The year is 2015. You can order your food via an application on your smartphone, pay online and receive it within 40 minutes. All for pretty much the same price you would pay for fresh ingredients.
So why should you even bother to learn cooking? Just to put in the extra work? Didn’t we make cooking obsolete? Isn’t it just a huge waste of your time?
No, it is not! And here is why:
It’s more healthy. While the restaurants you order your food from are businesses constantly trying to reduce their expenses, you can have an eye on every single ingredient from a consumers point of view. While their pricetag is an important point, it is most likely not the only thing that matters to you. You can not only guarantee that you use fresh products, but also support free-range husbandry and your local producers.
It’s a timeless hobby to pick up. As we grow older most friendships drift apart naturally. Your friends find partners, live in other cities and have time consuming jobs. When you invite them over it is a wonderful experience to cook something together, share a few glasses of wine and talk about your lives. Everybody can participate, is involved in the group and it is also a fantastic way to introduce new people to a group.
It will change your life forever. No, I’m not exaggerating. Nothing apart from learning to play an instrument has influenced my life as much as getting a deeper understanding for different tastes. You are a human being… Well, possibly a Google bot, but you most likely are a human being and will have 2–3 meals a day for the rest of your life. Fact. You will acquire a lot of experience about spices and different flavour profiles while cooking. I love the comparison between cooking and playing an instrument: When I was listening to music before I played an instrument I could tell you if I liked it or not, and maybe humm the refrain afterwards. But I had not been able to tell apart the different instruments, rhythms and techniques. Today I can’t listen to a song without actively participating in it mentally. I pick up nuances and this enables me to participate in the artist’s emotional journey. The same is true for each meal and drink you will enjoy afterwards: You can tell apart the spices, cooking techniques and appreciate the work a whole lot more. Warning: You probably won’t enjoy your fastfood as much, as you currently do. But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
