Benefits of Cooking
and Eating Together Learned
from Italian, Argentinean,
and Indian Culture
Tips from Italy
1. Share laughter and love
In Italy, meals are long and filled with love and laughter–in fact, a classic, home-cooked Italian meal is often associated with romance.
2. Don’t be afraid of carbs!
Italian cooking has a reputation for being carb-heavy: picture pasta, pizza, and bread–YUM! Take a note from this culture by allowing yourself to indulge in these delicious meals without feeling guilty.
3. Taste while you cook
Since Italian cooking is most often cooked in a pot or pan, it’s a labor of love, and a fun process that involves regular taste-testing as you add ingredients. This makes cooking is a fun experience for the whole family.
Tips from Argentina
1. Appreciate the simple things
A meal doesn’t have to be complicated or contain a trillion ingredients to be delicious! Argentines know this; their homemade meals are simple, made with love, and eaten with the whole family.
2. Enjoy a late dinner
Starting dinner at 9:30 PM or later is typical in Argentina! While this is considered quite late in the United States, consider this your pass to start cooking dinner a little later if you need to–or to take your time as you cook.
3. Master the grill!
Argentine cooking is all about grilling delicious meats. During the warmer months, why not get the family together to grill a traditional Argentine meal outside? In Argentina, meat is grilled slowly at low temperatures; there’s never any rush.
Tips from India
1. Sit down for meals with your family
In India, family meals are an essential time to bond, talk, and connect with one another. This is something we can all learn from. If you find it hard to eat together as a family every night, try to at least incorporate one family dinner a week into your routine!
2. Don’t rush!
A typical Indian dinner lasts from 7 PM to 11:30 PM. If you find that your family typically rushes through meals, take this as a tip to slow down and appreciate your time with one another–and to appreciate all the delicious food!
3. Explore spices
Indian cooking is known for its incorporation of delicious, fragrant spices, including cardamom, cumin, turmeric, and so many more. If you don’t frequently cook with many spices or have yet to try a recipe with a particular spice, give it a shot to explore new flavors! Perhaps try cooking the highly popular chana masala, or chicken tikka masala.
More Self-Care Tips
Cooking and eating with loved ones can be a great way to practice both compassion and self-care. For more self-care tips, take a look at our other blog posts, and my latest book today!
