my favourite past time essay

Essay on My Favourite Pastime

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Favourite Pastime in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My Favourite Pastime

Introduction.

My favourite pastime is reading. It is a hobby that not only entertains me but also enriches my knowledge.

Why Reading?

I love reading because it takes me to different worlds. I can learn about new places, cultures, and ideas without leaving my room.

Types of Books

I enjoy reading different types of books. Novels, science fiction, and history are my favourites. Each genre offers a unique experience.

In conclusion, reading is my favourite pastime. It provides entertainment, knowledge, and a window to the world.

250 Words Essay on My Favourite Pastime

Everyone has a favourite pastime, a hobby that they cherish and engage in to unwind, relax, or explore their creativity. For me, my favourite pastime is reading. It’s not just an activity but a journey into different worlds, cultures, and minds.

The Power of Reading

Reading is a powerful tool that stimulates our intellect and evokes our imagination. It is an activity that is not limited by physical boundaries. We can travel to any part of the world, into the past or future, and even into the realms of fantasy and science fiction, all by flipping the pages of a book.

Exploring Different Genres

The beauty of reading is its diversity. From mysteries and thrillers to romance and science fiction, there’s something for everyone. I enjoy exploring different genres, each offering a unique perspective and a fresh narrative style. This variety keeps my interest piqued and my mind engaged.

Benefits of Reading

Reading also has several cognitive benefits. It improves concentration, enhances vocabulary, and develops critical thinking skills. Moreover, it provides a sense of tranquillity and relaxation, a much-needed respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

In conclusion, reading is my favourite pastime because it is both relaxing and intellectually stimulating. It offers an escape from reality, a journey into different worlds, and a chance to live thousands of lives in one. It is more than just a hobby; it is a passion that fuels my curiosity and broadens my understanding of the world.

500 Words Essay on My Favourite Pastime

In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it becomes imperative to find a pastime that offers solace, rejuvenates the mind, and provides an escape from the mundane. My favourite pastime, reading, serves as a sanctuary, allowing me to delve into different worlds, cultures, and perspectives. It is not merely a hobby; it is an enriching activity that fosters intellectual growth and emotional intelligence.

The Power of Books

Reading is a timeless activity that transcends the physical boundaries of the world. It allows me to travel through time, explore diverse cultures, and gain insights into various philosophies, all while nestled comfortably in my favourite chair. The power of books lies in their ability to transport readers to an entirely different realm, where they become silent observers, active participants, or empathetic listeners.

Intellectual Stimulation

The intellectual stimulation derived from reading is unparalleled. It is akin to a mental workout, keeping the cognitive abilities sharp and enhancing knowledge. Reading a wide array of genres, from historical novels to scientific journals, broadens my horizons and fosters critical thinking. It encourages me to question, analyse, and form opinions, thereby promoting intellectual growth.

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Reading is an excellent tool for fostering empathy and emotional intelligence. By immersing myself in the lives of fictional characters or understanding the perspectives of real-life individuals, I develop a deeper understanding of human emotions and experiences. This heightened sense of empathy translates into my interactions, making me a more compassionate and understanding individual.

Escapism and Mental Health

In today’s fast-paced world, stress and anxiety are common. Reading offers an escape from the pressures of daily life, serving as a therapeutic outlet. It helps me unwind, relax, and rejuvenate, positively impacting my mental health. The tranquillity and solace that I find between the pages of a book are unmatched.

Reading, my favourite pastime, is more than just a leisure activity. It is a gateway to knowledge, empathy, and mental tranquillity. It allows me to travel without moving, live a thousand lives, and gain a wealth of wisdom. Reading is not just about the stories told; it’s about the journey, the insights, and the transformation that occurs within the reader. It is a lifelong endeavour that enriches the soul and broadens the mind.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Time is Precious
• Essay on A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
• Essay on Time is Money

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

One Comment

Wow,I’m impressed! Thanks a lot 😸👍

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

IELTS Cue Card

A website dedicated to IELTS Cue Card Samples, Speaking Samples, and Speaking Preparation Guideline...

Search This Blog

Describe your favourite pastime activity, describe your favourite pastime activity..

• why you enjoy it
• how long you have it as a pastime activity

Popular posts from this blog

Describe a time when you were very busy, describe an animal which you find interesting, person in your family who you most admire, important skill you learned when you were a child.

Essay on My Favourite Pastime with Quotations and Outline

My favourite passtime essay with quotes for students of matric, f.a, fsc, b.a and bsc.

Here is My Favourite Passtime Essay with Quotes for Students of Matric, F.A, FSC, B.A and BSC. Essay on my Favourite Pastime with Quotations is Important for Exams. If the topic is Essay on Hobby, Essay on Favourite Passtime or Essay on my Leisure time Activities, you can write the same essay. For more English Essays you can visit This Link .

