Magic, Now and Then

As children, magic is our comfort zone.  It is that small place in the world where anything can happen, not bound by time or space or reason.  It is the one reality that, when everything else seems to turn sour, stays vibrant.  When our lives become so passive that we desperately search for a parallel one, we find that magic fills an empty space.  But eventually, we all reach the age at which we learn that the tooth-fairy is really our mother, that our dolls do not have a secret life when we sleep, that there are no monsters under the bed, and that we were not dropped on the doorstep by a stork.  Magic disappears from our reality and is soon replaced with a rigid sensibility reinforced by years of schooling.  Rational thought overpowers curiosity, while peace chokes youth’s excitement and wonder.  The thrill of magic dies.

But it leaves a spark… a spark desperately waiting to be reignited.

One of the places that fans that spark is the professional kitchen.  The professional kitchen is a place of magic.  Orders are sent in at lightning speed, meats are cooked to the desired temperature and tenderness, and side dishes are tweaked to satisfy each costumer.  All the dishes are ready at the exact same moment for each table, piping hot, with a garnish to complement the taste and a clean plate.  By some miracle, the waiters pick up numerous plates, without dropping any of the items balanced on those plates, reaching the table with steam still rising above the food, a clean apron, and a calm smile that asks ‘is everything to your liking?’.  Any sense of time dissolves, as minutes turn into hours, orders rolling in as fast as the machine can handle.  Simultaneously, tens of tables are being served.  Special requests are fulfilled.  Dirty dishes are cleaned and replaced.  Somehow, everyone manages to hear the expediter’s orders over the clang of pots and pans on the stovetop, over the banging of the oven doors.  Plates are decorated for the appropriate dish.  Orders are cooked to perfection.  Dishes are sent back with sometimes completely ridiculous complaints.  Knives slice, dice and chop.  Observing carefully, you may be able to decipher the precise, calculated dance steps that create the dance of a professional kitchen.

In the small confines of the kitchen, you are the king of the world, completely omnipotent.  Imagination molds reality, while creativity dictates your every decision.  There is no-one questioning your judgment, no-one testing your intelligence, no-one trying to reason with you, or argue with your way of doing, because in the kitchen, you are right.  You are powerful.  You are beautiful.  Why?  How?

Well, the kitchen is a place of magic.  It is that small place in the world where anything can happen, not bound by time or space or reason.  It is the one reality that, when everything else seems to turn sour, stays vibrant.  Curiosity and wonder overpower rationality and sensibility.  The thrill of youth is revived.  We call it magic.