At this point, a bit of background is probably necessary. Why the cooking, why this blog, etc.

The cooking first. I had 2 studio classes that required semester long projects. I was brainstorming ideas, and none of them were really very interesting to me. They all sounded like things that would get boring at about week 3. Cooking sounded a lot more fun. And it sounded like a way to ensure that I got a halfway decent dinner every night. Really, I just wanted to see what would happen if I cooked that much. There were some vague thoughts of the big picture: the obesity epidemic, and the foodie craze going on right now. But this project isn't about that.

The blog is my way of documenting my process. I use it for convenience more than anything else.

I've only been at this about a week and a half, but already, I've got thoughts on the matter of cooking. First of all, cooking shows lie. A lot. They perpetuate the myth that by watching a cooking show, someone who has never touched a stove in their life could have a full home cooked dinner on the table in half an hour. This is not true. It's certainly possible to cook a good meal in 30 minutes, but not if you don't know what you're doing. It takes practice, just like anything else.

My attitude toward cooking dinner has changed. I used to have a system that involved making one large meal at the beginning of the week and eating leftovers until I went shopping again. It's not that I didn't have time to cook dinner, but I wasn't motivated to do so. Simmering a soup for 30 minutes was too much. Now, I have no problems taking a little extra time to make dinner interesting. I don't eat the same food for 3 nights in a row. Now, ironically, I could easily get a meal on the table in 30 minutes. But I don't really care to. I don't need to.