Fear Explained

Many years ago I was a part of a crew that cooked meals for a crowd of 70 people. We had only 2 hours each day to come up with something. Six days a week. Three longest months of my life. I was 18 years old, by far the youngest guy in the kitchen. To make matters worse, I did not speak English and, up to that point, I had never ever cooked a single meal in my life. The team leader, as kind as she was, frequently got mad at me. Seeing frustration on her face made me panic even more. I still clearly remember one afternoon when she stormed out of the kitchen raging in anger because she could not stand me anymore. I don't think I ever felt so embarrassed. I did learn to speak English eventually and learned to contribute in the kitchen, but when the three months were up, I resolved to never cook again. I detested the kitchen, period. Since then, I rarely stepped into that dreaded part of the house. The few meals I cooked were far from enjoyable for me, and the resulting dishes were miserable.

Seventeen long years have passed since that traumatic experience. I admired my buddies who were great in the kitchen (the ladies seemed to drool over them!). I watched the male chefs on various TV shows and thought they were gods. But more than anything else, I was so grateful to have a loving wife who did all the cooking and never demanded me to grow up. The kitchen was her domain.

Well, I woke up today and realized that enough is enough - it's time to get out of the comfort zone and back into the battlefield. I need to face my Goliath. So, armed with a few recipe books, clad with the mighty shield and helmet (sorry got carried away for a sec there - more like, apron and chef's hat), I stepped into the kitchen to accomplish a miracle.

The resolution is simple. Once a week, for the next 52 weeks, I will be the chef of the house. Every week I will cook something new, and for accountability's sake, I will be sharing my experience with you. 52 recipes. 1 changed man. This is my therapy. I will be grateful if you stick around, and walk this journey with me. Your encouragement and suggestions would be much appreciated. Hey, perhaps one of those recipes will come to life in your kitchen too! That would be awesome! So, check in this Saturday for my very first dish!