Every day, somewhere, someone is chopping vegetables, lighting the hob and seasoning their food. It’s so commonplace that we hardly ever stop to think about it.

To fill one’s stomach. To provide for one’s family. For one’s health. Whilst all of these are valid reasons, when I observe the kitchen closely, I get the feeling there is more to it than that.

It seems that cooking is not merely about the time spent preparing a meal. Amongst those who are busy in the kitchen, between people, and within the context of a particular place and era, something quite different is quietly at work.

I have spent a long time working in the culinary world. This means I have spent most of my life involved with food.

Before long, one question gradually became impossible to shake from my mind.

What is cooking really all about?

Why do I want to find that out now? It’s because the opportunities I have to cook are gradually dwindling.

You can eat without having to cook. It arrives without you having to choose. It’s decided without you having to decide.

It is a blessing to have things made more convenient. I, too, am living amongst those benefits. However, now that we no longer need to cook, I wonder if, along with cooking, we are also letting go of something important.

What’s more, I have a feeling that these things are not disappearing simply because they have served their purpose. Rather, it is precisely the things that will be needed in the years to come that are quietly being lost, before we even realise how important they are.

If that is the case, we must find out what it is before it disappears.

What exactly is cooking? As the number of days we spend without cooking increases, what do we lose?

As a registered dietitian, I have had the opportunity to witness many people cooking through cookery classes and product development—both children and adults alike.

Before long, I realised something. If something was growing in the kitchen, it didn’t seem to be something I’d brought in. It had been there all along.

So, what I’m about to write isn’t anything new. It’s about things that are already happening in our kitchens every day.

I wanted to write down what I saw whilst I was standing by the food, before it faded from memory.

* Please note that the individuals featured in this book are referred to by initials that differ from their real ones, so as to prevent them from being identified.

TERUMI ISHIBASHI

FARM8 Co. Ltd.,

Next chapter: ‘The Future Potential Nurtured by Cooking’ Chapter 1: See you next time