Mi'sen

Let's see what my under caffeinated brain comes up with: - received wisdom would say 'pick up Jacques Pépin La Technique, watch Gordon Ramsey Videos (etc), read about how Tim Ferris learnt to cook to gain some meta-handle on how to learn': all reasonable, and worth doing, but....

- that is a little like showing someone teaching BJJ by sequentially running through a bank of techniques, whilst forgetting to introduce some fundamentals such as weight distribution, how to create/close space, importance of functional pivot/grips....

- I have bought 'Salt, Fat, Acid Heat' by Norsat, for a number of people, it's fantastic because it takes a pretty different approach to learning to cook. Samin introduces some foundational principles as to what makes something delicious, rather than just a pile of techniques.

- Norsat introduces the sort of 'cook's intuition' that you might pick up from your grandmother if you grew up in a kitchen. It isn't magic, but Norsat has given visibility to an aspect of cookery that has mostly been confined to oral tradition.

- I alluded to Ferris' 4h cook earlier. I both hate and love that project. There is an enormous amount of noise in that book, but I really appreciate his general approach to learning, and the demystification of certain things. I think the best thing he introduces is enthusiasm:

- which brings me on to something that I think is absolutely foundational, and probably quite romantic. Food is all about love. Food is about passion, and tenderness, and sharing. I've been very, very poor, and still been able to cook a plate of rice and beans with dignity & love

- If you can identify the basic spark which makes you enjoy food, or cooking for yourself or others, then that will be very helpful in giving you the willingness to learn. Cooking is not hard, and you seem smart so you'll learn quickly, so some basic motivation will go a long way

What is your happiest food memory?