How many lives do we get?

Today my 5 year old asked me:“How many lives do we get?”

It’s one of those questions you are not prepared to answer, especially when you are doing your DIY pedicure or stirring minestrone, which is usually the context in which these ideological enquiries are thrown at you.

I am not quite sure whether I should give her a Catholic explanation, an insight on Stephen Hawking’s theories or a New Age interpretation.

The reality is, I have no idea.

But her question makes me question: how many lives do we get in the kitchen?

Probably the most we could ever get anywhere else.

The kitchen is the place where we always get a second chance.

Like when we prepare those medium-rare chicken legs or put salt in the dessert thinking it's sugar. Delicious, I am sure. When we overcook pasta to the point it could be porridge, but that’s ok, because it’s for the kids and they happily eat it anyway. Even when we try our best to follow recipes and we end up with a deflated souffle’, a rock hard carrot cake or an overly spiced soup from hell.

I once made a rice cake without cooking the rice. I was 7, so that’s maybe why.

But when I put flour in the mashed potatoes to add texture I was 25.

We die in the kitchen everyday, and most of the time, nobody knows- so we are fine.

The next day we resuscitate with a perfect brownie, a decent spaghetti bolognese and a crunchie mixed salad.

I also wonder if Italian cuisine offers more or less life chances than other foods.

I suppose cutting sushi is quite an art, you will probably never be alive again after a few failures. Asian food has a lot of easy, boiled rice and ‘stuff’ all mixed together and spiced up, which I am sure can turn you into an eternal human being.

Italian food seems forgiving, but it is not. You definitely have to die at least twice for each meal before you get it right.

The creamy risotto takes at least three tries not to taste like a japanese boiled rice with random ingredients casually fallen into it.

To get proper pasta sauces, you should stop inundating them with garlic and onion, herbs and balsamic reduction!

You can probably save your life with Tiramisu, if you do not attempt at beating the eggs with your own fork.

I am all wrapped up in culinary thoughts, but I still haven't answered my daughter’s question.

It turns out she is not waiting for my reply, since she already has the solution.

“Mummy it’s easy! We have 3 lives!”

That is when she shows me her new video game.

“In games you always get 3 lives, so that is how many we have!”

The “digital theory”, of course!

I must be too old.

It doesn’t matter how many times I am reborn in the kitchen, I still age.

#lives #kitchenlives #dieinthekitchen #resuscitate #ricecake #tiramisu #risotto