Basically there are two types of cooks – those who seem to take forever in the kitchen and the fast ones. In most cases, the fast ones will give you food that will, yes, fill your stomach but not satisfy your soul. Although all the ingredients are there, they are not mixed with utmost care and precision. Since the food is hurriedly prepared, there is no passion and connection between the cook and the cooked. As a result, the food lacks ‘soul.’ The slow cooks, on the other hand, are not necessarily good cooks. They too can burn, overcook and even undercook the food. But mostly, this type of cooks take a lot of time in the kitchen because they care so much about what they are doing. To them, food preparation is like the process of making art. The end result, which is the plate of food, is indeed an artwork to them. These cooks have the patience, love and passion. They will meticulously peel a tomato without a grunt of complaint. They will marinate vegetables for thirty minutes before finally putting them under fire. If it takes an hour to boil, squash and mash potatoes to a paste, they will do it, nevertheless. If something needs to simmer or boil for some time, they are not only patient but happy to let it be. All the ingredients are mixed with right dosages. They double cross and ensure that their food is well balanced, with all the necessary vitamins. They will give you the right amount salt and pepper – never too much, never too little.
I say this because right now, as I type this, I’m in a kitchen. I’m cooking. I’ve been in the kitchen for quite some time now. This therefore throws me in the category of slow cooks, the-forever-in-the-kitchen type. But my kitchen is different. The ingredients are different. And so are the tools, utensils and equipment. The stove, the pots, the plates, the cutlery, the sink, the spices and herbs have been replaced by guitars, keyboards and pianos, drums, sound mixers and speakers, microphones, earphones and computers. This kitchen is a recording studio, the place where music is being cooked. I’m in the final stages of recording my album. Actually the recording part is all done. We are now in the stages they call mixing and mastering. It’s been three full years since this project began. Like slow cooks in a kitchen, we are sure this will be a plate of food worth waiting for. Those who have previewed it have given positive reviews and this always rejuvenates my strength and willpower. Sometime before the end of January 2012, the poetry album, or should I say the ‘plate of food,’ will be hitting shelves of CD outlets and record stores. So, if you come across something that reads; ‘Dredd X – Poetic Meditations,’ grab it! That’s the soul food you need.
