RHYS BOWEN: The other day something went wrong with the dishwasher. I was sure we had a manual in a kitchen drawer. I went through the two drawers that are full of papers and couldn’t believe what I found there. So much stuff: manuals for a sandwich maker we had when the kids were small. For about three coffee makers. For things I didn’t even recognize.: a ceramic onion cooker? And files of recipes, torn from magazines. How often had I ever used any of them?
At least I had sorted them into categories: appetizers, main courses, desserts. I glanced at some of them: half a page of ingredients and then a twelve-step process. When did I ever think that I’d make something like that? So now the decision is: do I just toss them all? I can find any recipe I’d want on the internet these days. And frankly I’m into food that can be prepared in five minutes. If I want a fancy dessert I go to Whole Foods.
Among the recipes was a calendar from 1969. Goodness. We entertained an awful lot in those days. Elizabeth and Jerry to dinner. The Brockmans, Vizkeletys and Heslops to lunch. Business lunch for travel agents. And this when I had a baby and a two year old. And the recipes: salmon mousse. Malaysian satay. I’m not sure how I managed it.
In one recent interview the interviewer said, "You have so much wonderful food in your books. You must enjoy cooking."
Me: I enjoy eating good food. I'd like it better if I had a personal chef or Mrs. Patmore to cook it for me!
I also enjoy reading about food. One of my favorite passages is the picnic in Wind in the Willows. I drool every time I read it. And I like writing about food, enjoying it in my mind's eye.
I confess I’ve lost interest in cooking. I enjoy eating out but at home the simpler the better, unless John makes a curry. This makes me open the cabinet above the stove where I have a big shelf of cook books. Do I really need to keep these? I haven’t touched most of them in years either. Mrs. Beaton was my standard when I first married. I’ve a couple of other classics. Good Housekeeping. Julia Child. But lots of fun ones with lovely pictures. I do like looking at them. Perhaps I’ll see if my new granddaughter-in-law would like any of them!
So how about you? Do you still enjoy cooking? Do you keep recipes? Use cook books?
What was the last time you actually used a cook book?
