Acts of Service

What does it mean to cook someone a meal? It can bring back a memory, a new sensation, pure pleasure. Food is, I believe, the ultimate art form. It can look, smell, feel, and of course taste. Unlike any other art form, food is required, so every single person on the planet has some relationship with the stuff, for better or for worse. 

I’ve already been drawn to cooking, mostly because I deeply appreciate good food. I’ve taken it into my own hands to develop an amateur level of cooking, good enough to be the main course at your quarterly family get together. Besides the experience of actually putting the food into your mouth, there is something else I find deeply satisfying about the entire process. The planning the execution, the physical act of cutting, stirring, seasoning is pleasing to me. Food is, quite literally, life energy. Being able to craft a meal, considering the components of taste, look, smell, as well as nutrient value, course timing, and digestibility, it’s a multifaceted task. Then there is the emotional component. Serving it to others and watching them enjoy it. Seeing how the food is an excuse to get together, and spend real time connecting with each other. 

It’s no wonder this whole process is self serving. For those of you who are not familiar with the “Love Languages”, they are categories we have boxed ourselves into at times for ways that people, on the whole, often give and receive love. They are as follows: gift giving, physical touch, affirming words, quality time, and acts of service. I didn’t need to take an online test to know what language I speak to others and how I would like to receive it back. I show love with acts of service and receive love with quality time. If you’re like me, cooking a meal for those you care about and then eating with them is one of the most deeply loving experiences I can be a part of.

Cooking for those I care about is just another way I can push admiration outward into the world and then revive it doubled. I am lucky enough that this exchange can happen daily, as we all have to eat. It is this exact kind of daily satisfaction that can be a cornerstone of a fulfilling life if you let it. I can’t direct you towards this fulfillment, you must find your own way to it. What I can suggest is, next time you are feeling lonely or lost, cook a meal for your loved ones, or your friends, or a stranger or yourself and see what it does for you.