Sugar and spices. My food story.

Growing up we never used to eat spices at home. I didn’t think anything was wrong with our food because it was all I knew. I was in boarding school for most of my life and their food wasn’t any better. It tasted terrible to me cos it wasn’t home food. But home food wasn’t that amazing either. I remember a doctor telling my mom and I that I needed to stop eating spices after my tonsils were removed when I was 8 but that was never an issue cos I hadn’t been eating any spices anyway.

It wasn’t until last year that I asked my mom why we never ate spices at home. She says my dad had ulcers so that’s why spices were never included in any of my meals. That made a lot of sense. When I started living alone I mostly lived on takeouts because I hated cooking and food in general. I didn’t have a favorite meal. Food wasn’t THAT interesting to me. To be fair the food I was used to was bland so there wasn’t anything to like about it.

I’d occasionally taste meals cooked by other people and find myself enjoying it and secretly wondering what the secret ingredient was. I realized that I didn’t enjoy any food I cooked cos it didn’t taste nice. That was my excuse for not cooking. It was a genuine excuse. I’d spend time cooking only to throw the food away cos I couldn’t stomach it. And then 2020 and its lockdown happened.

When lockdown started it was a hard lockdown. I couldn’t order food online anymore as all restaurants had to be closed. I was miserable knowing I no longer had the option to order out. I had to be the one making whatever food I craved that day. Ah. Mr President almost killed me with that lockdown before COVID could even reach me. I then suddenly found myself unemployed and therefore with lots of free time during the lockdown so I decided to become a plant momma and also…. learn how to cook!

A lot of people did not believe me when I told them I was taking it upon myself to learn how to cook. They thought it was just a phase I was going through. A friend’s mom had been trapped in Jhb cos of the sudden lockdown and she is an amazing cook. I tasted her food once and asked her if she could teach me how to cook. I felt comfortable asking her and experimenting in my friends house.

We decided on a meal I’d make and we went shopping for ingredients. That day I made my first delicious meal. Ever. It made me so happy that I recreated the meal alone for my boyfriend’s birthday under lockdown and shared the leftovers with a friend who’s an amazing cook herself. Both of them gave my food a stamp of approval. That made me feel confident enough to experiment with other dishes.

I’ve mentioned before that every woman in my boyfriend’s family can cook!! I’d tasted some chicken his gran had made which was delicious! So I gathered the courage to approach her and ask her how she made her marinade. She shared her recipe with me. I bought a recipe book which comes blank and you write your own recipes in for that very reason that I would be taking recipes from cooks who had no cook books or websites but made delicious food.

I tried the recipe the first time and got it wrong cos in the process I asked someone to help with the measurements and they misled me. I should have trusted my judgment. I tried it again and got it right the second time. That gave me the confidence to ask for more recipes from her and the aunts. Turns out all my food needed was just a lil love in the form of spices.

I went and bought lots of spices as I was getting recipes that needed different spices. I own the most spices I’ve ever owned right now. :) Every time I make myself something nice it feels like I’m hugging myself from the inside. I cannot believe how much joy being able to make myself some nice food has brought into my life. Working from home has been an added benefit as I get to prepare my meals while I work in the mornings.

Never in my life did I think one day I’d say that I enjoy cooking. But honestly right now I do and it brings me so much joy! I’m so thankful for those who’ve been so patient and generous with me in my food journey. I’m not trying to be the best cook that ever lived, our generation killed hobbies. I just want to make meals that fill me up and make me proud and happy all at once.

Now off to make dinner. 😋🌻