A recent post by the Germinatrix, in which she discusses the similarities between cooking and gardening, got me thinking about a conversation I had with my husband a few nights ago. While Germi proposes that “good cooks are often good gardeners – and vice versa,” Ben and I were talking about how nicely our hobbies (cooking and gardening respectively) mesh together – but seldom is one of us tempted to try out the other.
I’ve never been much of a cook. I enjoy eating, but unless someone feeds me, I’ll subsist on foods that require minimal preparation. That’s not to say that I can’t cook. I just don’t. I do grow a lot of my own food, yes, but it’s mostly because I prefer local, organic produce – as long as someone else cooks it for me.
Ben, on the other hand, is clinically obsessed with cookware and condiments. Sometimes living with him can be exhausting (as well as fattening!) because he plans upcoming meals even as he’s preparing the current one. And good luck finding room in the fridge, freezer or cupboard for any new products. But he’s a great cook, so I can’t complain (well, I try not to).
Anyway, a couple nights ago we were eating outside in the garden, and Ben said something along the lines of “you’d think you’d enjoy cooking… it’s so similar to gardening.”
I think the difference for me is that cooking a meal is a short-term prospect. You cook, you eat, you’re done. The meal is good or great or bad – either way, you’re full. Gardening is cumulative. Invest your time, see results, improve on them – see greater results. Maybe you’re never “full,” but personally, that’s what I love about gardening: I can never have enough.
Leave a Reply