At Morton East High School, few students can cook.

Cooking is a daily skill that is almost essential for survival.   Although there are many practical ways to learn how to cook, not all students are interested in learning such necessary skills. 

There’s no other better feeling than arriving home from work or school tired and smelling the steamy hot food prepared for you to eat. But what if there’s a day you must cook for yourself? Sure, it’s no problem if you at least know the basics of cooking. Cooking is a basic skill in life, it can be taught to anyone, and yes, to prepare any dish it may require annoying tasks such as peeling, chopping, and washing which also creates a mess. It had been known that young adults lack confidence and cooking skills, with many considering microwaving a pizza to be cooked.  In a survey of 50 people, we found that 24 of the participants say that they know how to cook. Whether you like to cook or not, cooking is an important survival task that we all must learn at some point. People share their opinions about cooking.  

“I think that is important to know how to cook by yourself because no one else is going to cook for you,” Morton East senior student, Suni Zuniga said” 

“I never learned how to cook, my mom tried teaching me but I still don’t know,” senior Morton East student Ana Flores said. 

“I know how to cook a lot of meals. My mom taught me how to cook,” junior Morton East student Jose Ramirez said. 

We all learn to cook one way or another. Some of us are taught by our parents, friends, teachers or even a cooking book itself. There are different levels of cooking. You may know how to cook an elaborate dish, or a simple meal. Cooking can be a scary task to learn, but with the help of others you can learn to master several dishes.    

“I personally like cooking; my mother teaches me how to cook,” Morton East student senior Suni Zuniga said. 

Cooking comes with many cultures and traditions. The way someone knows how to cook depends on their personality, ethnicity and who taught them how to cook.  We all have our own preferences regarding what we like to cook. Cooking also depends on the diet people like to take, like if the person would rather go for a healthy meal or a meal with higher calories. 

“I preferably like to cook deserts in general,” Morton East senior student Suni Zuniga said.  

There’s people like Jose who cook small portions of food.

“My favorite thing to cook is steak, I also like to make other small meals,” junior Morton East student Jose Ramirez said. This is great and less stressful when it comes to cooking for the whole family.

In closing, cooking can be a fun and exciting experience that can help us in our daily lives. Knowing how to cook can bond you with friends and family and can help you meet new people. Cooking is less expensive than eating out at restaurants, and buying pre-packaged meals can also get expensive for a young person and family on a budget.  Fresh food meals provide needed nutrition and proteins to your diet for energy and physical health.