“Some of my best meals have been created in an uncluttered kitchen.” –E, 2017

If you would have told me in college that I would be uttering those words three years into the future, I would have said, “WTF, mate.”

It’s true. When I was in school, I often had 3-4 roommates at a time and apartments filled to the brim with the combination of everyone’s eccentric style and belongings. Often, this meant clutter in the kitchen; duplicates of cookware, cabinets maxed-out by pantry staples, and countertops filled with many gadgets. And as with many city apartment kitchens, counter space is almost always lacking. Even despite the excess of cookware, I don’t remember cooking that often in college anyway. (In fact, I don’t recall many off-campus friends cooking that often.)

Why was this? Well, let us recount a couple of factors here.

Was it lack of space? Was it too intimidating to move other people’s items out of the way? Too many cooks in the kitchen, literally, around dinnertime? Was it “the city mindset”? (What is the point of cooking when there is an abundance of quality restaurants right around me?) Lack of time? Energy? How about any other modern-day excuse?

Perhaps, all these factors played a part. Or, was it perceived as too just many barriers to break down as compared to the actual perceived benefit of cooking a meal for oneself?

Above all else, have I continued to carry these feelings around maintaining a useful kitchen space and cooking for myself into adulthood?

Having graduated college in 2014 and since moving out of a city, only two years ago, did I discover minimalism. To me, at the core of minimalism is to actively rid the barriers (perceived and actual barriers) that stand in the way of what truly matters in life. Only this year in 2017, while making the switch to Veganism, have I finally taken to cooking for myself (and others) with the seriousness for that it deserves.

How have I done a complete 180 in my thinking to come to this conclusion? How has home cooking become an integral part of my life and my identity when I would previously and unintentionally avoid it?

Through minimalism, I was able to pare down my kitchen to the essential items to create an environment with an abundance of space. I mean, not just physical counter space to prepare vegetables or cook on my stove top, but I’ve also produced the necessary mental space to allow the creative side of me to flourish.

This creativity has become essential for fresh ingredients to become even more flavorful and even complementary to other components of a dish in order to create a whole meal. I marvel at the chemical and physical processes that take place during each phase of cooking. I am impressed by the ability of my gross and fine motor movements (washing, chopping, stirring, etc.) to work seamlessly in tandem to ensure the right pace and temperature. Finally, I can appreciate the fact that I am able to recognize when all of my hard work has paid off –as “crowd-pleasing” dishes become “regulars” within a weekly or monthly rotation. Above all, when meals become memories. (Am I sounding like one of those cheesy commercials?)

Think of the most recent time that you have prepared a meal in your kitchen. Have you asked yourself any of the questions found below? What has defined your memory of a cooking experience?

• Where can I strain the pasta or wash my vegetables, if the sink is filled with dishes?
• How can I chop some veggies with very little counter space on a crowded counter top?
• Where are some clean kitchen towels?
• Which burner can I use if the stovetop is already occupied with items such as a kettle, etc.?
• Why can’t I find the ‘xyz’ in my fridge or in my cabinet?
• Where is my kitchen utensil that I want among the pile of unused ones?
• Do I actually need all this junk in my junk drawer??
• How do I go about all of this without making more a mess?

Who could accomplish the feat of preparing a great meal with this many moving parts? How can the mind reach a creative state with so many surrounding barriers? Who would want to remember all these barriers in the cooking process in recounting the meal as a memory?

Have barriers stood in your way of preparing a meal, allowing your creative side to unfold, and a positive memory of a meal?

 

Upcoming blog post topics: Minimalism in the Kitchen and Veganism in the Kitchen. (COMING SOON)