Essay on My Favourite Pastime with Quotations for Students of Class 10 & Class 12

• Hobby is useful work which is done in spare time for pleasure.
• Types of hobbies.
• Gardening is my favourite Hobby.
• It is a source of physical exercise and aesthetic pleasure.
• Preparation of the lawn.
• It keeps me in touch with nature and God.

“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” (Gertrude Jekyll)

Hobby is a useful work which is done in spare time for pleasure without any monetary benefit. This occupation is quite apart from the regular profession. It is pursued only for recreation. After hard labour, hobby provides us a cheap source of entertainment and amusement. It saves us from the dull routine of life. It gives us an activity when we have nothing to do.

There are many hobbies like gardening, stamp-collecting, coin-collecting, photography, reading, etc. Everyone chooses his hobby according to this taste and requirement. Gardening is my favourite hobby. I want to relax after a day’s hard labour. Gardening makes me forget my worries and refreshes my mind.

From the garden of plants; Do I move towards the garden of inner joys; The flowers dance on leaves, And ideas dance on heartbeats and mind.

I have a beautiful lawn in my house. Whenever I can spare time, I take interest in cultivating beautiful flowers in it. I have grown flowers plants of rose, lily and sunflower. The sweet fragrance of the flowers gives me great pleasure. There is always something fresh before my eyes. It keeps me healthy, happy and fresh for the day’s labour. It is a source of physical exercise and aesthetic pleasure.

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” (Keats)

I have the tools of the gardener. I have to do a lot of work with my own hands. I prepare the land and manure it. I water my plants regularly and protect them for the extreme weather. I have prepared many beds in it. Each bed contains flowers of different shapes and colours. I have also grown vegetables for our daily use. So, we do not purchase vegetables from the market.

“Earth is here so kind, that just tickles her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.”

Gardening is my passion. It inspires me to do something new. Whenever I cast a glance over my small beautiful lawn, my heart blossoms. With every new flower, there is new happiness. I keenly observe the process of grown and decay in nature and praise the Majesty of Allah. My hobby, gardening, keeps me in touch with nature and God.

And in my flower-beds, I think, Smile the carnation and the pink; (Rupert Brooke)

You May also like Essay on My Hobby with Quotations .

• More In English Essays

Essay Writing 101: The Basics That Every Writer Should Know

Students and Social Service Essay with Quotations

Load Shedding in Pakistan Essay – 1200 Words

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Privacy Policty
• Terms of Service
• Advertise with Us

Transfer and Postings

My Favourite Pastime Paragraph: Cultivating Joy Through Gardening”

My Favourite Pastime Paragraph: Hobbies are an essential part of our lives that can bring us joy and fulfillment. Engaging in a favourite pastime can help us relax and unwind, explore new skills, and connect with others who share our interests. In this article, I will share my love for my favourite hobby and provide insights into how it can benefit our mental and physical well-being.

In this blog, we include About My Favourite Pastime Paragraph, in 100, 200, 250, and 300 words. Also cover About My Favourite Pastime Paragraph for classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and up to the 12th class. You can read more Essays in 10 lines, and Essay Writing about sports, events, occasions, festivals, etc… About My Favourite Pastime Paragraph is available in different languages.

Table of Contents

The Benefits of Having a Hobby

Research has shown that having a hobby can have numerous benefits for our mental and physical health. Engaging in a favourite pastime can provide stress relief, improve mood, and increase cognitive function. It can also help in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that engaging in leisure activities can lead to increased happiness and a greater sense of purpose in life.

How I Got Started

I discovered my favourite hobby, gardening, when I was a child. My parents had a small vegetable patch in our backyard, and I would help them plant, water, and harvest the crops. As I grew up, I continued to enjoy gardening and started to explore other aspects of it, such as landscaping and floral arrangements.

One of the biggest challenges I faced as a beginner was understanding how to care for different plants and flowers. I overcame this by reading gardening books, talking to experts, and experimenting with different techniques.

What I Love About Gardening

What I love most about gardening is the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from watching a seed grow into a beautiful plant or flower. I also find it incredibly relaxing to spend time outdoors, surrounded by nature. Gardening allows me to express my creativity and connect with others who share my passion for plants and flowers.

One of my favourite gardening memories was when I planted a vegetable garden with my son. We spent hours preparing the soil, selecting the seeds, and tending to the plants. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to see the vegetables grow and to harvest them together.

Tips for Getting Started with Gardening

• Start small: Begin with a small garden plot or container to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
• Choose the right location: Look for an area with plenty of sunlight and good drainage.
• Pick the right plants: Choose plants that are suitable for your climate and soil type.
• Prepare the soil: Make sure the soil is fertile and well-draining. Add compost or other organic matter to improve the soil quality.
• Water properly: Water your plants deeply and regularly, but don’t overwater them.
• Control pests: Keep an eye out for pests and diseases, and use natural methods to control them.
• Learn from your mistakes: Gardening takes practice, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.
• Enjoy the process: Gardening can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby, so take time to enjoy the process and the fruits of your labor.

