1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

ing process with skill can be almost sure
that the dish will be a success.
The most important of all seasonings is
salt. Rarely is a meal served that has not
been seasoned with salt. However, a good
cook treats salt, as well as other seasonings,
with respect, for she knows that oversalted
food is ruined and food not salted
enough is insipid.
Then there are garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon,
pepper and paprika. Pepper is probably
the best known of all spices, and in
the Middle Ages it was one of the costliest.
One of the articles demanded in 408 (A.D.)
by Alaric, the Gothic conqueror, as part
of the ransom of Rome, was 3,000 pOWlds
of pepper. In our day pepper is not as precious
as gold, yet it is a very valuable seasoning.
Paprika, the red-colored spice prepared
from the fruit of the bonnet pepper,
enriches flavor and color, working wonders
with meats, fish, fowl, eggs, cottage cheese
and vegetables. Whatever the seasoning,
use it with skill and caution, and you will
make dull foods interesting.
Having the Right Attitude
Cooking is an .art that always can be
developed, an art, too, in which there is
always room for improvement. If you are
an average housewife, you prepare well
over a thousand meals yearly. If this function
is to rise above a dull and routine
task, you will want to approach it with a
positive and willing attitude. If you are
eager to seek out and try different recipes
to please the family, it will reflect itself,
not only in the food, but in its reception as
well.
The wise cook knows that very little
good can be derived foodwise if the eaters
MABOH 8, 1964
are tense, nervous and irritable, so she
zealously tries to maintain a relaxed atmosphere
at mealtimes. God's own written
Word emphasizes the importance of
this when it says: "Better is a dish of
vegetables where there is love than a
manger-fed bull and hatred along with it."
-Prov.15:17.
Many women really enjoy planning and
cooking meals but occasionally get discouraged
because they feel their families
do not appreciate all the work involved. It
does seem to be the tendency in some
homes for husbands and children to rush
to the table, consume the food and then
take off for various pursuits, without so
much as a single word of appreciation. Is
that your complaint? Do you get discouraged
because you seldom get a word of
praise? If so, maybe you overlook the
many encouraging signs of appreciation
that your family no doubt give you. Are
they eager to get to the table? Do they eat
their food with relish? (Remember, enjoyment
of food can rarely, if ever, be hidden.)
Do they regularly ask for second
helpings and continue to grow strong and
healthy? If you can answer, Yes, to these
questions, be assured that your good work
is appreciated, if only silently so. Members
of a family might remember, however, that
good food served with care deserves a kind
remark. For is it not true that the sun of
appreciation and the rain of encouragement
will make many an endeavor grow
and thrive?
We eat often, so why not prepare the
food in such a way that it will taste as
good as possible? If you cook, whether for
a family or just for yourself, do your best
to master the art of cooking; rewards for
having done so will be yours every day.
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