During the school year at Middlebury, I have felt considerably estranged from the kitchen. I’ve lived in Ross for about 2 years now and haven’t really made any effort to cook my own food. It’s difficult to muster up that motivation when you’re exhausted and there’s a dining hall a few feet away. I’m not the best cook and so I considered having others cook for me a blessing. But for the first week and a half of Foodworks, in which we had to feed ourselves (dining halls weren’t open), I came face to face with the fact that I have no idea how to cook. I lived mainly off of omelets, cereal, and pasta for that week. I survived, but feared for the time I would graduate and have to cook for myself for an extended period of time. It opened my eyes to the fact that the art of cooking is something I desperately need to get in touch with, if only just to provide myself with a balanced diet.
During that week, I also had to go into town to get food. I became very familiar with the coop, the farmers market, the meat shack, etc. Before the summer, I had never stepped foot into the meat shack (I didn’t even know it existed) and I realized that finding your food is an event in which you get to explore your community a little bit more and become closer to it. I’ve found myself getting stuck on campus during the school year, as it really provides all I need. But being forced to step out into town has given me a whole new perspective on the Middlebury community. The college’s farm sells some products to Otter Creek Bakery and there’s a satisfaction I’ve found from interacting with and participating in the community. While staying put in the Middlebury bubble is entirely my own fault, I think the school’s rigorous academics and the demanding rehearsal schedule for the theater faculty shows I’ve been involved with have encouraged that estrangement. It’s difficult during the school year to find time to food shop and cook for myself. I know I need to learn how to cook, and I hope to tackle that this summer, but I also need to find a way to continue during the school year.
Katie, I get what you’re saying about the feeling of relief with others cooking for us in the dining halls and the sense of bewilderment and exploration when forced to “forage” on our own. But I guess I’d be a little less harsh on yourself than you seem to be. Saying that you “need to find a way to continue during the school year” seems to imply that you’re forcing yourself into a way of living, in this case, of cooking. I wouldn’t avoid the opportunity to futz around in the kitchen when the opportunity arises, but I’d try not beat yourself up if you feel you haven’t been in the kitchen for months come December. If you choose to make food and its creation a priority in you’re life, super, but any activity regime that you feel obliged to follow rather than are excited to follow will quickly collapse. All I’m saying it don’t be too hard on yourself.