For most of my life, I’ve never really cooked.

For most of my childhood, cooking was something that my mother did while I played games, did my homework, or surfed the internet. Even my freshman year in college, the convenience of the dining hall and the lack of a kitchen made it difficult for me to cook on a regular basis.

I have finally been able to cook for myself this year. Regularly feeding yourself and maintaining a healthy diet all while keeping to a budget is a challenge, but like any other new skill, it comes with a learning curve.

A friend bought me the Four Hour Chef for Christmas last year, and I have been faithfully attempting the different dishes in the book. I’ve tried the arugula salad, rock ‘n’ eel, harissa crab cakes, coconut curry cauliflower mash, and union square zucchini. Tim Ferriss does an amazing job of breaking down different cooking techniques into a simple and straightforward book that yields healthy and delicious results.

But beyond following recipes, learning to cook is also largely about grocery shopping, understanding flavors, and clean up. It’s a whole new world to learn and get accustomed to, as all the different varieties of consumables out there can be overwhelming.

But as I’ve realized over time, and the four hour chef touches upon, learning a new skill is only overwhelming because you have no clue where to start; it’s a collection of little actions that aggregate into an ability to do something. It’s easy to get daunted and scared away from learning something new.

I’ve realized the value of focusing on one area of development at a time, in order to develop the little pieces of the puzzle before putting it all together.

Ever since I started reading material from Tim Ferriss, I’ve started critically breaking things down and understanding all the little parts that go together to make a whole. I’ve made my mistakes, learned some lessons, and picked myself up.

Next, time to learn how to grow my own food.

photo credit: hernan.seoane via photopin cc