Gardening can be a fulfilling and enjoyable hobby that provides numerous benefits for both physical and mental health. It allows us to connect with nature, reduce stress, and grow our own fresh produce. Starting a garden may seem intimidating at first, but by following some basic tips and learning from experience, anyone can become a successful gardener. Whether you have a small balcony or a large yard, there’s always a way to start growing plants and reaping the benefits of this wonderful hobby. Visit For More Information Transfer and Postings

FAQ’s On About My Favourite Pastime Paragraph

Question 1. How do I write a paragraph in my Favourite pastime?

Answer: My favorite pastime is reading. There’s something magical about getting lost in a good book. I love the way words can transport me to different worlds and introduce me to new characters. Whether it’s a novel or a biography, I can spend hours immersed in a good read.

Question 2. What is your favorite pastime?

A favorite pastime is an activity that someone enjoys doing in their free time. It’s usually something they find relaxing, entertaining, or fulfilling. Common examples of favorite pastimes include reading, listening to music, playing sports, cooking, watching movies or TV shows, and spending time with loved ones. People often engage in their favorite pastime to escape from the stresses of daily life and unwind.

Question 3. Which is the most Favourite pastime activity of students?

Answer: It’s difficult to determine the most favorite pastime activity of students, as everyone has their own interests and hobbies. However, some popular pastimes among students include playing video games, watching movies or TV shows, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. Many students also enjoy sports and outdoor activities, such as hiking or cycling, as a way to stay active and explore their surroundings.

Question 4. How do you write pastime?

Answer: To write a pastime, you don’t actually “write” it. A pastime is an activity that you do in your leisure time, so you would engage in it rather than write it down. However, if you want to talk about your favorite pastime, you could write a paragraph describing it or write about it in a journal. When doing so, you would simply use words to convey what the pastime is, how you engage in it, and why you enjoy it.

Question 5. What is a simple pastime?

Answer: A simple pastime is an activity that is easy to do and doesn’t require a lot of preparation or resources. It could be something as simple as reading a book, going for a walk, or playing a game of cards. Simple pastimes are often done for leisure or to pass the time, and they can be enjoyed alone or with others. They are a great way to relax and unwind without the pressure of achieving any particular outcome.

The King’s Ministers Summary

Share this:

Leave a comment cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

My Favourite Pastime Essay Example

• Pages: 2 (463 words)
• Published: December 16, 2016
• Type: Essay

I believe that sports play an important role in the physical and mental development of an individual and everyone should participate in sports in order to be healthy and physically fit. I consider cycling as my favorite pastime and this sport is very important to me. I believe that cycling can be regarded as one of my qualities as I have participated in different competitions and in certain cases I achieved a lot. Cycling can be considered as my past time but I do cycling in order to be physically fit.

Furthermore, I believe in the fact that cycling helps me a lot to overcome certain personal challenges that are associated with my life. I usually spend about 20-30 hours for cycling and this energizes me a lot and vitalizes my entire body

and mind. I believe that after cycling I can concentrate more on my studies and that is the reason why I have regarded cycling as one of the qualities. In the similar manner there are certain individuals who are considered as the giants of cycling and they are quite inspirational to me.

Lance Armstrong is my sporting hero and I have actually learned a lot from Lance Armstrong. This inspirational personality has actually developed my interest in cycling and it is just because of him that I can easily over come my personal challenges through cycling. Cycling makes me proud because I believe that it’s a simple way to get fit and you don’t have to engage in hectic exercises just a 2 hours cycling can easily nourishes your mind and it can have certain positive effects o

your soul as well.

Cycling can easily be related to my personal attributes and it gives a soothing effect to my entire personality and my overall outlook. Therefore, it can be said that I consider cycling as one of favorite pastimes and it can definitely be considered as a quality. I believe that in order to improve your reflexes and to improve the concentration level every individual should engage himself/herself in certain activities. I love sports and I am very much interested in cycling that is the reason way I give more and more time to this sport.

Although, I am not a professional of this field nor I am interested in becoming a professional but I believe that since it helps me to overcome my personal pressures and my problems that is the reason why I am giving a hefty amount of time to this sport. In the similar manner it can be said that my studies will not be affected by this and I believe that this pastime will help me a lot in concentrating on my studies and I can produce good results just because of this.

