Splash

The kitchen is a kaleidoscope of shifting sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and touch. All these impressions have the power to bring us into the moment, to make us more alert to what is going on in us and around us.
Old pond
A frog jumps in
- Splash
Basho (17th century)

In this poem, Basho celebrates the clarity of a moment just as it is. In the kitchen there are thousands of such moments.

As cooks, we know the great delight of savoring our food. Sometimes we taste a small bite of something and chew it carefully, feeling its texture and exploring its taste.

When we smell something delicious, our mouths water. Our sense of smell helps us extract the invisible essence of things. Ginger, chili, basil, mint - we recognize these and a thousand other smells instantly.

We feel the size, shape, temperature, weight, and texture of things. Eyes closed, we can know the difference between an apple and an orange, a wooden spoon and a metal one.

Our very substance, every cell, every nerve fiber, is built to respond to the world around us. We receive the world through our senses, through the textures and aromas of life.