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Today we had a little barbeque. I call it little because it wasn't a whole family affair where we all sat outside and enjoyed mutual activities while we waited for our food to cook. CD had picked up some steak on the cheap yesterday and Byron got off work at 3:00 today. I went ahead and started grilling around 1:40 or so anticipating dinner time after he got home. Between preparation time and getting together the sides we were able to sit down around 4:30. It's nice when the timing works out that well. I did them up mostly as is, but I made Sam her pepper steaks and a few no-salt-seasoned ones just for good measure. I had some of mine with some Coyote Canyon (or is it Creek?) hot sauce that's not so much hot as it is nicely flavorful. Sam cooked us up some green beans with her butter garlic sauce and CD stopped off at the store for some potato salad, noodle salad, and apple pie for desert (for which we didn't have room). It was a really great dinner, I think we all enjoyed it a whole heck of a lot. On top of that it didn't really start getting windy until after I was done grilling outside, and none of that smoke had made it into town yet from Arizona. All in all I couldn't have asked for a better barbeque experience.
There's something really incredible about cooking, and honestly it's a wonder I don't do it more often. When Sam and I have collaborated on dinners there's something so fulfilling about getting it on the table and seeing people enjoy it. Tonight I became aware of myself asking people how the food was (I probably asked more than I needed to). I think I've been getting a taste of what a homemaker sort of feels, at least stereotypically. Often I've seen (usually) wives portrayed as bothering the husband about what he thinks about dinner, and then inevitably the husband mumbles something about it's good, leaving any kind of feedback for the wife to decipher via ESP. At this stage I realize that I'm lucky to be able to tell that the folks here enjoyed dinner tonight, and most other times me and Sam cook. I do want to note though that Sam cooks more often than I do by far and is amazing in the kitchen, regardless of what she likes to tell people. Keeping that in mind I think it helps form a sort of link of understanding between us and the importance of having those family meals.
Family meals is more than just cooking food. It's cooking food in such a way that people can tell you put genuine love and feeling into it. In addition it certainly helps to actually have the whole family present (both in mind and body). That means no TV, no distractions, just a nice sit-down dinner. It's all part of the environment and helps enhance the feeling. Even unspoken appreciation can be felt. In my mind it helps to pull together a sense of unity between four people (in this case) who don't usually show much of a connection. So often I take for granted where the food actually comes from and what goes into it. I know as a kid I didn't think much of it when my mom cooked for us, or why it might have happened less and less as the years wore on. It went beyond cooking our favorite dish on our birthdays, but it extended to pulling together anything when it was just me, her and Lisa; it extended to cooking dishes later on when we were with Tony and helping Troy out with marinating his steaks and making side dishes. There isn't a lot that I really appreciate about my mom, we have our differences, but this is one thing I think I'm coming around on a bit more.
Putting emotion into cooking is really important. There is a difference between putting yourself into a meal and just getting something together so you can say you cooked. You don't just absent-mindedly grab this and that from the fridge, you don't take short cuts or the easiest route. You do things in such a way that even if they're not aware of it, you're family can feel something more than just a full stomach. I like putting that into my cooking, and I feel energized thinking about it. I also have more of an appreciation for the work that goes into it. It's not so much that it's always sweat inducing labor (often though, what with the heat and all) but that it takes a lot of energy to really make something come out the way you want it to, taste-wise and energy-wise. I feel really great after cooking today, and I feel closer to Sam for having helped me out with it and contributing her good feelings to the experience. Further than that I feel wonderful knowing that the others appreciated it. With every bite I feel more connected to my family.
There's something really incredible about cooking, and honestly it's a wonder I don't do it more often. When Sam and I have collaborated on dinners there's something so fulfilling about getting it on the table and seeing people enjoy it. Tonight I became aware of myself asking people how the food was (I probably asked more than I needed to). I think I've been getting a taste of what a homemaker sort of feels, at least stereotypically. Often I've seen (usually) wives portrayed as bothering the husband about what he thinks about dinner, and then inevitably the husband mumbles something about it's good, leaving any kind of feedback for the wife to decipher via ESP. At this stage I realize that I'm lucky to be able to tell that the folks here enjoyed dinner tonight, and most other times me and Sam cook. I do want to note though that Sam cooks more often than I do by far and is amazing in the kitchen, regardless of what she likes to tell people. Keeping that in mind I think it helps form a sort of link of understanding between us and the importance of having those family meals.
Family meals is more than just cooking food. It's cooking food in such a way that people can tell you put genuine love and feeling into it. In addition it certainly helps to actually have the whole family present (both in mind and body). That means no TV, no distractions, just a nice sit-down dinner. It's all part of the environment and helps enhance the feeling. Even unspoken appreciation can be felt. In my mind it helps to pull together a sense of unity between four people (in this case) who don't usually show much of a connection. So often I take for granted where the food actually comes from and what goes into it. I know as a kid I didn't think much of it when my mom cooked for us, or why it might have happened less and less as the years wore on. It went beyond cooking our favorite dish on our birthdays, but it extended to pulling together anything when it was just me, her and Lisa; it extended to cooking dishes later on when we were with Tony and helping Troy out with marinating his steaks and making side dishes. There isn't a lot that I really appreciate about my mom, we have our differences, but this is one thing I think I'm coming around on a bit more.
Putting emotion into cooking is really important. There is a difference between putting yourself into a meal and just getting something together so you can say you cooked. You don't just absent-mindedly grab this and that from the fridge, you don't take short cuts or the easiest route. You do things in such a way that even if they're not aware of it, you're family can feel something more than just a full stomach. I like putting that into my cooking, and I feel energized thinking about it. I also have more of an appreciation for the work that goes into it. It's not so much that it's always sweat inducing labor (often though, what with the heat and all) but that it takes a lot of energy to really make something come out the way you want it to, taste-wise and energy-wise. I feel really great after cooking today, and I feel closer to Sam for having helped me out with it and contributing her good feelings to the experience. Further than that I feel wonderful knowing that the others appreciated it. With every bite I feel more connected to my family.
