Just checked my Chase statements. I have exactly 90 food delivery transactions since June 2019. This means that I had takeout delivered almost 45% of the past 210 days. Given the average takeout delivery costs about $16 (including tip), I frivolously spent at least $1440 on food delivery in less than a year. And frankly, this makes me sick to my stomach.
Food delivery is a privilege that I abused, particularly in the past year. It served as a dopamine release. If I trend my delivery app usage on a run chart, it will correlate with my emotional discontent over time. I used food delivery to make me happy for 10 to 15 minutes a day, and then back to square one I go. Rinse and repeat.
Food became dull for me, losing its luster. I wasn’t enjoying it for the right reasons, for what the Good Lord intended food to be— for nourishment and sharing with others. And this selfishness (manifested by a weird delivery app addiction) has to stop. Today. Starting with this relatable cooking blog.
Let me preface by saying that I am not a total cooking noob bound for disaster. I can follow a recipe like any other. But I haven’t cooked a meaningful meal in so long. The extent of my cooking these days is to season bone-in chicken thighs with the Everything Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s, bake those in the oven for about 25 minutes, and then microwave a few stalks of frozen asparagus. Usually turns out delicious. This only happens every other month, though.
This blog is a chronicle of my quest to fall in love with the subtle art of making food. My posts will be about my real experiences in cooking (and baking!) through the lens of relatability and my iPhone X camera. Meaning that you probably won’t see many posts with beautifully edited photos of expertly plated dishes.
But that’s what makes this Relatable Cooking, isn’t it?
Thanks for reading, y’all! Excited to share more soon.
-Mimi 🙂
