As I’ve started learning how to cook, I’ve come to realize how naive I’ve been.
Cooking has given me time for reflection on my life. When I look back on my life, I can’t help but notice how each phase of my life has lead me to exactly where I’m at. All of the small decisions and quick choices I’ve made didn’t seem to be a big deal when I made them, but they’re what brought me here. As you get older, you see how they’ve shaped your life.
When I was young, I thought I knew who I was and what I wanted out of life. I think most girls do. Most of us also have heard our parents say that we don’t know anything. I can literally hear my Dad saying, “You think you know it all, and I did too when I was your age, but trust me, you know nothing right now.”
I used to think he was being dramatic, but I realize now that he was right. I imagine I’ll be saying the same thing to my kids one day. The cycle repeats itself.
It has me thinking about how much knowledge is lost between generations. It takes a lifetime to learn some things, I’m sure, and then that knowledge is lost. It will take the next generation’s lifetime to learn the same lesson.
I think that applies to many areas of life, but as I’ve been neck deep in cook books and constantly trying not to burn dinner, I’ve been thinking about how it applies to cooking. My grandma’s generation not only knew how to cook, but they also knew how to sew, knit, and garden, among many other things. They had a lot of knowledge that was never passed down to my generation.
Now, my generation is scrambling to learn these “grandma hobbies” and it’s not easy. I have a feeling most of us are struggling behind closed doors. For some reason, we just don’t like to admit it.
That’s why I created The Recipe Diary; it can be used not only to house your recipes, but also all of your frustrations and wins as you learn how to cook…like your own personal support system.
Not only is it a good outlet for you, but it can also be passed down to future generations to help them learn the same things we’re learning. We can pass down our knowledge and help future generations feel less alone too.
We can help break the cycle while helping ourselves.