New Year Foodie Thoughts

I am not going to present another best of list or bore you with what I made for Christmas. Over the past year, I have found out a few things that I would like to share. They are not necessarily profound but they are meaningful for me.

In the latter part of the year, I find that I am turning back to food that is fun to make and fun to eat. We have made dinners based on internet songs, cartoons and whimsy. We eat with our fingers, silver cheese picks and chopsticks. I am looking forward to doing some other fun stuff like maybe doing a fondue with the kids and going to a sushi restaurant where the boats go by and you pick your meal.

While cooking is love, sometimes you need more. There has been plenty of hard times this year for myself and many of my friends. Cooking is one way to get through the bad times and it does help. Sometimes you need to get away from the kitchen so that when you get back you are refreshed. It is easy to get into a rut when you are already down. Shake it up.

Complex and/or expensive is not always the best. In the last year, I have surprised many people by some of the simple food that I love. I have always had joy in simple food but not always been expressive of it. This is not to say that there isn't appreciation with technical perfection but there is more to food.

I tend to be very critical of professional food. In the past, I have also been that way with my wife's cooking. When someone makes you a meal and they ask how you like it, they are not asking for criticism.  They are asking you if you like the taste of what they made for you and not how can I make this better. The answer is almost always "Thank you for making this and sharing it with me." Home cooking is a labour of love and you can't criticize love. I have learned to express my joy at the simple and the sincere.

I hope that I can continue down this path towards a good connection with food, family and joy for the next year. This is my only resolution. I hope that you can find the things that you love this year. This is my New Year's wish for each of you.