Skills in Training

I Pasta From Scratch: Worth the Struggle Jamie Oliver Wannabe?

I just bought a pasta machine.  Jigga what?

That’s right baby.  I bought the pasta machine used by my Miello-ian mafian grandmothers. The flour, eggs, the mixing, the cranking, the sweat, I now have it all. And the result after an hour preparation, a nice pot of spaghetti.

Mamma mia! Is it worth it?

I make pasta from scratch. Is it worth having to mix my own ingredients, to spend an hour preparing pasta?  I mean I can always buy a bag from the grocery store for 90 cents and a jar of tomato sauce and have pasta in 10 minutes.  So from a cost perspective, it’s not like I’m really saving money if you consider the time put in.

I get that a lot, “I would never buy such a machine because it simply takes to long to prepare.”

Time versus Payoff

We tend to measure time put into activities and the payoff rewards.  This is natural, and even bleeds into our hobby life.

Should I learn to play the guitar?  It could be fun but I might fall behind on my other priorities.  I really hate my job I do but it’s too much of a hassle to try something new.  Shouldn’t I be spending my time doing something more intelligent?  Or maybe relaxing?

We naturally try to map out expectations….what we can expect out of doing something.  And with hobbies, we begin asking the questions like should I do? What if? How? …..and all these questions do not hold one exact conclusion.

Truth be told, you don’t know the expectation until you try.

Until You Try

I’ve made home pasta for a couple people so far, and sorry to say, but I feel like a kitchen pimp.  A sort of Jamie Oliver wannabe.   A week after the meal, my friends still speak about how much they enjoyed the pasta.  Even to people that I don’t know…..hello conversation starter and being invited to new parties! And it all began because I  just wanted to make pasta as a fun hobby.

People who have their own gardens don’t do it to save money, they do it because it’s fun, different from the ordinary work life.

Maybe venture out not to be ordinary folk is a good thing….even as a hobby

*shout out Noortje, Jose and Oliy for introducing me to this fine hobby.