When packing my bags to go to college, I knew I would miss a lot about home. I’d miss my family and friends, my teammates, the familiar restaurants and coffee shops. I knew I’d miss beach days and boba runs and, of course, my dog. I also didn’t realize how much I’d miss cooking.
In high school, I really didn’t cook that often. I liked cooking, for sure, but it was rarely something I did. I would make breakfast and lunches, but they were always very simple, seeming to me more like assembly than actually cooking. Yet when I open Instagram and come across a video of someone else making dinner, I’m a little bit jealous when I see them chopping vegetables or measuring out ingredients, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. At least, until recently.
Cooking and food are some of my earliest memories. The first memory I have is of my birthday cake, the number three formed by a rainbow of M&M candies. In between watching the Macy’s parade, my brother and I would help in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, carefully shaping crescent rolls or helping make mashed potatoes. And during Christmas, I loved staying near the kitchen to see if my dad would let me try a side early, asking me what I thought the dish needed more of.
For me, cooking is central to what I associate with my family. My parents both cook, and at home, I’d often walk into the kitchen to find one of them in there, stirring a pot on the stove or pulling out ingredients from the cabinets. I’d do my homework at the table, the sounds of sizzling oil or knives hitting the cutting board acting as background noise to the integrals I was solving. Since cooking is so deeply intertwined with my memories of my family, it makes a lot of sense that I’d miss it as a freshman living in a dorm without kitchens. Cooking isn’t just making food; it’s a connection to some of the people I miss while living in a completely different state.
Being homesick is to be expected as a freshman in college. For many people my age, myself included, it’s the first time being away from home for an extended period of time. Personally, I think I’ve been pretty lucky not to be too homesick, and have overall enjoyed getting adjusted to a new environment here in Austin. However, as months have gone by and I’ve seen other people go home for the weekend, I’ve really missed my hometown and my loved ones. Combined with the increased push of fall baking content on my explore page, my envy towards someone baking salt bread can really be translated as missing home and the people in it.
I’ll be going back home soon for Thanksgiving. I look forward to being able to cook as much as I can, making some fall treats from the recipes I’ve saved on Instagram or Pinterest. But I’m also really looking forward to seeing my family, and getting a temporary homesickness cure.