There are as many stories as there are dishes to cook, yet cooking and writing seem to have a lot more in common than might meet the eye (or meat the eye). Here are ten reasons why I think that writing is like cooking:
1- Every ingredient in a dish is similar to every word in a story. Having the right ingredients and a good recipe, though, does not guarantee success; you have to add some part of yourself to get it right.
2- Food is food and nutritious in some way. Writing is writing and intellectual in some way.
3- You have good days and you have bad days. In cooking, sometimes the cake will not rise, the cream curdles, or you manage to add just one ingredient that makes the whole thing inedible. In writing, sometimes the words get stuck on the tip of your fingers, the characters are as stiff as cardboard, or your language is so flowery that it could be put into the design of an English sofa.
4- A lot of people make a living out of cooking (like in catering or restaurants), or writing (like with copyediting or advertising). But few people become famous for being chefs or writers.
5- Fast food and ready-made dinners are easy and nice enough, but making a dinner for 10 people that you spent 3 days preparing for and everyone enjoys, is so much better. Greeting cards and other writers’ quotations are nice, too, but when you hear someone laughing at the jokes in your story, or crying at the sad scenes, there is nothing that can beat it.
6- Anyone can learn to cook or write, though sometimes there are people who are born with an innate ability.
7- Getting a dish right the first time is possible, improbable, but possible. But, it usually takes several tries before you get it right. Getting your story perfect from the start is possible but, it probably might require several drafts before it’s any good.
8- Not everyone will like what you cook, the same goes for writing.
9- There is always room for improvement, and there are always better (or worse) cooks out there. But no matter your level of skill, even the most amateur cook can make something that tastes amazing. Likewise, there will always be better (or worse) writers out there, and an unpublished or amateur writer can write a great story
10- Sitting down to discuss recipes is just as much fun as sitting down to discuss writing, at least to the people who like cooking & dining or writing & reading.
So, those were my reasons why cooking is like writing, what are yours?
Bon appetit!
Sofia
