I follow a lot of Turkish cooking accounts on Instagram. I happened upon a clip one night that took me down a deep and windy rabbit hole of clicking on account after account of chefs and foodies and restaurants. No one account is distinctly different from another but I found myself following them all. And now they pop up in my feed and I binge watch them at the end of the night when I’m trying to shut my brain off.
There’s something so soothing about watching clip after clip of lamb meat and veggies being chopped to oblivion with a giant meat cleaver. And the way the chef forms the meat onto a huge sword like skewer. Then lays it over a bed of hot coals smoking each time the fat drips down to meet them. The speed at which they thin slice their way through tomatoes, onions, and parsley. Then mop up the grease with a giant piece of flat bread. And the finished product looks juicy and packed with flavor. I want to eat what they cook.
I’ve always found cooking shows to be soothing. Both my love of food and my type A personality are calmed by the visual preparation of ingredients. And I really love that a short video or show goes through the entire process from start to finish. Gather. Prepare. Cook. Plate. There’s a formula but also expressionism and artfulness.
I’m not sure if it’s healthy or unhealthy to gorge myself on Turkish kebab clips night after night. But I will say there is something so enjoyable about shutting off my brain and letting someone else, perhaps a cheesy chef from Istanbul, take the wheel for a little while.
What do you binge on to soothe your wearied mind?
