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Slow Cooking Slow Living
When Cooking becomes A Therapy
The things between me
and time
like the rain that strikes at the light
like the rain that strikes at the darkness.
- David Rokeah
As I wait for the words to rain down on the page and form the poem that will help me walk away from the memory I keep reliving, I continue to move through the different memories in my mind. Now that life will slow down for a few months, I’m trying to embrace this quieter pace. I want to be more present in the moment and create lasting memories with my family. I know this phase, too, will pass. For now, it’s my family who needs me. Poetry and art will help keep me grounded, as I need to nurture my inner life as well.
Recently, I tried making potato chips at home.
Slow cooking has a calming effect on me and connects me to childhood memories of doing the same with my dadi. This also brings to mind the Holi Festival, when we would make chips around the same time. We’d take the utensils loaded with boiled potato slices, let them sundry on the terrace, and later fry them, pairing them with chai.
The chips I made are still drying; in a day or two, they’ll be ready to eat. There’s something therapeutic about cooking that brings nostalgia and ties you to your childhood. Cooking something that can be preserved has always felt magical to me.
The chips were enjoyed at home, and I made a mental note to slice the potatoes a little thicker next time. There’s something special about the energy of the sun in the chips, the love that goes into cooking them from scratch for the family.
Food sometimes, that’s all I need. It’s a different kind of warmth at home, and in those moments, it’s how I balance the chaos of my life — the noise I can’t always talk about, the anxiety. Cooking helps me find relief. It makes me happy. And to be happy has not always has to be expensive.
Thanks to Monoreena Acharjee Majumdar for the space at Soul Bay Publication for my writing.
