enthusiasm…

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I gave a friend a sourdough lesson the other day. I think it went quite well. Actually I think it went really well.

Not because of my untold clear teaching techniques, (nope, not at all) but because she had enthusiasm, and later that night when her first made loaf came out of the oven, that enthusiasm was still there. Bundles of it.

It was impossible not to get caught up in her enthusiasm. Enthusiasm, for wanting to completely change around her families eating habits. Wanting to make things from scratch, away with packets, and also embracing the sourdough. Jumping all in as she had only made three loaves of bread before and then deciding that she wanted to give sourdough a crack.

It’s so wonderful to find like minded people who think along a similar way regarding food, you can stop being the odd one out for a while and that’s… lovely.

I think I had subconsciously started to tone things down a bit, even here on the blog. Did people really want to hear over and over that if you make something from scratch it tastes better. That it makes so much more sense to eat seasonally. To know where your food comes from, to get to know what was going in to your kids bodies and how to cook that food. Not Michelin starred restaurant style food but good honest, eat it everyday kind of cooking. When someone is so enthusiastic about wanting to learn, and wanting to pass that knowledge on to their own children, it’s inspiring.

Really inspiring.

It reminded me that it is really important, this food journey that a lot of people are beginning to take on and the more people that shout it from the roof tops, (not in a jam it down your throat kind of way), but in a hey, I made this, and that makes me so freakin’ happy I can’t tell you... well I think it’s worth it.

Food should be so much more than something that gets squashed together in a factory, popped in some plastic and a box, and then to be selected from a supermarket shelf. I understand convenience, and I understand lack of time, but good food shouldn’t have to mean hours and hours in a kitchen. Good food can be as simple as good core ingredients. Great core ingredients even. Back yard tomatoes, a little local goat cheese, a drizzle of awesome olive oil, a grind of black pepper and a chunk of crusty bread.

Simple. Tasty. Healthy.

The more people start to question where their food is coming from, finding out what it is exactly on their plates, and getting excited about cooking, the more things will change for the better.

If someone does this with bubbling enthusiasm, a skip in their step and love in their heart…well I think I want to be a part of that.

37 thoughts on “enthusiasm…”

  1. It is easy to be healthy, simple really, Just say NO Processed Food then go from there. Now I am going to go and to look for your sour dough recipe. I make bread twice a week every week and have never made sour dough,, looking forward to it.. now where have you hidden it.. mm.. c

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  3. I’d love to sit in on one of your sourdough lessons…I’ve done waffles and pancakes, but am scared to move beyond…I’ve had too many brick experiences over the years with other sourdoughs and this one hasn’t failed me yet…I like to keep the idea that it is the perfect one for a little longer.

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  5. Amen.

    I don’t think you should tone things down. It isn’t as inspiring unless you see someone running off into the distance in front of you and you want to catch up.

    I made another loaf of sourdough on the weekend and unfortunately I feel like I took a step back for the first time. A plain white, but it wasn’t my best loaf and badly shaped!

    I’ve got my eyes on a cheap mixer that I might buy. Not that gadgets make you better in the kitchen!

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    • They don’t make you better in the kitchen, but they can stream line things a bit though, and make things a bit easier… and taking a step backwards with the sourdough just probably means you’ll be taking leaps forward next time 🙂

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  6. Please don’t tone it down! I like being reminded over and over. Very much so in fact.

    As an aside, I stumbled on an amazing market-based bakery yesterday, with organic and sourdough loaves, and thought of you 🙂 Although of course your homemade varieites would be better still!

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  7. Brydie I for one LOVE your enthusiasm and find it totally inspiring. I must admint that I don’t live a totally processed food free life, but thanks to the encouragement and example set by people such as you I’m eating a whole lot better than I used to. Education is the key to change; and sites such as yours are leading the way through example. Keep up the fantastic work! : )

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  8. I’m all for enthusiasm! And good food- and good for you food!
    And Bread- I’m always for bread!
    I love passing on the torch and the recipes and the excitement of homemade! Last week, my son foraged oysters and mussels from
    the shore of Long Island Sound- it was so fun to consume food that was so fresh and FREE! He was so happy, filling up his pockets with oysters and he had harvested seventy huge clams that I made chowder out of.
    I loved the whole experience- sharing his joy and enthusiasm of gathering fresh seafood for dinner!

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  13. Get on your soapbox when ever you feel like it. I love reading a good rant.
    I also love the sense of accomplishment that goes along with doing something from scratch rather than using a processed version. Know what goes into our food and then our bodies is so important. This is up to us to us, not corporations.
    Tomorrow is the day. The starter will be ready and the first loaf should be on its way. Fingers are crossed.

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      • My first loaves of German sourdough are early ready for the oven.
        I know that you have written about sourdough a lot, but I was wondering if you could do a post of how you fit making it into a day. It feels really time consuming (which doesn’t really bother me) but how do you timetable it into the day? Do you start it the night before? …
        Let me know if you have already done this and just point me in the right direction.
        Thanks.

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      • BM, I haven’t done a post on that and will happily do one. When you play with it more, it does become less time consuming, and you fit in the requirements where ever. But, I still have days, when it’s 8pm, and suddenly I remember I have to make bread and the thought is a real pain.

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  14. Great to hear you’ve been re-inspired. Things do ebb and flow and your energies get pulled in different directions at times, and its nice to read about how you saw that enthusiasm and acknowledged it! Keep baking and cooking – a few of your recipes have certainly made it into our regular menu! Thank you,

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  15. Keep up the good work, spreading the word and encouraging people, like me, who are not that good in the kitchen, to give things a go. My sourdough efforts do appear to be getting more edible (I never throw out, although occasionally the chookies say “enough, enough”) I like to buy local wherever possible (sometimes its just not economic) and enjoy the “grow your own” challenge. Buyer resistance is the key – the more we demand natural local (at the very least Australian) food, the better.

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  19. No no Brydie, don’t tone it down. It’s just fantastic what you do and any positive messages about good, honest healthy food you can get across have got to be good. If you only inspire one person to eat differently and think about their food it’s a great achievement, but I suspect you’ve inspired loads.

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  21. Nothing like seeing a friend making it seem possible to feed our enthusiasm – good points about needing to share enthusiasms and to share how good food can be and how satisfying it is to get involved

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