Let Her Cook!

This is an old blog post from a year or two ago, written when I was 23, but reading it now at 24 with 25 knocking on my door feels strangely relevant.

Twenty-three hasn’t looked like any other year. It was the year of expectations, both stated and unstated. In the years before, there were no real expectations from adults in my family or strangers on the street. It was about having fun, living in the moment, and enjoying college life.

But somewhere between October 1st at 11:59 and October 2nd when the clock struck twelve, a loud chorus of “happy birthday” filled the room, immediately followed by judgment and expectations. One of the first questions I am now faced with, as soon as someone asks my age and realizes I am in a relationship, is: “Do you know how to cook?”

To me, that is a loaded question. In my head, what people really mean is, “Are you becoming a woman? Have you mastered the recipes passed down through generations, or were you just a carefree girl who partied and shopped?” And honestly, I was that girl. I lived at home throughout college, so I didn’t have to make dinner, or I ate out, which is also where most of the money I had earned over the years went. I was fine with my life and very happy.

But in recent years, something has shifted. Maybe it is a return to the ways of my childhood, or maybe it is just the realization that the veil has been lifted. I know now that I have not been doing my due diligence to maintain a healthy diet. So the question stands. Can I cook?

I have never lacked confidence in my ability to cook. I like to think it is in my DNA. Confidence comes easy when you have never truly tested it, but I come from a long line of women who cook, so how hard could it really be?

Now that I am navigating this newfound requirement, I have realized that I do not even know where to start. This is still a struggle at 24, even though I thought I would have it all figured out by now. But maybe that is the point. It is not about perfection. It is about trying, experimenting, and growing along the way.

That is why I am creating this cooking corner. Here, I will share new recipes, along with treasured family recipes passed down to me. I will also spotlight restaurants and farmers markets that inspire me along the way.

Here is to the beginning of a new journey, to learning, experimenting, and creating. And hopefully, to finally answering the question with more than just confidence. Proving that yes, I can cook.

With love,
Sake <3