% Okay, so what about that?
Mise en place is of course a beautiful thing too! Being prepared, having an overview. That added sense of cooking-security that comes from a certain order. Or: more room for the unexpected, simply because everything else is already in place. Planning. Control. Everything seemingly unnecessary is gone – it doesn’t distract, it doesn’t get in the way.
But is that the only approach to cooking? Or the only ideal to strive for in the kitchen? A metaphor for life too, perhaps?
Coexistence is the magic word of the hour for me. Where can the enthusiastic cook find joy in the often so unavoidable mess? Reaching in, mixing it all together, conjuring up something even better. Just because it doesn’t look pretty at first glance, just because it doesn’t fit the usual standards, doesn’t mean it can’t be deeply satisfying in the end. Aesthetics is not a one-sided concept. Anything goes.
Kitchenlife reminds me so often about the real life. I often feel like the Man of La Mancha there too. Instead of windmills, I’m up against black-and-white, soul-dimming, imagination-stifling perspectives of how life (or kitchenwork) should be. The truth often hides in the mess. And the opposite of tolerance? That’s perfection. As paradoxical as it may sound.