Day 19: Cooking & Pleasure
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Time to read 4 min
Cooking is an intimate, sensory-rich experience——an invitation to slow down, engage our senses, and find pleasure in both the process and the result. Whether cooking for yourself, a lover, or a group of strangers, the act of preparing food is an act of care, creativity, and connection —a ritual that nourishes both body and soul.
The pleasure of cooking isn’t just about taste; it’s about touch, smell, sound, and sight. It’s the rhythm of chopping vegetables, the aroma of garlic sizzling in a pan, the transformation of raw ingredients into something deeply satisfying. Cooking grounds us in the present moment, allowing us to experiment, savor, and delight in the simple magic of turning ingredients into something greater than the sum of their parts.
Day 19 Challenge: Cooking & Pleasure
Today, immerse yourself in the joy of cooking. Whether you're preparing a simple meal for yourself or a feast for loved ones, focus on the sensory delights of the process.
Feel the textures – the softness of dough, the crispness of fresh vegetables.
Inhale the aromas – spices blooming in oil, citrus zest releasing its brightness.
Listen to the sounds – the bubbling of a simmering sauce, the crunch of bread breaking.
Savor the flavors – let each bite be an experience, not just a routine.
Let cooking become a meditative practice, a moment of creativity, and a celebration of pleasure in its simplest form.
Cooking for Yourself: A Private Ritual of Care
There’s something deeply satisfying about cooking just for yourself—a moment to tune into what you need, what you crave, and what brings you comfort. Cooking alone can be simple, stress-free, and deeply rewarding. It doesn’t have to be extravagant—it can be as effortless as a perfectly cooked bowl of rice or as indulgent as homemade pasta from scratch .
Flannery Klette-Kolton, a chef specializing in integrative culinary experiences, finds pleasure in the ease and simplicity of solo cooking:
“I love the ease and lack of stress around cooking for myself. I don’t have to make something elaborate and most of the time I don’t. Using the minimal amount of equipment to reduce clean-up I find joyous.”
For Flannery, cooking alone is an act of self-care:
“I have a lot of go-to dishes that I make for myself, but my self-care moment is usually a simple bowl of Rice Factory rice. With butter if I want an extra hug.”
Cooking for Lovers: A Sensual Shared Experience
Sharing a meal with a lover transforms cooking into an act of intimacy. Preparing food together creates moments of connection—chopping side by side, tasting together as you go, setting the table with intention. Cooking for a partner, or with them, invites playfulness, presence, and desire into the kitchen.
Flannery believes that organization is key to making the experience enjoyable rather than stressful:
“Being organized and giving yourself plenty of time. I apply this to all cooking. It’s nice to be organized enough that it is easy to pass off a task to a partner or friend that allows you to rub shoulders or flirt or gossip. Being organized and tidy makes the kitchen less intimidating, and then more inviting to others.”
A meal designed for pleasure should be easy to eat and leave you feeling light and energized:
“I mostly think about ease of eating and the lingering effect. Things that can be eaten easily and neatly, or even better with your hands, are always sensual. And I do think food tastes better that way. I also think about how the meal is going to feel after you eat it. If your intentions are frisky, you want all parties to feel energized and not weighed down by the meal.”
Cooking for Strangers: The Pleasure of Connection
Cooking is one of the oldest ways to foster connection. Sharing food with strangers—whether at a dinner party, retreat, or restaurant—creates an immediate sense of intimacy and warmth. When we cook for others, we offer a piece of ourselves through flavor, nourishment, and intention.
For Flannery, cooking for strangers is an act of making people feel seen — “I love, love! [cooking for strangers], I guess I’m a people pleaser. And feeding is one of my love languages. I cook for strangers often who become friends. I try to pick up on a universal energy along with their individual vibe. I take pleasure in serving something someone didn’t know they wanted but find delicious. I now prefer cooking for people for a week because it gives me lots of opportunities to scratch their itch and get inside their wants. Then they feel seen. And that’s my kink.”
Flannery’s approach to cooking is deeply intuitive—she observes, listens, and learns her guests' preferences by paying attention to how they engage with their meal:
“I pay attention when people are eating. I jokingly say I’m creeping on them. But this is how I learn what’s working and what’s not, especially on an individual basis. Then after the meal, I might say something light or sarcastic or genuinely inquisitive (you have to read your audience) about if there was something they didn’t like. Then ask what are things they do like. That gives me a chance to get in there.”
Pleasure in the Kitchen: A Daily Practice
Cooking is a daily opportunity to cultivate pleasure—through mindful preparation, sensory engagement, and the joy of sharing meals. Whether cooking solo, for a partner, or for a group, the kitchen can be a space for ritual, play, and deep connection.
How will you infuse pleasure into your cooking practice today?
Want More from Flannery Klette-Kolton?
Follow Flannery on Instagram @Flannerykk for culinary experiences at home, on the sea, or on retreat