Attempting to cook by looking at IT...

Now that I am back at home I am appreciative of the fact that my mother cooks almost every evening—and her dishes taste very good. Eating her food reminds me of everything I go through when I go back to school in terms of eating.

You see, I love homemade meals, who does not? Thus when I moved to school I attempted to learn how to cook. I refused to eat the cafeteria food that simply tasted like chemicals. 

My first week away from home I tried to cook a Dominican dish—the very basic—rice and beans with some chicken.

I called my grandma. She cooks great—just like every grandma.

“Grandma, how do I cook rice and beans with chicken?” I asked.

She proceeded to list a series of ingredients that I did not have. After all, she lives in New York City where there is a large community of Dominicans and hence a variety of Dominican products available at the supermarkets.

“Well, grandma, I just have onions, garlic, adobo GOYA, and the rice, beans, and chicken…” I said. 

The fact of the matter is that I attempted to cook the dish with what I had. It is called survival—according to Darwin’s Selection Theory. That night, I was determined to survive by cooking my Dominican homemade dish.

“Grandma, how much water do I put in the rice?” I asked.

“You just look at it and see…” she said.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I reacted.

“You just look at the pot and see that the water is above the rice.” She explained one more time.

I was simply clueless. I then asked her…“How do you know when the beans are ready?”

She said… “You just look at them…”

Oh grandma…

From that day on when I cook I call my grandma so she can tell me the process of cooking the recipe. However, at the same time, I search the recipe on Google, just so I can get the measurements.

How was I supposed to know how to cook something based on sight if I had never seen it cooked before?!!!

You got to love grandmas and their cooking skills.

Just thinking…