I learned how to cook out of self defense.

Mom never cooked. Dad struggled with toast and the only reason we had ice in the house is that the recipe had been passed down for generations.

So if I wanted to eat and didn’t want food poisoning, it was on me to take an interest.

My grandmother taught me how to make a generations old family soup, when she passed away, I inherited her 60 year old cook-pot and recipes and built up my own kitchen around that.

For me cooking is a sign of love. I cook a delicious meal for my partner to show that I appreciate her and that I love her. Its something my dad would do for me as a child, even after a long day at work he would come home and cook a homemade meal for us all. As a kid I didn’t understand what it meant but as I got older I started to. It would have been easy to just do TV dinners or pick up food on his way home but he knew a homemade meal was special and worth it.

Its also how I can relax after a long day as I usually play some music and lose myself in the process. The creativity of it too, to go from no idea what I am making to opening the fridge and taking in all the different ingredients and then the inspiration begins to flow.

I love good food, and I grew up poor, that combination makes cooking an inevitably

A lot of good reasons in the comments and many of them apply to me to some degree, but honestly the main driving force is my own neurodivergent food apathy and pickiness. I know if I cook, it’s going to be food I like and prepared how I like and that makes it worth it to me. By elevating it, it’s enough to get me to want to eat which has always sort of been a battle for me.

My mother. She is the most self centered, hypocrite person I know.

As 70s kids, my sister and me were unhealthy, hungry, skinny, with orange flaking skin from a fad diet called makrobiotics. We had an overdose of carotene and salt. To this day I do not eat or cook pumpkin, only the smell of it gives me ptsd. She would balance my behaviour. If you behaved too “yang” (probably adhd), 2 weeks of “yin” diet, which was just salads prepared in the most bland way…plus some slapping around or other punishments for a good spiritual esoteric cleansing. I was out at 14, when child protection services stepped in.

My aspiration as a kid was to buy me a piece of cheese when grown up.

Love for cooking started at boardingschool making toasted cheese sandwiches or omelets for everyone in our group for lunch on certain days. I was able to learn in our central kitchen (with the impressivly large equipment) where all the meals where prepared for the 5 groups (with 11 to 15 teenagers per group), and I was able to help prepare holiday specials. On wednessdays we had cooking class were we first would buy ingredients on a 10 guilder budget and then prepare meals, or bake bread and what not for the kitchen staff.

Had a good time there. I was very fixed on preparing and eating tasty food, and am to this day. Trained as a cook lateron, and still cook happily every day for my fam and friends now with early retirement.

And I mean this gem, from Nigella, as highlighted by a goodreads review, is just so good…

“you will never hear me talking about “healthy” food. I loathe the term, but not as much as i am disgusted by the contemporary mantra of ‘clean eating.’ Food is not dirty, the pleasures of the flesh are essential to life and, however we eat, we are not guaranteed immortality or immunity from loss. We cannot control life by controlling what we eat.”

Most of us have experienced loss as well as pressure to eat more “clean.” But what i need is to heal and enjoy. Not deprive. Just so fucking good.

It’s like science, but you can eat it after. 😋

I cooked before I was vegan, but afterward, it’s become a way of exploring dishes and ingredients I never would’ve touched when most of my plate was reliably one of like four meats.

It’s been striking even years later how underexplored my tastes were solely because I trapped myself in the orbit of a few staples. Even eating out, I finally feel adventurous to the extent options exist. I feel profoundly happier cooking nowadays not because I’m freer to do anything (I was always able to try these things) but because I had to try new things and so finally let myself really explore cooking.

I like good food, and I also like to make stuff. It’s a natural fit.

I need to eat 🤷

I hate my folks. My mother is/was a great cook. Long line of abuse and abusers, but also really good food. Wanted to learn to cook, but she gatekept the kitchen. No one was allowed to cook but her. Fast forward, I’m in the military. Hating every second of it. Wash out of OSHA type training job in it, got slapped with military cook job. First time I ever cooked was in that training. Our first dish to make was Salisbury steak. I made best in flight. That lit a fire under me to keep improving my cooking skills. I am an artist as well, so there were things between upbringing and service that came together with how food is made and enjoyed that I find art in. And making it and how it tastes, how it makes people feel. I hated my life and thought a good way to cope is by feeding people the best shit they’ve ever had. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I don’t like doing most things, depression is a bitch, but it keeps me moving, engaged, and I can get a little violent if I like. It’s therapeutic in a way, not that I’d know, can’t afford it but I assume the payoff feeling is similar. Now, I cook for me and my wife. She’s crazy picky and didn’t grow up eating much else than canned food. So, I like challenging her, seeing what she likes and dislikes. Trying to get her to eat something she says she hates, but realistically just hasn’t had the best version of yet. I love seeing when I’ve done a good meal she has her eyes roll back. Food is life, it is art, it is energy, and it is love. I hate most things about most things, but food always helps in some way. ( I hope this is coherent enough, I’m exhausted and high.)

It’s the only way I know for sure what I’m eating.

To show my family I love them; to try new foods, ingredients, and recipes; and to (sometimes) reduce stress.

My wife knows I’ve had a bad week if I start a dish with like four hours of prep and an overnight rest on Saturday for eating Sunday night.

And sometimes it’s a bit of a challenge: unexpected guests or situation where you cannot go to the store and have to work with what you’ve got.

Because authentic cuisine from my home country is hard to find, and if there is a restaurant that serves it, I know that it’s way cheaper to make it at home and it’s not worth the price they are charging for it.

There are also some dishes were I prefer my own tweaks to it or maybe use a substitute ingredient over the original.

I enjoy how it makes people happy. This isn’t universal to everyone, but to many food is a source of comfort and pleasure, on top of being sustainance. For myself, it’s a healthy way to keep my strength up, but also a good way to encourage good mental health.

It can also be a gift you give to make others feel the same, or an act of service through the time and effort spent cooking. It’s so many good things wrapped up in one, and it makes a great gift to not only for your wellbeing, but to your friends and family too