Day 5

Many people may not know, but one thing I enjoy is cooking. I haven’t always been good at it and I haven’t always enjoyed it but I found new comfort in it in the past three years or so. A big reason I didn’t like it for a long time was because there isn’t always a set formula to it. I was also the kind of guy who would not let any of his food touch because I wouldn’t want to commit the cardinal dinner sin. While there are still foods I won’t eat the list is nothing compared to the list I had as a child.

One thing I have learned is that there are (I have no idea where this sentence was going… that’s the problem of writing while watching a movie… no editing).

It turns out that there are always unique pairings of food that seemingly work. There are even foods that, by themselves aren’t that good, but paired with the right partner can make quite a delectable treat. I think there was a time when I genuinely believed that all combinations that work have been experienced already. Maybe this is a common thing, thinking that there isn’t anything new to experience in the world. It’s a sad reality in which to live. Some would completely agree and even use the words of Solomon to back it up when he said “there is nothing new under the sun.” But was he right? And to what extent should that be taken if it is true? Some say that there are no experiences you can possibly have that haven’t been had before.

But I’m not here to get too deep into the questions that surround Solomon. I’m interested in cooking tonight.

The beauty that I have found in cooking is the creativity and the experimenting with different things. Maybe it is true that there is nothing left to experience that hasn’t already been experienced, but if there is don’t tell me that when I get excited about something I just discovered. Because even if it has been discovered before it is brand new to me and I will get just as excited about it as the first person who ever found it. But I would have a hard time believing that all the possibilities in the world have been discovered. Where is the mystery and adventure in that? I don’t want to assume something is true that will suck the adventure and wonder out of life. I want to try new things. I want to experiment and find new ways of doing things that will bring me some joy. I want to go on an adventure. It is interesting that there are times when God invites people on adventures and starts by saying, “I am going to do a new thing through you.” Our God is a God of adventure and new experiences. He is a God who loves to blow our minds and show us things we would have never thought possible.

That is what we are all looking for. We don’t want the same old thing and a life of comfort. After all, we don’t really know what comfort is (see previous post). I’m looking for an adventure. And though I haven’t mentioned much about cooking at all, this is a lesson that I can see very clearly in the kitchen.