#8 Learned to Cook

How many of you have ever seen the movie Chocolat? If so, you'll totally understand the thought process behind this post. If not, go watch it. The 2000 film based on the novel of the same name written by Joanne Harris tells the story of a young mother, played by the beautiful Juliette Binoche, who arrives at the fictional French town of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes (even sounds beautiful, doesn't it?) with her six year old daughter and opens a small chocolateire called La Chocolaterie Maya. Her chocolate quickly begins to change the lives of the people in this small, repressed village. Just seeing the window displays are enough to make anyone watching long for a truffle or two. Ever seen the movie Julie & Julia? You probably have seen that one or at least heard of it. (It was a lot more mainstream than Chocolat.) This movie drove foodies and regular people alike into the theaters. It follows the story of blogger Julie Powell played by Amy Adams who attempts to cook her way through legendary chef Julia Child's - played by Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep - cookbook. Really, the movie shows the parallel stories of two women chasing their dreams. The message of the movie is about how Child lived her life: follow your dream, it doesn't always have to be perfect, and never apologize for the first two. What about Disney's Ratatouille? This animated gem is an Oscar-winning animated film about the adventures of aspiring chef Remy. Wait, did I mention he is a rat? Well, he is. In the movie, Remy tries to achieve his goal of becoming a chef at a French restaurant by forming an alliance with a Parisian restaurant's garbage boy, Linguini, who thinks he can't cook. Using Linguini's human hands and Remy's cooking talent, both characters are able to find their greater purposes in life. As we've seen from these three movies alone, cooking can be a wonderful source of happiness. Seeing something you've created and that is good can really be a rewarding experience. Not only should we learn to cook because we're going off on our own and need this valuable skill, but also because it can be a great experience. Sure, our truffles may not change the lives of the people around us and we may not inspire someone to cook our entire cookbook, but we can make ourselves feel like we did something worthwhile. Why learn to cook? Besides being a basic lifeskill, cooking can instill a feeling of accomplishment and pleasure. And who knows, you may have some untapped creativity waiting for you in the culinary world. I think it's important that I learn how to cook before I go off to college. Anyone can cook. If you can follow directions, then you can cook. (Well in that case, maybe not everyone can cook.) My challenge to you is, obviously, to learn how to cook. Next time your mom is making that pasta for dinner, ask her if you can help. Or maybe make a batch of sugar cookies to start! Oh and guys, girls love a man who can cook. Just saying.