Do You Relax in Your Kitchen?

I found a great article (and video) over at Mercola.com. Dr. Mercola is a naturopathic physician (N.D.) and has a pretty cool a website. This article was written by one of his associates, Lucy Lock.

Lucy asks us, "Who's Inhabiting Your Kitchen?" It starts by talking about how much time we spend in our kitchens, vs. the rest of our house. What it really brings up though, is the idea of cooking as a form of relaxation.

Cooking to relax is an interesting idea to me. My friend, Mark Hansen, says that's why he likes cooking in his Dutch oven. It's a way to unwind a bit and get away from the pressures of work and family. I'd always nodded my head and, to a degree, understood it. I mean, I like cooking as much as I like eating. But I've never thought of it as relaxing. I always feel like I'm a little pressured when preparing a meal for my family, to get everything timed just right and on the table at the same time.

What this article proposes - and I think it's a good proposal - is to treat cooking as a relaxing activity. We should take the time to get into the process, and experience it fully.

For just one meal a week, take the time to really enjoy cooking it. Go slowly. Enjoy putting the ingredients in. Enjoy the smell and flavor of each one. I promise you, after a while, you will find it very relaxing, and it will really help you get rid of some pent-up stress. And don't we all need to do that?

I know I certainly need that. So, trying to more fully understand my friend's experience, I'm going to try this suggestion. I'm going to try and slow down a bit in the kitchen, fully inhabit it, and turn my love of cooking into a time of relaxation, as well as recreation.