You will come away from this quick read with a new perspective on your list of recipes, and might feel a little closer to your family. Hold on to your butts, because we're getting brainy.
I was walking my dog, Ollie (pic right), when it hit me: recipes are historical records that we can give each other. Let me explain! I don't think it is a secret that recipes help us understand history or that most people have a special recipe from a family member. Maybe some of you even have a special recipe that was handed down over generations. Perhaps it is written down on an old piece of paper, in a scrap book, or in an old cook book that cracks when you open it because it has generations of vanilla stains and sugar crystals pressed between the pages. My family has those too, and I think they're treasures. But my blog title said neurons, not notepads, and I promised some butt-holding braininess.
So, here's the quickest of lessons on neurons from someone who has about 6 weeks of training. Clearly, I'm an expert. Here goes (7 sentences)! Our brains are made up of neurons, which are essentially teeny tiny computers. The way the itty-bitty computers talk to each other is with signals called neurotransmitters, which we can think of as cables that connect the computers to each other. When we learn, our mini-computers connect to each other and create a map of neural connections so we can repeat what we just learned. Part of the map includes our senses - like the taste of butter, the smell of rosemary, or the texture of flour. Another part includes what we felt, like the love which is embedded within the best and most important recipes. All that rich information is recorded within the micro-computers and their cable network. Every time you use a specific recipe, the strength of the network connections are strengthened.
So what does that have to do with recipes? Before I understood how the neural network (aka our brain) works, I thought of recipes as outside of me. They were in that notebook, just kind of a vehicle for a meal. However, now I understand that recipes are representations of our deepest personal histories. You don't share recipes you don't like, so if you're getting a recipe from someone, it is because many people before you loved it. Recipes require trial and error, therefore you're receiving someone's creativity and determination. Recipes use the food of that time and environment, so when you cook the food from an old recipe, you're stepping back into time to see, touch, taste, and smell the same food as your grandmother, great grandfather, great great aunt, or ultra great cousin. My perception is that when your neurons are making a network (a memory), you're making a similar network as the person before you. To me, that means that my family history lives in me when I cook, because I'm learning the same things they did. My brain is forming the same way their's did. At least a little, but a little goes a long way.
I really believe that food is at the center of a healthy and happy community. All types of food are welcome, which means all kinds of people are. To be, knowing that we have our histories embedded in our brains makes me feel even more connected. Maybe I'm just a nerd, but I hope this gave you a unique perspective on cooking.
If you have any family recipes you'd like to share, I'd love to try them out. I'll send you one in return (after I call my mom to double check the ingredients).
Love yourself! Muah!
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