Women have surrounded me my entire life. Not normal women, the ones who have been very good cooks. My grandmother had a food business selling snacks for as long as I can remember. She used us as salespeople to take the extra snacks to the markets.

My mother has been an amazing cook too. This makes sense given her mother’s history, who is the grandmother I just mentioned. By default, I found myself exposed to cooking from a very young age.

My mother started by using me as an assistant when she cooked to making me her partner in cooking. In the beginning, she would send me to bring something without any explanation. She would ask me to wash or cut something and keep quiet. After some time, she started explaining to me what and why we were doing. I loved it.

I started learning a variety of recipes and dishes. I experienced all the spices and gained knowledge of cooking for myself and for a group of people. That became my hobby on my own when I started living alone.

One of the things that had always stood out during my time with Grandma and my mother was the topic of salt. “No matter how good your dish is, the over or absence of salt will ruin everything,” my mother once mentioned. And my grandma said something along the same lines, “good cooks are sensitive about salt.”

So I felt excited all the time in the kitchen when adding salt to the dishes. I was curious to see how they added salt, tested the right amount, and confirmed it was enough. I realised it was not an easy process, and there was no one direct answer.

Sometimes my mother would use a single spoon; some days she would put it in her hand. Some days, she would taste the sauce and add salt right away. Other times, she would just add it and not pay attention. And every single time I asked the same question, “How do you know that the salt you added was enough?”

One day, after feeling let down by vague answers about salt, my mother taught me a valuable lesson. She said, “Son, there is no one way to apply salt. The trick is to use a small amount. This will create the taste you want. Then, save the extra on the table for anyone who wants more.”

That lesson amused me. It was a perfect summary of how some things in life have such a major impact, but yet you cannot control them. No matter how much salt you add to food, someone will always think it’s too much or too little. 

Your job is to figure out the right amount that the majority of people would either take it as it is or add from the table. The moment the salt is too much to make the food edible, then you have failed as a cook.

I took that lesson and applied it in my life. When I had to make a decision or do something important, I would think of the concept of salt. I remind myself to do the basics well enough. If anyone wants more, they can just ask me.

And that has saved me a lot of procrastination, worry about how people will see me and react to me. My role is to do the best to my standards and ignore the rest. Try to see in your life all the things that you have got to be yourself and still impress people.

Learn to be like the good cooks; do not avoid the conversation about salt in your food. Add enough salt so the food tastes good. Also, be open to others who might want more salt. And be ready for others who will say there is too much salt. 

Learn to be yourself. Learn to follow your standards and the right people will like you that way. If someone makes you feel inadequate, they might ask for more. You’ll then decide if you have anything extra to offer. The most important thing is to never be afraid to talk about what makes you.

#iThinkSo

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be free from suffering.

May you find peace and joy.

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Rogers Katuma

Financial Artist, Senior Adventurer, Occasional Storyteller, and Amateur Golfer