How this HEALTH part of the blog was written–and why.
There have been countless recipes created and cookbooks written since the beginning of time.
So honestly, it feels a little silly to think the world needs another perspective on food or cooking.
And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that this blog needs to exist, too.
Why? It certainly is a fact that we all need food to live. Additionally, we all need to have our food at least picked or harvested before we eat it, don’t we?
Let’s start at the very beginning (cue the caveman music).
We all know food is essential for survival.
But back in the earliest days, before Instacart and air fryers, our ancestors had to hunt and gather everything they ate. It wasn’t until around 8,000 BC that people figured out how to grow and raise food themselves. (Remember the Fertile Crescent region you learned about in World History class?) This discovery of agriculture changed everything.
With a more reliable food supply, humans had extra time.
They started building better shelters, creating clothes for different seasons, developing systems for trading and storing food…do you see where this is heading?
Art, science, and culture all grew out of this first food surplus.
Fast forward a few thousand years. We’ve gone from hunting mammoths to ordering sushi from our phones. In my lifetime alone, I’ve witnessed the birth of the microwave, answering machines, cable TV, computers, and my favorite—the iPhone. But I digress…
Here’s the thing: with more food security came more creativity.
Instead of just shoveling in calories to stay alive, people began thinking about taste, variety, and preparation. Cooking became a craft. (Exhibit A: McDonald’s showed up somewhere way, way, way down the timeline.)
According to Merriam-Webster, the word “cook” as a noun showed up before the 12th century. But the verb “to cook” didn’t pop up until the 14th century, and “cooking” didn’t appear until around 1813. Slow evolution, right?
So what does all this have to do with The Improv Cook?
Well, I find it fascinating to know that everything involved in cooking today, from knives to refrigerators to convection ovens, comes from the roots of civilization. These tools have incredible power in them, and introducing a nice Wusthof knife to a forming society could have altered history as we know it. Just imagine!
And yet, we tend to take them completely for granted.
No worries, though, as we count our blessings and use it all for the greater good, right?
Let’s talk about that “greater good.”
In the beginning of time, food had a very clear purpose—survival. Without food, people perished. Today, although it is still very sad that people starve to death on this planet, chances are good that you have enough food to keep you from dying. In fact, you may also have too much food that you actually throw some of it away in the trash.
The purpose of food has certainly changed for you.
In addition to mere survival, your food now directly correlates to your health and happiness, doesn’t it? If you say no, I beg to differ.
Take a strawberry, for example. Fresh off the vine? It’s simple, beautiful, and nourishing. But turn it into strawberry ice cream, and you’ve got a tastebud-pleaser filled with dairy, sugar, flavorings, and maybe some questionable additives. Is it delicious? Yes. Is it still “good for you”? That depends on your body.
Maybe the dairy makes you congested. Maybe the red dye gives you a headache. Maybe the cone was full of gluten and now your stomach’s in knots.
What I (and many others) have discovered is this: modern-day food can be healing or harmful.
And figuring out which is which? That takes curiosity, trial and error, and sometimes a good old-fashioned elimination diet. (Don’t worry, we’ll talk more about that later.)
Once you’ve learned what your body loves and what it doesn’t, cooking becomes an empowering act of self-care. It can still be a juggling act to always eat the right nutrients in the right proportion to stay perfectly healthy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.
This blog is my way of helping you find the sweet spot: the place where cooking becomes joyful, flexible, nourishing, and yes—a little improvised.
“Why do I need to cook?” It’s a fair question—and one I used to ask myself, too. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, my diet was full of frozen pot pies, canned veggies, and Hostess treats. But everything changed the day I made chicken crepes for my first dinner party at 16. That single moment stirred something in me—a spark of confidence, creativity, and connection. In this post, I share the story of how I fell in love with cooking and why it became more than just a life skill…it became a path to joy.
Read more in the next blog post: WHY LEARN TO COOK?
Recent Comments