During the home quarantine period, we couldn't go out, and even takeaway deliveries were handled by the epidemic prevention personnel, which was quite inconvenient. So, we picked up the spatula again and explored the mysteries of the kitchen.
Currently, Beijing has not experienced the shortage of supplies like Shanghai, so we didn't stock up too much. We basically buy vegetables on the same day we cook them, or sometimes we buy them a day in advance. We also buy some vegetables that can be stored for a long time, such as potatoes and black fungus, so that we can use them anytime.
The last time I entered the kitchen was almost before winter. When the weather gets cold, I start to have difficulty getting up, let alone cooking in the morning. I'm too tired on weekdays, and I don't have the energy to cook on weekends, so we mostly rely on takeout. This quarantine period gave us a chance to cook again.
The cooking arrangement is basically taking turns, with occasional substitutions. One or two people cook and chop vegetables, while the other person washes the pots and dishes, with clear division of labor. If someone is busy with work, it sometimes happens that others cook for several consecutive days, but we understand each other. We have been doing this for over a month, and everything has been peaceful.
Among the three of us, one is from the south (Guangxi), one is from the north (Shanxi), and the other is from the far west (Xinjiang), so everyone has different cooking styles. I cook stir-fries more often, my friend from Shanxi cooks a lot of potatoes and vermicelli, and my friend from Xinjiang cooks various chicken wings and chicken feet. Although our focuses are different, we have one thing in common - when cooking or before cooking, we follow tutorials to learn - which shows that we are all learning on the go.
Thanks to my habit of recording every day, I have recorded all the dishes I cooked.
Breakfast is basically solved with sandwiches. After eating "Purple Rice Sandwiches" for a long time, I prefer "Pumpkin Sandwiches" in comparison. The ingredient that appears most frequently is undoubtedly eggs: stir-fried eggs with green peppers, stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried eggs with zucchini... eggs can be cooked with anything.
As time goes by, we have also reached the "seven-year itch" of cooking - the ingredients come and go, and we have tried almost all the dishes we can make, gradually returning to the most common home-cooked dishes. There were even signs of not wanting to cook. We started to occasionally "indulge", for example, on Fridays, we would order shredded chicken, a few skewers of barbecue, plus three cans of beer, and have a good time together. The next day, we would return to normal cooking.
Life is like this, too. It starts with surprises, then becomes boring or even annoying, then reconciles, and finally returns to tranquility.