Dear Reader,

I don’t know where you are in the world right now, but where I am right now it’s really hot. Days are often over 30°C (86°F) and rarely do I ever feel like stranding over the stovetop to cook something over heat. I’m sweaty enough as it is!

In fact, I have many days where I don’t want to cook. There are many reasons why I don’t want to– it can be stress, lack of time, and sometimes it’s just the weather.

Admitting that has been freeing for me.

What Japanese summers taught me about why I don’t like cooking

Summers in Japan are notoriously hot (especially in Tokyo, where I’m from). Not only are the temperatures brutal, but because it’s so humid there is little reprieve even in the mornings and evenings.

But spending summers there made me pay more attention to how seemingly inconsequential details– like the weather– would affect my desire to cook. It wasn’t that I didn’t like cooking, but when walking outside felt like soup, I needed to make my cooking routine as hands-off as possible.

For example, when it’s hot I know myself well enough to admit that I am not going to want to stand over a stove to cook. I rule out cooking meals that will require this.

But I know that putting a few things in a rice cooker and letting it sit for 5-6 hours, while I go do something else, is within my willingness to cook. There is no dread, no stress, just dinner.

If instead I struggled to admit my reluctance to cook because it’s hot, I may instead blame my lack of willpower or discipline, and feel ashamed. But when you can disentangle from the shame, it feels easy to plan a meal that doesn’t require sweating over a stove.

This foresight can apply to other scenarios as well:

• Not wanting to go to the gym because it’s rainy → plan a yoga mat workout indoors
• Not wanting to grocery shop because the store is too crowded after work → delegate that task to a roommate, who doesn’t mind
• Not wanting to wash and chop vegetables because it makes my hands hurt → cook with frozen vegetables

Without shame shrouding the view, we find foresight

Admitting that my desire to cook is challenged by something as simple as the weather seems maybe ‘weak’, but it’s not.

We are often quick to judge our own desire to improve our health– many of us have been conditioned to blame a lack of willpower or discipline, rather than recognizing that there are external factors at play.

It’s okay to not want to do something that’s healthy and important for our well-being over something as trivial-seeming as the weather. When we can admit that, we show empathy for ourselves and we are much better at disentangling feelings of shame and guilt from our journey to be healthier.

When we disentangle ourselves from those feelings, it actually becomes a lot easier to plan for those feelings.

And ultimately, make healthy feel easy.

Warmly,

Kaki

🥕 PS. Scroll down for a "cooks itself" low-effort Japanese curry recipe!

What are your health goals?

For this week, I’d love to know—

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Recipe: "Cooks itself" low-effort Japanese curry in a pressure cooker

Ingredients (3-4 servings):

• 1lb of pork or beef stew meat (I prefer the fattier cut, but if you cook for at least 5 hours the lean cuts become very tender as well! If you don’t eat meat, you can skip)
• 1 cup of carrots, diced (I use baby carrots for less work)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 potato, diced (I use yellow, but you can use what you like)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of edamame (frozen)
• 1 cup of spinach (frozen)
• Rice (I often have frozen rice at home and will defrost it, but you can use microwaveable rice or make rice separately)
• 1 pack of Japanese curry roux (I often use brands like Vermont Curry and Golden Curry because of their availability, but there are also vegan, gluten-free curry options!)

Instructions:

1. Add the meat, carrots, onions, potatoes, and water in a rice cooker. Press start and do something else to relax 🛀🏻
2. Once the rice cooker goes off, don’t open it! Leave it for another 3-6 hours. The longer you leave it, the more tender.
3. When ready, add the roux, edamame, and spinach. Add more hot water if necessary. Mix everything together, and serve with rice!

*Please note that some linked products are affiliate links and I receive a portion of sales. If you have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to email me.

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