The Recipe I Grew Up With
When I was about 12 years old my father taught me how to cook. Just the basics, but he taught me nonetheless. One of the things I learned how to make was an omelette. The recipe was simple and it was something I could do.
Very quickly you take two eggs, a little milk, salt and pepper, scramble them all up. Then you put them in a pan, make sure they’re thoroughly cooked on one side, and then flip them to cook the other side. Then put your ingredients on and fold it in half. For almost 40 years, for me, that was the only way to make an omelet. Why would there be another way? This is how I was taught, this is how it should be, this is how it is.
The YouTube Rabbit Hole That Changed Everything
About 2 years ago I was going through some YouTube videos, going down the rabbit hole of cooking. I stumbled across a different way to make a light and fluffy omelette. Even though I knew the only way to make an omelette, I decided to watch. In this video, I learned a new—and in my opinion, much better—way to make a much better omelette.
A New Way, With a Learning Curve
With this recipe, you take two eggs, scramble them up with a little salt and pepper, put them on a hot pan, and as the bottom starts to cook you add your ingredients, fold the omelette in thirds, and flip it for just a few moments. Then you immediately take it out and serve. The difference between the two, in my opinion, was significant. This new way just tasted so much better.
Trial, Error, and Finally—Success
Now when I first tried this new way, I messed up several times. Simple silly mistakes. It wasn’t quite what the video showed, and it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. But with a little practice, I now make them much more consistently with the new recipe. Yes, I made mistakes trying and learning a new way of doing this—but the point is, I tried. I goofed. Then I learned a new way.
Okay, But… Who Cares?
So the real question you’re asking yourself is: who cares? Who cares that I learned a new way to make omelettes? It seems kind of silly.
There is a point to the story, I promise.
The Bigger Lesson Hidden in Breakfast
I went most of my life knowing there was only one way to do something. It was taught to me, I taught it to my kids, it was the only way to do it. But as we all know, there’s more than one way to do things. Or at least—we think we know this.
I spent 40 years doing something one way before I realized I could actually do it a different way. Which makes me ask the question: how many other things in my life have I been doing out of repetition because that’s the way I was taught—and that’s the way it’s supposed to be?
What Else Are We Just Repeating Without Question?
How many things do you do in your life out of repetition because that’s what you were taught? Can you step back and look at some things about yourself and try to figure out a new way of doing something—or thinking about something? Or more fundamentally: can you give yourself permission to try something different?
Change Isn’t Right or Wrong—It’s Just Different
Change is neither good nor bad—it’s just different. My challenge to you is this: what are the omelets in your life that you could probably look at making a different way? What are some things you say, do, or think because you were taught that—and have never questioned it?
Leave a Reply