Recently, I’ve started cooking for myself, and it’s been a rewarding experience to be able to pick and choose the specific ingredients I consume. Most of my life, I've eaten food others have cooked, but staying away from restaurants and cooking on my own for two months has helped me appreciate the cooking my mother did for me all those years. While it's tempting to go out to eat and choose from a menu rather than buy ingredients and make the food yourself, cooking food on your own is more cost and time-effective.
There's no waiting at the table because you're the one preparing the food, selecting ingredients, weighing options, like, "Should I bake, steam or broil this fish? Should I sauté the garlic or eat it raw?"
There's more value in nutrition than I expected and cooking on my own makes me more conscious of balancing protein, fat and carbs. It's tedious learning all the odds and ends of cooking and nutrition, but the pay off is rewarding and long-term. Cooking on my own let's me focus on the details of nutrition and appreciate people working in the food service industry, from chefs to busboys.
My least favorite part about home cooking is the clean up, obviously, but taking into account the money and net time saved by cooking at home makes even the dishwashing worth it. For me, home cooking has another side to it that makes it more desirable for some introverts. The loud kitchen noises and chaos of being put on the spot and making a food-related decision around many other diners causes me such terrible anxiety that I can hardly enjoy my food when it gets to me. The benefit of home cooking in this case is lack of distraction from strangers, loud noises and music you have no say on, as well as the peace to do what you'd like while eating, whether it be watching TV or enjoying the company of family members. This break from the hustle and bustle of restaurant eating is what makes home cooking all the more appealing.
It's always been a struggle for me tipping and paying, and cooking for myself requires none of the, "Split the bill or not?" nonsense. While it's pleasant to get take-out from a place that makes cuisine above your skill level from time to time, buying and cooking a meal you planned and put effort into has a different appeal. Going to the grocery store (which, if you have a list, is much less crazy than a sit-down restaurant) and preparing your food your own way possesses a degree of control over what you fuel your body with, which is essential.
When I was eating out or eating what others’ prepared for me, I had much less restraint over what I ate, causing anxiety attacks surpassed only by the depression following the overeating made accessible by eating whatever I wanted from a menu or whatever I could afford. When you conscientiously plan out a menu you're more likely to be considerate of brands and the quantity of what you’re eating, making home cooking the ideal choice.
