Why I Cook

Two years ago, I started college and like all college students, was faced with THE DINING HALL. Don't get me wrong, Colby's dining hall is actually really great compared to those of other schools. But all the same, after a year of eating dining hall food, my stomach started rebelling. I had awful stomachaches and alternated between diarrhea and constipation. I felt bloated all the time and couldn't enjoy any foods of any kind.

So, after a year of eating massive sheet cakes, dining hall pizza, and raw veggie salads, I started cooking for myself (no small feat, I assure you. My mom was terrified at the idea). And after a year, my stomach has started to recover and I've actually started to enjoy cooking.

So this blog is for people who have undiagnosed food intolerance issues as well as for those who just want to eat yummy foods that are kind to your stomach before it's too late.

Enjoy!

Jenny's Cooking Manifesto
1. Thou shalt use as little processed foods as possibleWhy? Because fresh food tastes better. Duh.
2. Buy something seasonableIt tends to be cheaper, and it tastes better. Plus, there's nothing more exciting than when certain things come into season. Who doesn't jump for joy when summer (and watermelons, corn, and blueberries!) roll around, or fall (squash, beans, kale!) arrives, or winter (rhubarb, rutabagas, potatoes!) come poking their heads out of the dirt, or spring (broccoli, asparagus, spinach!) sprout?
3. Help your tummy out.Because my poor tummy can't process the fiber, cooking my veggies instead of eating them raw helps my body break it down.
4. Accept your foods for what they are.One of my pet peeves is people who use tofu as "fake chicken". If you want to be vegetarian, you shouldn't be hankering after meat fake or real. It's an insult to tofu to disguise it as meat - I love tofu cooked the way it's supposed to. And believe me, I was vegetarian for a couple of years, so I know that's it's not that difficult to enjoy veggies for what they are.
5. Have fun in the kitchen!Why? Why not?!