the Art of French Cooking

The Boeuf Bourguignon was lovely

Living in a spiritual communal environment, it was duly noted that some women couldn't be trusted to er, boil an egg :)

But, joking aside, that really isn't my point. Aside from what men always say about their mother's cooking, hers was fabulous. But, she also gave me my first lessons in cooking, and I learned much from that.

I learned to be independent and not rely on anyone to feed myself.

I learned to organize myself.

And I learned that cooking food was the best way to show love for others, and for myself.

When I was in London I worked as an assistant chef at a company dining room where I learned to make a decent steak and kidney pie and apple crumb pastry as taught by a Spanish chef who groped the staff's bottoms (but not mine, alas-just joking) and I learned how one's energy got in your food and that food made with love got comments...

I am glad that Chloe learned to cook by herself, and that when she learned what she did through me she became a great cook herself. Her favourite presents are cookbooks, yet she knows it's never the ingredients or the portions, it's the energy.

I'm glad that our children have picked up our love of cooking, and that all of them have become pretty proficient in the kitchen. Arune really amazes her cooking class teacher.. and I think it's about learning to love yourself.

But then we got Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and the first dish Chloe and the children made was of course, Boeuf Bourguignon . And when they saw the 21 steps needed, they decided to er, take shortcuts.

It was delicious! It was really, really, good. But the shortcuts they took made it just a tad salty, and a little too much fat.

So here's the lesson:

Sometimes in life we can't take shortcuts, but must follow the route laid out for us.

We may not understand the reason for the instruction or teaching, but perhaps we need to trust there IS a reason, and follow the recipe.

It may take a while longer, but the results always are worth it.