My fascination with dinner parties, cooking shows and kitchen gadgetry continues to baffle me.
Apparently, it's very white. I remember a time when I hated the kitchen and having to do any work. A good ol'
Totinos Pizza was dinner. Yes, those were simpler times. Back then, the idea of having a TV dinner sounded like a darn good idea. Then something changed. Something sinister and evil.
It dawned on me that what I was eating was so processed and mechanically extruded, that maybe I was in fact doing more harm than good. Now that's not to say I didn't appreciate the ease of popping a burrito in the microwave or a pizza in the oven. Fact is, I can't recall what I was doing that made it so darn important for me to free up time.
Perhaps I was busy all the time working tirelessly on my computer. Sometimes I would even venture out to have yet more food at a restaurant with some friends. Yet, other times I would just sit at home and wait for the phone to ring.
The opportunity then was to experience, first hand, that I could in fact cook something from scratch that people would actually eat. Case in point: Sometime in my early 20's, now in my second apartment and moved out of my parents house for the second time - I decided I would try my hand at homemade Steak Fajitas. At this point, I was still a ways off from making my own salsa and tortillas, but it was a considerable departure from a frozen
Resers Burrito.
I had some friends over that evening (bandmates of mine) that were hungry. After devouring what I had made, it was declared that I somehow made a great Steak Fajita. After that, there was no stopping me - Meatballs, Pasta Primavera, Homemade Pizza and Cheeseburgers - it went on. I started inviting people over for dinner. Cooking meals from scratch just for myself.
In fact, I had been so bitten by the cooking bug that when I went to buy my first home, I insisted that there be a gas hookup installed for connecting a gas stove. I've been in the kitchen ever since. Heck, I barely give Betsy the opportunity to cook (and trust me, she's a very good cook herself). I'm addicted to making food from scratch and learning about new techniques.
The point of this story? Is there ever really a point with what I write?
Today, I'm taking the day off. Tomorrow is my Birthday. A party is planned. We will be eating delivered pizza and other
Delivered Dish fare. I won't be in the kitchen this time. While it pains me to leave such culinary opportunities in the able hands of others, I am glad to put down my spatula and relax for just one evening.
Now, I thought about going on and on and on about how I'm turning 30 and how that's a big deal. Truth is - it's not a big deal. I've been 30 for the last 15 years. My birthday is simply a great excuse to hang out with my friends and enjoy life.
Where's my cane...
OneFootInTheGrave,
Gregsta'