WHAT I HAD TO GROW UP WITH THAT BECAME MY FULL-TIME PASSION

WHAT I HAD TO GROW UP WITH THAT BECAME MY FULL-TIME PASSION"Kemi, Kemi I am in the kitchen and you are playing?" My mum would say anytime she gets busy in the kitchen and I am nowhere around her. I was just a little girl though. I would go stay with her in the kitchen after countless pressures from her.I would do the simple tasks of slicing the onions, chopping the okro, grinding the pepper (back then that's what we do) then that sound of the grinding stone annoys me but I would be rest assured that a meal is about to be prepared 😂 because yes I could consume all the food at home without blinking. Being with my mum in the kitchen, we would gist, tell stories and laugh. Those were really beautiful memories. Then finally, when she thought we (her children) were of age to handle the kitchen themselves not for all meals thoughBut the early morning breakfast and lunch which we needed to go to school with. Then my beautiful piece begins on how I grew into a kitchen lover:I would wake up in the morning as early as 5 am Say the morning prayer with my family And then straight into the kitchen without being told Because I already knew what would be prepared the night before No one needed to tell me what quantity should be measuredI'd figure everything out myself I genuinely didn't like it when someone would come to me in the kitchen But what could I do? It was a home. I'd leave the kitchenGo prepare for schoolReturn to check if the taste of the meal met my expectations Balance the taste And when it's ready I'd dish it out for everybody without even asking if it's okay to 😂Somehow, Just somehow,The kitchen became not just a space I was sent to But a space I want to be, build and grow in.The kitchen became a therapeutic space for meA space where I could genuinely be myself DanceSingSpeak to myself And just be that girl A space where I could walk into without looking back. A simple journey That began with just the onions, okro and the grinding stoneGrew into something that became a living being inside of me Cooking isn't just about mixing ingredientsIt teaches patience It inspires creativity And now I could wake up With the thought of a new recipe banging in my head A little ingredient could make the taste of a meal become what everyone craves for Especially when cooked with love A space where the sautèing of my onions and garlic Would make it translucent and aromatic Where the sound of the spoon claps the pot while I mix Became therapy on its ownWhere pleasing colours follow by just having patience and then the colours become something to think and smile about The sauteing, simmering, boiling, mise en placing, chopping, become family in my little world Where I got the chance to taste, adjust, learn, create and recreate and just create balance A space where mistakes could be corrected A place that gives me the chance to just trust my instincts Oh, my little world of hopeNow the kitchen has become not just the place where my mum called me to assist, gist with her and laugh but also the place I grew in, learnt and still learning. Also, where my passion was built.It became a place that witnessed me walking in to it in those early mornings A place that witnessed my little experiments and my little fingers chopping and holding a spoon A place that made the knife not just a sharp object but a tool to get things done A place that witnessed my childhood curiosity and helped me create a living passion It was probably never just about the food but the feeling that comes with preparing itA feeling that I am about to make hungry faces wear a smile A feeling that I am about to bring the family together Those early mornings prepared me for the chef I am becoming Now I've chosen to continue the journey into the beautiful kitchen world

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