It’s been more than a year since a touch a pan for the last time. I used to be good at cooking when I was motivated. I even had couple books from the chef Gordon Ramsay and I watched almost all his videos.
So why I stopped?
Back in 2017, I put a break at this basic task that almost everyone is doing. For some people, it’s a passion. In my case, I have too many passions. Yes, I can’t take them all.
There are a lot of things involves in the word “cooking”.
- going to the supermarket
- make a checklist of what I need
- planning what I’ll eat and what I like to eat
- taking care of the expiration date
- searching recipes
- cleaning the dishes
- And so on…
I can now afford to skip the process and no you don’t need to be rich.
Choose your passion
I’m someone very curious and I used to develop new passion very easily. Recently, I realized that I should only do things that you’re the best. Next, work enough to afford to skip the less important things.
I’m good at web development. In order to improve myself and follow the next trends, I need to learn and build more projects. In order to be a good web developer, I need to only focus on that. That’s what the world need; specialized people. Cooking easily took me 2-3 hours a day. It’s a lot of time for someone who already has a busy schedule. I embrace those who are bad in life, but succeed by doing one thing.
Airbnb are not always like home.
No matter where you go, you’ll never find a kitchen like you’re used to have back in your previous life. There’s something personal in a kitchen that I can’t explain. When I rented my first Airbnb, I almost washed every kitchen item before using them. You’re pretty much sure to get clean bed, but a clean place to cook it not a safe bet. At that time, I knew it won’t last long until I find an alternative.
How much does it cost?
I spend an average $8 per meal and I take usually 2 meals a day. I don’t skip the breakfast, usually takes something light. At the end of the week I’d have spent around $120 which is less than my previous shopping list. And no, I don’t eat fast food.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen that I spend most of my time in Eastern Europe or Asia. That’s how I manage to keep on budget. It’s easy to go beyond that if you’re in large cities like Paris, Barcelona, Rome, London. In these cases, I prefer looking at street food or cheap authentic places. In Paris, I was eating sandwiches, salad and cured Meat. I almost never eat in a restaurant when I was there. That’s also why I couldn’t see myself living in Paris for a long period.
Take Away
Working from home has something personal and cozy. You can’t replicate that when you’re in a restaurant. Half of the time, I bring my food home. I’ve been to more than 600 restaurants this year and many places have great food but depressing dining room. More specifically in Asia.
So the next time you see me posting food stories on Instagram you’ll understand why. 😉
