Will making beef stew today, I had thoughts on the politics of cooking.  I’m currently living in a situation in which when and what I cook is tinged with politics.

I live with my brother and fam. The politics I speak of are mostly with my sis-in-law and the kitchen.  My SIL cooks, and does it well, but she is not someone who is passionate about cooking.  Really, she learned to cook when she married my bro from my mom and grandmother because, well, my bro kind of expected her to.  We, as in my bro and I, were raised by a single mom who was SUPER PASSIONATE about cooking. Not only did she feed us but also brought in money with it by making food for others and having a quasi-catering business. She was GOOD at it too.  To this day, I have yet to find certain Mexican dished that compare to my Ma’s.  That’s not being biased either. As someone who also got the cooking bug, I’ve learned to be more decerning and what I once thought was just nostalgia for mom’s cooking turned out to be legit.

Anyhoo, so, I love to cook but while I’ve been staying with my bro I really haven’t been able to for several reasons:

1. My bro’s fam is kinda lazy when it comes to kitchen cleanliness.  They eat dinner and just leave everything as it is once they’re done. It will stay that way for several days.  I will not and cannot cook in a dirty kitchen but, if I clean it then my SIL gets a bit put off because, I believe, she feels the inherent judgment in it. Which she should but, ultimately, I can’t be doing that all the time.  

2. Uh, as I said, I am passionate about cooking and she isn’t and, well, it shows when I make stuff. Bottom line, I cook better than she does and I don’t want to make stuff all the time and kinda show her up, in her own house.  So, when I cook, I kind of have to figure out stuff that I know she doesn’t/won’t really make or things that she takes pride in making.  It’s complicated stuff.  She does make BOMB chicken, might I add. 

So, ultimately, I have been baking more because NOBODY can turn down a baked good. If you find someone who does, don’t trust them. Also, I’ve been trying out dishes that I’ve never really made and am not too familiar with.  This heps with the politics because, not to sound snotty, if I am not familiar with it, it’s more than likely they are not familiar with it.