“The only stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you have to have a ‘what-the-hell’ attitude.” Julia Child

I’ve been taking a course on flavorings. Yes, a cooking course by the Kitchen Coach Randie Flaig, that was designed to bring our attention to the whole world of flavor. We learned what makes up our perception of flavor, for example, texture, smell, temperature, weight & mass, memories.  She showed us how to add flavor starting with the obvious salt, pepper and spices. She went on, showing us how to enhance flavor with cooking techniques like roasting, searing, and blackening; sauces like reductions and glazes; and special techniques such as repeating ingredients in different forms, for example, lemon zest and lemon juice.

I learned wonderful new words like “Umami” (foods which enrich and round out flavors) and the Maillard Reaction (a chemical reaction from heating certain foods that enhances flavor). But I learned most by watching her.

I watched as she would start with a vegetable or piece of meat or fish and add salt & pepper and maybe a spice. Then she’d taste it and have us taste. “What else does it need?” she’d ask. We’d suggest something which she’d put in, and again, we’d all taste.

Sometimes it would go in the wrong direction and we’d have to figure out what to do. She was clear that great cooking required continued tasting, correcting as you go, and having a “what-the-hell” attitude. Timidity didn’t cut it.

How like life I thought. For it to be interesting you have to experiment. For it to be fulfilling you have to give your heart to it.  And as with all creating, you start with an intention to do or make something. You have to keeping checking where you are and notice when you aren’t where you thought you’d be. You learn to course correct. Sometimes you end up in a different place but one just as good or even better. And sometimes you just have to remember to keep a “what-the-hell” attitude. After all, there’s always another dish to make.