jungle meal lomo satado

The jungle meal – Lomo Saltado

Challenge Series – Challenge #1

The jungle meal came up from the Challenge #1 of the Challenge series that we started in Cooking Love Story.

And that was a spectacular opening.

The Challenge was for Tolee. And he accepted it.
We tried to make him see cooking from a different perspective.
And he did! More than we could all imagine.

Starting point: a beautiful memory

A beautiful memory of his life that some kind of cooking was involved, was asked.
He found it.
He asked Maria’s help, Maria is Tolee’s wife. As the memory involved also Maria.
It was a meal prepared by Maria and Soledad a Peruvian woman in the jungle of Peru on their honeymoon trip 9 years ago.

The feedback of this challenge was not only interesting but also open-minding for us all.

Questions occurred.
Questions answered.

Are YOU ready for
a Cooking Love Story challenge?

Cooking together in the kitchen

That was tricky.
As Maria is the cook of the house, a new dynamic appeared.
Tolee had to be part of this process too.

  • Maria knows how to cook, Tolee does not.
  • Maria appeared to be the boss of the kitchen and Tolee the child that always seeks for answers. He does not take anything for granted.
  • Maria seems to be inpatient and realizes it. She can do better, she is sure of that.
  • She understood that Tolee can love this whole cooking process. And she is so happy about this.
  • But in his own way. He needs simple, specific, accurate guidance and justified answers.
  • He needs a coach, not a boss.
  • She has to learn to be a coach.
  • He wants to learn and be creative, not just executing.
  • He needs to act at his own pace.
  • They need to cooperate.

Yes, cooking can be a love story, even if we did not think of it in that way.

Many reflections came up, so many similarities in their own lives that they didn’t realize up to now.
Such a big lesson for us all.

Tolee Maria

It is just a meal

A great memory was shared with their 2 daughters. Their parents’ honeymoon.
They helped in the process, they also gave a name to this tasty and challenging meal.
“The jungle meal”, ouaou!

A family co-operating in a new field and feeling the benefit of it.

I really do not want to say more.
That was far beyond my expectations.
Thank you Tolee, Maria, Anastasia, and Arianna.

That was not just a meal.
It was a Cooking Love Story.