Paper on Grandma and Me: Baking Our Way to Connection

I was introduced to cooking at a younger age by my grandmother, with whom I would spend quite a long time trying out new recipes in the kitchen. I recall different occasions where I would be soaked with baking flour on my clothes while in the kitchen. Particularly, I remember when I was under ten years old, I assisted the grandmother in making a cinnamon apple pie for her bydweller, which is something we enjoyed doing and made us connect with each other. She would then share her recipes with me and encourage me to learn them so I can try them in the future. Some of the moments I recall were when we prepared apple pies, chocolate chips, and peanut butter cookies. Grandma really loved issues that surrounded nutrition and healthy living. I did not realize that grandma was preparing me for future passion in using culinary as a therapy to cure people's moods, and inspiring me to a medical school.

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Time moved faster, and soon, I was in my last grade in secondary school preparing to join college. My leisure time at this level is consumed by having fun with friends on the beach and studying. I rarely practice cooking since I am occupied most of the time. At this time, I got news from my mother that my grandmother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Mum was sorrowful when talking to me, and my heart sank. Doctors advised that the grandmother would have to undergo extensive chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. We were unable to visit her in hospital, but after a few months, we visited her at home. Grandmother had changed a lot since she had lost weight, was tired and fragile, and had lost her hair. I hugged her and offered her a cinnamon apple pie I had made specifically for her. She invited all of us to share the pie and cheered up all of a sudden. As we shared the pie, we laughed and shared our memories in the kitchen. Grandmother’s spirit changed, and she became cheerful. I wished her quick recovery to enable us to share the kitchen moments afresh.

Years passed by, I joined college, and here I was doing cuisine as both a hobby and a way of relieving stress. I would get myself not only baking but also formulating new recipes for better nutrition. I would read from many recipes on how to cook different meals and would modify the recipes to prepare a meal. At one time, a friend's grandmother died, and I realized that she was very upset. I recalled something about my grandmother and decided that I would help her. I decided to bake her some chocolate and peanut butter cookies. The following day when I gave her the cookies, her sorrowful and distraught demeanor disappeared abruptly. She smiled, looked at me with a teary eye, hugged me, and narrated to me how her grandmother used to bake such pies for her during Christmas. The cookies brought her memories that rekindled her happiness again. On two occasions of my life, I was perplexed at the healing power of food and how cooking has such a positive effect on individuals emotionally. Food had changed the mood of those I offered it to and made them forget their sorrows. It is here that medicine hit my mind. I began having the urge to change people's lives in a big way by pursuing medicine and continuing with my culinary art.

Conclusion

But what does baking got to do with medicine? Although I may not be using medicinal procedures to cure, I can use my cooking skills to heal people. It is baking with my grandmother that first intrigued my interest in medicine. I realized that the pie I had offered her made her joyful, besides giving her energy, hope, and motivation. I also realized how the pie had healed my friend, and I wanted to walk the extra mile. I developed the desire to cure people both medically, and through nutrition, and at this moment, I decided that medicine was my desirable path.

The urge to become a doctor has grown even more during this COVID-19 pandemic. I spend my time during the week making food for my friends, family, and members of my community to boost their psyche during this difficult time. My friends and I set up a table in our street and offered both homemade face masks and baked foods. The activity psyched me and challenged me to continue making other people regain their smiles. Thanks to my grandmother, my love for baking overlapped with my desire to help others. My desire to join a medical school and help needy people both emotionally and physically has thrived since that would enable me to help my patients directly. I intend to use the skills and knowledge to bond with my patients and aid in restoring their health.