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Paving a Path to Inner Peace Through the Art of Cooking

"I was 32 when I started cooking. Up until then, I just ate." – Julia Child

By Dana MaxwellPublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 5 min read
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Paving a Path to Inner Peace Through the Art of Cooking
Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash

I’ve been a foodie my entire life. I grew up in Israel and was raised on a mostly Mediterranean diet, rich in flavor, full of pungent spices like harissa and cumin, powerful curry and delicate saffron, and fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley. By partaking in hummus, falafel, shawarma, diced salads, cabbage slaw, eggplant marinades, potato-stuffed pies, and other culturally diverse cuisine, including a myriad of desserts, I developed quite the culinary palate.

My love of food and company were very much a part of my heritage and the acceptable social norm in Israel. No matter what home I visited, a friend’s or a family member's, there was always a kettle whistling on the stove, a can of Nes Café to make instant coffee, and a sweet pastry or some form of food to indulge in. And indulge, I did.

By Jonas Denil on Unsplash

Like Julia Child, for most of my life I just ate. But in my early 30s, I started to cook. I fell in love with cooking’s ability to provide joy and serenity, and I developed an even deeper appreciation for cuisine.

For me, cooking became a way to disconnect from the outside noise and stimuli of everyday life, the regrets of the past and the stresses of the future, and tap into a space of tranquility.

In his book, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle says,

As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease.

Honoring the present moment when I cook leaves no room for anything but joy, repeatedly leading me towards a path of inner peace.

A peek into my creative spark…

It’s a picture-perfect Saturday morning in Phoenix, Arizona. Stretched out cotton balls scatter the baby blue sky, and a cool breeze filters through the Farmer’s Market downtown, to the delight of the vendors who have been there since 7:00 am.

I manage to find free parking in the adjacent lot and walk over to the folding tables and white tents that make up the maze of small businesses and local produce growers. The market is a welcomed change from my typical run to Trader Joe’s around the corner.

One of the vendors is selling freshly made carrot juice, the sweet and earthy scent wafts through the air. Invigorating as it is, I settle for a bushel of carrots.

I eye the deep green broccoli and long-stemmed green onions, the generous bunches of dill and cilantro, crisp maroon radishes, and robust Romanesco. I make my way through every corner, creating recipes in my mind.

I fill my canvas bag with enough vegetables and herbs for the week, purchase a cup of locally-roasted coffee (because I can never resist), and head out. There is something extraordinary about supporting small businesses and reaping the rewards of fresh farm-to-table food.

Back home, it’s time to get started.

I grab a thin, flexible, bright-colored cutting board and lay it on the granite counter. I pull out the wide utensil drawer to retrieve a Cutco petit chef cutting knife that I received as a gift last Christmas – my most prized possession.

I consider the ingredients I have at home and what I’d like to make for dinner, and land on shrimp tacos.

I wash the green onions and cilantro and let them drain in the metal strainer that conveniently hangs over my kitchen sink.

I take out the remainder of a previously washed head of crisp green cabbage. I eye it up to see just how much slaw it will make and begin to chop it vertically in as thin of strips as I can manage. Rotating the cabbage, I chop the strips again, creating bite size pieces.

Next, I dry the drained green onions and cilantro with a clean kitchen towel and proceed to chop them both. The smell of fresh onion and herbs revitalizes my senses.

I mix in three tablespoons of mayonnaise, the juice of half a lime, and a handful of the chopped onion and cilantro into the bowl of cabbage. The slaw is complete.

I heat up my large skillet with olive oil as I roughly chop a chunk of white onion and throw it in. Is there anything better than the savory smell of onions frying in a pan? Yes. Garlic and onions frying in a pan. I mince two cloves of garlic and add them, reducing the heat; the addictive aroma drifts through the kitchen swiftly. As the garlic and onions turn golden and begin to crisp, it’s time to add the shrimp. Shrimp won’t take long to cook, so I work relatively quickly to add the right combination of spices -- a dash of salt, a bit of black pepper, several shakes of smoked paprika, chili powder, chipotle, and my secret ingredient, oregano. I flip the shrimp around with my silicone spatula to coat them in their seasoning as they sizzle and cook to perfection.

All that’s left to do is mash up an avocado with a spoon of pickled jalapenos and voila! Time to take out a tortilla and build my taco, layer by layer. Guacamole, shrimp, slaw, cilantro garnish. Repeat.

Through this entire process, there wasn’t a moment to think of anything but the dish in front of me, and that, to me, is the beauty of cooking. It takes me out of my own way; out of what may be ailing me and onto a path of stillness. And, as a bonus, it satisfies my creative endeavors and my culinary tastes. No matter what I make in the kitchen, whether I’m chopping a simple salad, baking a delectable three-layer cake, or making a pizza from scratch, the road to stillness is the same; its destination instantaneous.

What’s your creative spark?

Creative activities are limitless; they show up in all forms and through varying outlets. The key is to lean into whatever it is that pushes all the noise out of the way and leads you to a place of stillness.

Whatever your creative aspiration may be – the stroke of a paint brush, tap of a keyboard, thread of a needle, walk in nature, note of a pitch-perfect melody, mix of a scrumptious cake batter, or anything that stirs your soul with inspiration and passion – embracing and nurturing your spark can repeatedly offer you a journey to stillness. That is where inner peace resides and where it continually awaits your return.

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About the Creator

Dana Maxwell

She/Her. Coffee and cat lover. Film and television enthusiast. Random thought thinker. If only every decade could be as cool as the 90s.

T: @danamaxwell30

IG: @danamaxwellsmart

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