Samin Nosrat knows what it means to follow your passion. I admit I am a little late to the phenomenon known by many as simply “Samin.” If you love cooking shows the way I do, and you haven’t heard of her yet, you must watch Salt Fat Acid Heat. After watching the first show, I ordered her cook book by the same name along with a set of Salt Fat Acid Heat watercolor prints by illustrator Wendy MacNaughton. I plan on hanging them in my new kitchen! If you have never heard of her, you must visit ciaosamin.com.
As Lizz Shumer from the New York Times wrote in a recent article, “Pursuing your passion makes you feel good.” For instance, a 2015 study found that those who are engaged in hobbies were 34% less stressed – but it is all about finding the time to get into the zone. In the article “Why Following Your Passions Is Good for You,” Ms. Shumer quotes a productivity expert who wants to dispel the idea that we can’t fit anything else into our busy schedules. “When you say you don’t have time, what you’re really saying is, it’s not a priority.”
What is your passion? It can simply start with a spark of interest. In other words, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Samin majored in English at UC Berkeley and had dinner one evening at the famous Chez Panisse restaurant. She immediately decided she wanted to work there and started at the bottom. She worked her way up until she was working and cooking with Alice Waters.
Samin also worked in Italy and started private cooking classes. Her love of writing (and above all, her ability to understand that if you don’t ask for it you won’t get it) gave her the courage to write author Mike Pollan to see if he would let her attend his wait-listed writing class. She then taught him how to cook! How can a woman who says, “… I live to cook and eat with my friends, surf, sleep under the stars, read and write and listen to good music” not be pursuing her passions?
In the last few months I haven’t made my hobbies a top priority. In November I started a new job and last weekend I moved to a new city. I admit that I fell off the grid a bit with this blog recently. But I have vowed to make it a priority. Samin’s book Salt Fat Acid Heat will arrive in the next few days. I plan on making my passion for cooking a priority again as well. Since I don’t really cook for myself, I will share my passion with my co-workers who are a great group of foodies. My first recipe? Ligurian focaccia bread – with generous amounts of salt!
Identify your passion and make time for it. I would love to hear what your passion is, and how you make it a priority. Stay passionate, stay fabulous and be strong!
