Instant Gratification
I learn by repetition. It’s not that I don’t understand something initially, it’s that I can’t retain it. This is part of what I like about cooking. I can watch a cooking show on a certain subject, look up some recipes online, scan my cookbooks for similar recipes, then apply what I have learned to a practical purpose. This, to me, is satisfying. This is what school was lacking. Through food I have learned about the world’s cultures and customs, about geography, history, math and science. Through food I have figured out my own learning process.
Often I will read something in a cookbook, or see something made on tv, jump up and make it immediately. If I have everything I need on hand, it’s as if I must! I suppose I need that instant reinforcement, that repetition, otherwise what I have just learned will get shoved to some far corner of my mind and I will forget it there.
Having said all this, often greed is all the motivation I need. When I saw Giada De Laurentiis make sweet potato and beet chips the other day, I just wanted to eat them, no higher learning involved. When I heard someone singing the praises of the donut muffins at the Downtown Bakery & Creamery in Healdsburg, I didn’t want to wait until I was in that neck of the woods, so I whipped up a batch.
-Jennifer
