Cooking Pasta And Making Music.

I just finished cooking Creamy Spinach Fettuccini.

Hmm Im not sure if found it easy or difficult. I found it easy in a sense that I simply had to follow the instructions. Hard because I was very new at cooking and I have no sense of proper timing, heating, cutting etc. Im only starting to get the feel of it.

At first, the pasta tasted a bit bland, the white wine was a bit too strong and overall was just 'so-so' but then I realized I forgot to put nutmeg, salt and pepper! Haha. Wow, small ingredients even in small measurements really do make a big difference. The pasta suddenly became alive after I put it. My mom found it delicious but I personally think it could taste better.

If I were to compare it to music making, I would say tht I probably just sight read a Mozart piece with no musicality whatsoever. I felt like I just followed the instructions. Now I really get how cooking from the heart means. Its almost instinctively knowing what the perfect mixture should be without really sticking to the instructions word per word. Its tweaking it to make it your own flavor. Its getting the explosion of flavors perfectly based on what you feel is right. Its pakikiramdam... Its waiting patiently for the perfect time to splatter seasonings or to pour that heavy cream on to that sauteed garlic and onions. Above all its about enjoying the process, the passion and love you put into the process and its being inspired and reminded of who you are cooking for. Its so much like making music! You can have one piece of score but give it to different pianists, none of them would sound exactly the same. Each one has ones own attack at interpretation to it.

Just like any art, cooking needs practice if you want to improve. As a newbie in kitchen art, I have yet to learn how to cook from the heart. Ive so much to learn on how to get the right blend of flavors and mixtures. How to estimate timing to get an al dente, or to know if Ive sauteed long enough. Much to learn also about techniques on how to chop, grind, cut, pluck and clean. Hayayay. Cooking is not as easy as I thought it was. But I bet getting the finale product done perfectly is almost just as fulfilling as performing in a concert and getting a standing ovation afterwards. :)