Affordances – Part Two

Cooking presents lots of opportunities for aesthetics. I feel the most aesthetic part of cooking is in the finished product. The presentation, taste, colour, aroma all come together in perfect harmony at the end. Therefore I feel how successful the completion is, is compared to the aesthetics of the finished product. However, unsuccessful completion (Uncooked, or burnt food) increases frustration and decreases motivation, thus aesthetics is very much part of my cooking.

Physical

Is described as the man-made aspects of the world we live in (Crepeau, 2007). The main physical aspects of this activity are the accessibility of good quality appliances in the kitchen and availability of ingredients. If there is significant environmental barrier (i.e. broken appliances), it hinders the successful completion of an activity. Having access to what I need when I cook is a source of motivation to do the best of my ability. We are encouraged to sincerely do our best in whatever we do; we call this ‘Ihsan’.

Spirituality

Crepeau (2007) defines spirituality as “the fundamental orientation of a person’s life that which inspires and motivates that individual (p.190).” Having the opportunity to engage in this activity with no limits either because of necessity or leisure reason is something I am deeply grateful for. The spiritual sense of it is being grateful, showing sincere reverence for what I do all the while being generous with it. This is influences by my history which was completely opposite to the present time. I did not have the opportunity to engage fully in cooking as a leisure activity let alone as a necessity; as we lived a meager life, we made do with whatever came our way. Sometimes hardly anything came by. Therefore, I feel that my spirituality is intertwined with my history.

Reference:

Crepeau, E.B.(2007). Analysing occupation and activity: a way of thinking about occupational performance. In E.B. Crepeau, S.E. Cohn & B.A.B. Schell (Eds.), Willard & Spackman’s occupational therapy (10e.d., pp. 189-1980). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkin.