“Jae, how did you get involved in cooking?” This is a question I’ve been asked many times over the years. It’s difficult for me to pinpoint exactly when cooking started, but the proverbial seeds were planted for the concept when I was a very young boy watching my grandmother put together those scrumptious Southern style cuisine classics like chicken and dumplings, smothered pork chops with gravy and onions, collard greens with the fat back, shrimp and grits, and many more. Over the years cooking became one of my passions. So much so that I’ve been producing and hosting my Cooking with Jae show on the WHRO Public Media Facebook page now for about two years. It airs Sunday evenings at 6. So how did it start?
Well, probably, the first dishes were created when I was a broke college student after I got out of the Navy. Cooking was more out of necessity at that point rather than passion. I would buy bottled sauces and cook the pastas or rice or buy canned items. Then there were the breakfast ideas. Omelets, pancakes, bacon, hash browns, grits. Gradually things progressed in complexity. I’m also a performing artist. Drummer, composer, and music educator. In composition you have harmonic, melodic and rhythmic layers that are conceptualized to tell a story. I started paralleling the art of writing with the concept of creating unique flavor profiles with food. It was a revelatory awakening for me…now I realize cooking is an art.
It was during this time I started merging the art of cooking with the art of musical performance. Cooking presented me the same visionary opportunities to use my creative outlets the same way I did with practicing my instrument, performing in concerts, writing a new work, or teaching students. The salmon is the melody for example. The seasonings are the harmony, and the cooking is the rhythm. When I wasn’t practicing my instrument, I was cooking or thinking of a new recipe idea. Cooking enabled me to create interesting artistic parallels with music performance. It certainly was helping to fulfill artistic voids.
Lastly, cooking became a healthy lifestyle choice. It presents me the opportunity to make better choices in what I consume. I learned about food nutrition and how much damage we do to our healthy well being by making horrible dietary choices. Many of our health issues are diet related. Coronary artery disease. Diabetes. High blood pressure. Cholesterol issues, etc. Mostly because of what I call the abuse of the big three…sugar, salt and fat. Many people by noon have consumed the USDA daily milligram requirements of these ingredients. Too often how we eat lacks moderation and discipline. Poor dietary choices can lead to severe health issues over time and by cooking my food I could make better dietary choices for myself.
Clearly, cooking plays a significant role in my life. Early on, again, it was more about necessity. Then it became an artistic endeavor and passion. Then a healthy lifestyle concept. Better dietary choices ultimately made me feel physically and emotionally better which helps my musical performance ventures. It’s all connected. Being a drummer requires a level of on-point fitness for endurance, dexterity, focus and mobility. I’m in my 60’s now and so far, luckily, I’ve avoided many of the arthritic and joint issues many drummers are confronted with over time. I feel some things but up to this point they are definitely manageable, and I truly believe it’s a result of the smart dietary AND physical choices I’ve made and continue to make for myself."
Watch Cooking with Jae Sundays at 6 p.m. on Facebook.
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