Being Cooking
An inspirational text from Mutsuko Johnson
Sometime ago, I felt how important cooking is.
I began to call it ‘Being’ cooking.
This is different to what I have been practicing for so many years.
I discovered being in the cooking. Being Home cooking.
Until this time I never acknowledged that whenever I begin cooking I become calm.
I always felt like I was being at home. Being centered. Cooking completed the day.
It is very clear to me that cooking is the most practical and powerful way to practice Being.
Once we learn how to cook in this way, it can become ‘doing cooking.’ It becomes easy to act automatically. With awareness, being present, being now.
Being cooking! Being here and now!
Cooking can create Being Now, Being Present, Aliveness, each and every day.
Fresh foods can connect us with Nature.
Connect us with seasons.
It brings us such joy and happiness.
Cooking is a transformation of foods. It creates the art of life.
Transforms nature into our body.
We are not alone.
We are the Nature.
We are the Universe.
We are One.
The Heart of Zen Home Cooking with Mutsuko Johnson
‘As we Cook, we create Inner Peace’
Sunday January 24 – Saturday January 30
(4 evenings and 2 weekend days)
Meat as commodity
A strangely disturbing advertisement for ‘gourmet meat’ which caught my eye, in a recent Sunday paper. I’m not quite sure why, except for the way the meat is presented in digestible chunks, at reduced prices, as if it was a line of sofas. Complete with celebrity endorsement.
From the earth to the bowl
I made a simple broth using produce plucked from the Hackney City Farm gardens this morning. A kombu dashi with dried fish and shitake mushrooms was combined with sliced Onion, Garlic, Courgette and Potato chunks, together with fresh Sage and Rosemary. Smoked Mackerel was added at the end, with parsley as a garnish.
Let’s propagate!
The Organic Garden course stepped up a notch today, with us students learning how simple it was to propagate. We took cuttings from Sage and Rosemary plants and Strawberry runners to create a batch of new seedlings which will grow in the Greenhouse over winter, ready for planting in the spring.
Buddhafield Sentinels
The guardians framing the recent Buddhafields festival, a celebration of truth and beauty, and a vivid illustration of the potential of people being together with an open heart, forming communities and partnerships.
Summer windfall
Meaghan, Carene and Cameron with the bounty of Italian yellow plums gathered at the Hackney City Farm. The Café did not want them, so my batch ended up in a luscious compote with red wine, vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks and almonds.
Carrot Harvest
Carene and Meaghan with armfuls of carrots harvested from a small patch of land at City Farm, Hackney.
On Leadership
Still recoiling from a weekend programme run by David Norris at the Concord Institute, addressing the issue of ‘Leadership.’ Not from the perspective of ‘telling people what to do’ but in relation to accessing our own leadership, and manifesting our own heartfelt visions. Truly remarkable.
‘Whatever you can do, or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.’ – Goethe
Harvest at Hackney City Farm
Salad greens freshly harvested at Hackney City Farm, as part of the ten week Organic Gardening course run by Carene Campbell. Check out those Nasturtiums!
Inspiration as a cooking ingredient
I think inspiration is one of the most important ingredients to create menu and cooking.
When we are present, we get inspired.
Nature provide us such a inspiration.
Blue sky, fuzzy cloud, sunrise, sunset, shape of the moon, moonlight, trees, buds, flowers, little aunts to powerful hawk.
Vivid sun, kind rain, Sleepy Cloud, Wind like ocean. Noble snow.
It is all condensed into one vegetables or an apple.
What an amazing gift from the Nature.
The season is talking to us.
The weather is calling for us.
Our body is communicating with us.
Listen, just listen.
What is suited for Today.
This very day.
Not yesterday or tomorrow.
Just Now.
What is?
And How?
Inspiration.
Cooking with inspiration is dancing with weather, season, occasion, age, activity for us.
That is the true power of Home cooking.
Happy cooking
Mutsuko Johnson