Food is a symbol of welcome, love, and even intimacy in many cultures. Regardless of your nationality or culture, making food for a loved one expresses, "I care about you."

Is there anyone among us who does not have happy childhood recollections associated with cooking?

Maybe it was preparing Grandma's unique cinnamon buns or baking cookies with a parent. It is not unusual to think, "This smells like home!" while entering a house after someone has just taken something delicious out of the oven.

We begin to feel better about ourselves even when we bake something for someone else. The Huffington Post cited Donna Pincus, a psychology and brain sciences professor at Boston University, as saying:

“Baking for others can increase a feeling of wellbeing, contribute to stress relief, and make you feel like you’ve done something good for the world, which perhaps increases your meaning in life and connection with other people.”

Although being able to prepare a complete meal is undoubtedly a highly helpful skill, baking seems to have a unique place in the symphony of love we perform for the people we love. Given that baking calls for precise ingredient measurements and attention to technique, it makes sense that someone who receives a pan of brownies or loaf of bread cooked at home will feel appreciated and validated. Furthermore, for the majority of us, homemade baked goods like cakes, buns, and candies are not necessary daily indulgences. Receiving a lavish gift from a loved one might be like receiving a warm embrace.

Baking for others often induces a unique kind of slumber that is akin to meditation because of the concentration needed for tasks like measuring and stirring. All five senses are engaged when baking, which helps us regain mindfulness—a quality we frequently lose in our hectic, noisy, and chaotic lifestyles. This thoughtful sensation can spread to everyone around you when you bake for them.

Comfort in tough times

In 2020, people will have to deal with challenges they have never dealt with before. This has been a challenging year for almost everyone, regardless of whether COVID-19 has resulted in lost income, loneliness, illness, or the death of a loved one. For millennia, individuals from diverse groups have endeavored to show their support during difficult times by donating food as a gift. Indeed, 2020 has been the ideal year to offer a baked good to cheer up individuals who have suffered a great deal of loss.

A lot of people have taken up baking in this difficult year. What started out as a means of escaping hardships has developed into a means of helping others in the community who are in need and a wonderful opportunity to distribute baked goods produced under stress. By learning to offer, the baker occasionally finds that giving to others helps to lessen some of their own anguish. Even though the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 have been isolating, sharing your goods and learning to bake for others can help you reach out when you're feeling lonely.

Making a dessert for someone in need is a way to lend a helping hand. Even when you are unable to be present for the entirety of the battle, baked goods might serve as concrete symbols of your comfort and support. The wounded spirit can perceive that someone took time out of their day to meet their bodily needs while they were feeling alone and sorrowful in the middle of the night. Snacking on some chocolate can occasionally temporarily dull the pain while one considers how, despite how alone they may feel, they are not alone at all.

Developing a Bond with Each Other

Together, baking may be a great way for family and friends to become closer. It is common for women in prehistoric societies to develop strong relationships with one another as they cooperate to provide food for the family. Sisters, moms, daughters, grandmothers, and caregivers all put in many hours preparing the food that the people they love will eat. Despite the advancements in our society, social scientists inform us that a large number of people are more alone than ever. Even with their restrictions, those prehistoric communities possess something we desire. They have a closeness and kinship that we find ourselves longing for in our contemporary lives.

Baking as a family or group of friends is one way to strengthen those ties. When two or more individuals come together and take basic ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, and salt and turn them into goods that may sustain the group as a whole, something rudimentary and earthy happens. This is not just a phenomenon that affects women. Men enter the kitchen and relish the inevitable intimacy and camaraderie that result from baking together.

Who doesn't have priceless recollections of helping a loved one make brownies or cookies? These are some of the most treasured childhood memories for a lot of people. Baking together with a beloved uncle, aunt, cousin, or grandmother offers chances to develop mutual reliance and growth.

It's possible for someone to say, "I don't have time to bake with anyone." That may well be the case for a lot of busy people, particularly if you believe that baking always entails baking from scratch. However, here's a little-known fact: whether or not someone bakes from scratch, other people don't really care. Most people would just as soon measure out some water, add some brownie mix, stir it, pour it into a pan, and pop it in the oven. The final outcome is the same. You've enjoyed each other's company, your companion is content, and you have a tasty treat to share.

The Language of Love

Dr. Gary Chapman published about five different love languages ten years ago. The classic love languages are giving, receiving, physical contact, affirmations, spending time together, and acts of service. However, bakers are aware that baking and sharing should be added to this list as well! A great way to show someone you care about them is by giving them baked goods.

It's possible that some people lack the confidence to offer their baked goods to those nearby. Most of the time, though, the recipients don't really care if the baked goods are simple brownie recipes from a box mix or if they are cooked from scratch and appear to have come from the most expensive bakery in town. Nobody will know that your brownies are made from a mix if you wrap them in lovely paper and decorate them with a decorative ribbon, even if you don't make them from scratch. The most important thing is always the thought.

Baking can be a method to show love, whether you're trying to strengthen a relationship with family members, offering comfort to someone in need, or just providing gifts. Why not get out the measuring cups and spoons and start loving your favorite people today?

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