Weekend Meditation: Silence

Sometimes when I'm alone in the kitchen, I put on my headphones and listen to a couple of the podcasts that relentlessly pile up in my queue. I feel a deep sense of satisfaction from using up the last of the carrots from the back of the crisper drawer while knocking off a couple of episodes of Good Food or The Moth. Very economical. Except when I get distracted by a riveting story and botch up a recipe. (Most recent example: forgetting the espresso powder in the mocha buttercream. Oy.) So podcasts are only for those simple, mindless dishes like potato leek soup or making a stock.

Music, too, can often be a choice for how it harmonizes with my actions and creates a flow of activity that is pleasant and energizing. It's fun to pair music with certain kitchen activities: kneading bread to something grand and classical, chopping great piles of onions to 70's ska/dub rhythms, or maybe a little gypsy jazz for frosting a cake. One thing I never do is watch TV because, well, one thing I never do is watch TV but I know a few people who get caught up with the news while making dinner.

But sometimes I want nothing more than silence and the singular tasking of just cooking. I don't want to be distracted or blended with another activity. I just want the straight up, plain old pleasure of cooking with nothing extra added in. There's something about focusing on one task with all my heart and soul that satisfies in a way that is hard to beat.

And the truth is, the kitchen is never completely silent. The thwack of the knife, the scrunch from a head of lettuce being torn from it's core, the sizzle and pop of a skillet full of bacon create a sweet, sometimes amusing, soundtrack. Throw in the hum of the refrigerator and the occasional birdsong or dog bark from the open window and things can get almost raucous.

So once in a while it's good to just do one thing without distraction and let the full engagement in the activity completely fill you up. Especially when the task at hand elicits pleasure and satisfaction. Not to mention a tablespoon of espresso powder.

Related: Washing-Up Buddha

(Image: Dana Velden)

Comments (8)

I actually prefer a bit of a bustle of others when cooking. It's why I plan my cooking times around when other folks will be home and coming in and out. There is something about the shared joy, the laughter, the deep conversations. All of that intimacy gets instilled in the food, or maybe I just feel better about doing it when I am engaging with everyone who will be sharing the fruits of my labor.

I agree that silence really does sometimes sooth in the kitchen and can become almost a soundtrack in its own right. Beautifully written.:)

I look forward to these meditations every Sunday. Thank you!

While I love cooking for large crowds, I very much prefer to be alone when I cook. I certainly don't like the TV on. Only music or the bubbling of a pot will do. This allows me the opportunity to think about what I'm cooking, how it comes together, the tastes, the smells.
Everyone else can enjoy the food. I get to enjoy the experience of cooking! (Who am I kidding? I love the food too!)

I'm easily distracted by ambient noise, and I often feel that I need my ears for cooking! When making rice I listen for the boiling water so I don't have to lift the lid. The sizzle in the pan tells me when things are the right temperature. And if I put music on, sometimes I don't hear the timer go off...

I do like catching up on podcasts while doing prep work or dishes, for sure!

I love working in silence in the kitchen. I feel more centered, more connected with the food. It turns routine tasks into an opportunity for sacred meditation. It is joyful and relaxing. I'm right where I need to be, just doing what needs to be done.

Thanks for this beautiful essay.

There are times that I love the sounds of others helping in the kitchen, or playing elsewhere in the house. Times that I want to hear music blaring (or a baseball game on the radio). Then there are times that I need peace & quiet so I can work things out in my head without distraction. Cooking can be meditative for me & I really appreciate the time to myself. Often I become so much happier when I've had a few hours to myself in the kitchen.

Sometimes I listen to music, but more often I prefer silence in the kitchen. I'm less likely to get distracted and there's something very centering about the quiet and just being present, creating whatever I happen to be cooking in the kitchen at that moment.

In the winter, with all the storm windows closed my house is deeply quiet. If we have a big snow, the sounds are even more muffled. I try to appreciate this quiet at least some of the time. In the summer, with all the windows open there is always something to listen to--kids on the street, birds chattering, the buzz of weed whackers (not my fave). I enjoy being attuned to ambient sounds and silences like these, and I will never be one of those people walking down the street with headphones on. I do put mine on when I am doing some chore I really dislike such as vacuuming.