Cooking Away the Memory Blahs

Like many people who've hit the sixties, my short-term memory ain't what it used to be. I can't avoid the memory lapses or my slower mental processing, but I have found a delectable way to maintain my self-esteem. Good feelings blossom when I'm in the kitchen following a recipe.

I live in Mexico where I often eat in restaurants for hardly more than it costs to prepare my own food. But my weekend cooking sprees benefit both my stomach and my memory.

Yesterday, I chose a recipe for Huachinango a la Veracruzana. Sounds exotic? Well, it's just Red Snapper in Tomato Sauce with a few ingredients for extra flavor. Instead the Snapper I bought a different fish at the market, a green pepper, and tomato puree. The rest of the ingredients like garlic, chile powder and a pinch of cinnamon were already on hand. I found I enjoyed the process of preparing this main dish almost as much as eating it.

Why is cooking excellent "therapy?"

· I get practice organizing as I hunt for, then assemble all the needed ingredients on the counter.

· If I don't remember where I set down a spoon, it won't have walked away. I just scan the counter and stove.

· I can check details in the cookbook as often as I want. Sometimes I use a locally-produced cookbook that strengthens my bonds with people I know.

· Cooking brings back happy memories of when I cooked for four, not for one.

· I'm using skills that come naturally after years of practice.

· Seeing the ingredients connects me with my senses. Tomato red, celery green, the shape of a pepper, the smell of cinnamon. After I cook, I find I'm more aware outside the house, too.

· I minimize the chance of forgetfulness failures when I use the microwave with its built in timer.

· With the microwave, preparing or reheating portions for one is easy. This is a good way to for me to prepare tasty, nutritious zucchini slices with herbs or applesauce in a small quantity and with only dish to wash.

· If I'm using the stove, even when I set the timer, I've learned to stay in the kitchen to avoid the "out of sight, out of mind" problem. Combine the cooking time with reading, letter-writing or hemming a pair of pants works well for me. After burning several pans, I do not go upstairs to do my e-mail while a dish is cooking!

· Psychologists commonly stress the importance of new learning to keep the mind in good shape. Scanning my small supply of cookbooks for recipes makes for good brain exercise. I look for recipes that I can make without extensive shopping and where the steps can be done in sequence, without having to check several things at once.

· Although some people swear by a slow cooker, I'm not one of them. I thought it would be perfect for cooking dried beans but it took too much checking. I ended up with a cracked pot.

· When I do prepare soups in relatively large quantity on the range, I put several portions in the freezer and later reheat them in the microwave. How do I remember they are there?

Usually my stomach reminds me that I'm hungry -- and with nothing in sight, I head for the freezer.

· In the best tradition of behavioral therapy, the food I prepare is its own built-in reward. I don't even need a cookie afterward.