Your weekend brunch isn't just for gossip

"Food is what Marcel Mauss (1967) called a “total social fact.” It is a part of culture that is central, connected to many kinds of behavior, and infinitely meaningful." - Carole Counihan

I hate to cook. I know that hate is a strong word, and I try to preserve it for more detrimental things, but there is nothing I despise more than having to plan a meal and stand over a stove and prepare it. I guess I should say that I strongly dislike it. I guess I should also say that I love food, and I love to eat. I personally prefer to skip to the part where I sit down and consume a delicious meal rather than the laboring part. I know that cooking is an art form which I appreciate, it just wasn’t passed down to me.

I met up with some friends on Saturday at Prospect Park to go for a walk. I am a Brooklynite city girl at heart, but one thing I will always look forward to is a stroll in nature, especially when it’s with friends. And especially when these friends bring their adorable dog. “We were thinking of making homemade pasta for dinner if you are interested.” This was the text I received on Friday evening. Umm, yes, because who would turn down delicious pasta? Not I. Needless to say, I was already excited because I knew the dinner would be delicious. My friends (who are married, I should mention) are the definition of foodies. They met at a restaurant he worked at and bonded over food. And I’m not just talking about eating at the trendiest restaurant, I mean being able to taste the different spices and textures of food. Pantry, refrigerator, and freezer with precisely labeled containers of food. Different herbs and pollens that I have never even heard of to season butter. A variety of cooking utensils and gadgets hanging from the walls. Meanwhile, I get excited when I put together a Trader Joe’s orange chicken meal (yes, many of you know the one) and call it a day. So yes, I knew this meal would be a hit.

I am trying to figure out if Nilla photobombed me or if I photobombed her in this picture.

After getting to their apartment, we got to work. And by we, I mean them, as they were pulling out the pasta dough that they had already made and began putting together the pasta maker. I have manners, of course, so I offered to help with something besides opening the wine. I’m not a culinary expert, but I have chopped an onion or two in the past. I was given the role of grating butternut squash, which sounds manually easier than it is. While I was grating, I couldn’t help but think of how I would never do this at home, making a meal for myself. For one, I would probably buy precut butternut squash and packaged pasta to save time, but also, making a labor-intensive meal (in my opinion) such as this one would never happen by myself. I tried to picture myself spending time making the dough, then forming the rigatoni shapes, then grating the squash, then making the sauce, and accompanying salad. Yeah, that’s a big no for me. As I said, I don’t enjoy cooking, but I realize that I cook alone for the majority of the time. My priority and responsibility is feeding myself, so I concentrate on things that are fast and easy, in addition to being tasty. But as I was grating the squash, I realized that I was having fun. Sure, my arm was getting quite the workout, but I was enjoying myself.

I was in the company of good friends, good conversation, and good music. It wasn’t just a night of preparing dinner, it was a night of socializing. Food is social, and it is meant to be a means of connecting. The most common reference is to call it food fuel, which it is, of course, but it is also social. And there is continued evidence that supports the health benefits of connecting.