writing assignment

Why Cooking is my favorite pastime
Cooking is my chosen activity when I have free time at home; it is beneficial for my health, wellbeing, and helps me strengthen relationships. Firstly, after a stressful day at work there's no better way to unwind than to prepare a delicious meal for loved ones. I find that the process of cooking is one of the best ways to relax because it requires me to focus my mind in order to follow a recipe. When preparing a meal my thoughts are taken away from the day's problems to concentrate on the ingredients in front of me to be able to put them together correctly. Secondly I enjoy cooking because I am able to  express my love for someone, be it a partner, friends or family through taking the time and effort to make meal. When I am cooking for myself I can eat the same simple meal again and again, yet I will happily spend a day in the kitchen practicing new recipes and coming up with an exciting menu when the meal is for others.  Furthermore, I often find it hard to communicate my appreciation for someone, although I can do that with ease through baking a cake for coworkers, cooking a curry for friends or a roast chicken dinner for family members. Thirdly, I like to bring friends and family together by inviting them over to eat. What makes a meal special is the company, enjoying one another's company and spend time together over the dinner table. Nothing unites a family more than a meal together, either for a special occasion or on a daily basis. As a family when I was a child we would always eat dinner together; it was a time to share stories from the day and plans for the week. I've maintained this ritual into adulthood and my fondest memories from the past few years have always been situated around a dinner table. Lastly, I love to travel, and I can recollect past travels by cooking meals from different countries where I have visited. For these reasons instead of coming home from work and picking up the remote control, I always pick up a recipe book!