According to dictionary.com, the meaning of passion is any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate. When reflecting on the meaning of this word, I find that I possess many passions that I have strong feeling about. One passion that I have love for would be cooking. It is very common for you to find me in the kitchen trying a new dish, taking a recreational cooking class, or having a get together with friends to share some of my creations.
This passion of mine really became pronounced as I graduated from college, and started living on my own. I was very concerned about saving money and trying out foods that I never had the opportunity to try while growing up in N.C. My parents exposed me to a lot of different cuisines as a child, but as an adult, I could have whatever I wanted! I started researching recipes from all over the world, and became a frequent shopper in international grocery stores. I would ask questions about food when I visited restaurants, and I always attended my friends from different countries dinners and parties. I love to socialize with people from different backgrounds. You learn so much about the world, yourself, and their cuisine.
I think that I was absolutely sure that I was passionate about cooking when I started teaching foods and nutrition. It is understood that teenagers love to eat, but when I started sharing some of my culinary passions with my students, I could see a light bulb go off in many of them. I would teach about a nutrient, and share the foods that provide the nutrient, and then demonstrate or have the students prepare the nutritional food in various ways. I knew that I was onto something when I actually witnessed a whole class of high school students try roasted broccoli that they created. They enjoyed it! When the students see me excited over food, and I give them the chance to experiment and try different foods, they are more open to it because they made it. I feel that some of my passion for food has rubbed off on some of my students as a lot of them go on to pursue careers in culinary arts. I tell them, as long as there are humans living on earth, you will have a job, because everybody’s got to eat.
It is my desire to continue to inspire others through food. Cooking food is relaxing, you have scrumptious end results that always bring even the most negative attitudes pure joy. Now that’s true passion.