• I Shall Paint my Nails Red Essay Example
• The Pie by Gary Soto Essay Example
• Shifting Courses Essay Example
• The article Beautiful Brains Essay Example
• Prejudgment Essay Example
• Horror Story Essay Example
• On La Indolencia de Los Filipinos Essay Example
• Discourse on Method by Descartes Essay Example
• Sadomasochism Essay Example
• Time and Tardiness Essay Example
• Analysis of Proud to Be Speciesist Essay Example
• Becoming a Clinical Psychologist Essay Example
• How Bingeing Became The New College Sport Essay Example
• Importance Of Paying Attention To Detail Essay Example
• Sport Psychology in Sport Aerobics Essay Example
• Anatomy and Physiology essays
• Addiction essays
• Biodegradation essays
• Dental Care essays
• Disease essays
• Disorders essays
• Health Care essays
• Intelligence Quotient essays
• Nutrition essays
• Olfaction essays
• Public Health essays
• Women's Health essays
• World health organization essays
• Cancer essays
• Infectious Disease essays
• Lung Cancer essays
• Neurology essays
• Physical Exercise essays
• Medicine essays
• Inquiry essays
• Disability essays
• Poison essays
• Action Potential essays
• Nervous System essays
• Childbirth essays
• Puberty essays
• Blood essays
• Kidney essays
• Neuron essays
• Body essays
• Glucose essays
• Sense essays
• Heart essays
• Skeleton essays
• Human Physiology essays
• Immune System essays
• Muscle essays
• Skin essays
• Brain essays
• Central Nervous System essays
• Human Skin Color essays
• Digestive System essays
• Common sense essays
• Respiration essays
• alcoholism essays
• Smoking essays
• Casino essays
• Tobacco essays

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards.

• Enter your topic/question
• Receive an explanation
• Ask one question at a time
• Enter a specific assignment topic
• Aim at least 500 characters
• a topic sentence that states the main or controlling idea
• supporting sentences to explain and develop the point you’re making
• evidence from your reading or an example from the subject area that supports your point
• analysis of the implication/significance/impact of the evidence finished off with a critical conclusion you have drawn from the evidence.

Unfortunately copying the content is not possible

Tell us your email address and we’ll send this sample there..

By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions .

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• My Favourite Hobby Essay in English for Students & Children

Give Wings to your Creative Side with Hobbies

Hobbies play a very crucial role in everyone's life. Whenever we are free, it is good to follow our hobbies. It makes us occupied, and we do not feel idle. Every person finds their happiness and enjoys doing some kind of activity in their leisure time, these activities are known as hobbies. 

My Special Hobby 

My favourite hobby is watching TV. Whenever I have free time, I love watching Television. It never obstructs my studies. Hobbies help us to expand our knowledge, and it teaches us several things. First, I like to finish all my school homework and then start watching TV. This lightens my mood and sparks up the excitement inside me, as it increases my curiosity about the world. Watching different useful stuff on TV enhances my knowledge horizons and gives me lots of joy. 

Benefit of My Hobby

It is a good habit because watching TV escorts a lot of knowledge in various fields. There are several channels on TV, which represent worldwide affairs. I watch the news and I like channels, such as animal planet, discovery channel or another informative channel. These channels increase my curiosity and encourage me to learn about different aspects of life.

I interestingly watch a cartoon network that provides me with creative and new ideas to make cartoons and arts. Some of my favourite comics are Mr Bean, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and many more. Many art-themed cartoons, like The Pink Panther and SpongeBob, inspire me to draw them. Primarily, the artworks of comics attract me and inspire me to decorate my scrapbooks with their figures. 

Parents Find Hobbies Useful

My parents praise my hobby, and they are also happy when they see me watching national and international news and several events on the TV. Moreover, they feel proud when they listen to the news update from me. 

Now, I study in class with two and eight years old girls. Creating jokes, sitting idle and spending time roaming around is unproductive, according to my parents. My parents made sure that I developed my hobbies from childhood. Therefore, they encouraged me to create some good habits. 

Watching TV in a proper way gives you so many important roles. It helps us to make something creative. It provides us with knowledge about different places, their cultures, climatic conditions and especially their history. Furthermore, it widens our imagination by showing imaginary characters from the marvellous Disney World and Jungle Book. 

Importance of Hobby

Getting the latest updates and gaining knowledge about today’s incident is so important. It provides us with a lot of benefits, which help us in developing our knowledge and thoughts. It also enhances our minds of thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Hobbies are all about interest and can only be done in our leisure time. These activities help us in keeping our mind and body in a relaxed and refreshed state.  

Moreover, hobbies also increase our productivity and improve our overall health. It protects us from the risk of dementia and also protects us from sadness in our life. It also helps in our overall development and ignites our hidden talents and passions. So it is essential to have hobbies in our lives.

Several Aspects of Watching TV as an Hobby

Watching TV is not only about fun and joy; it also introduces us to new characters and stories to analyse. Every show comes with a new set of characters and stories that tickles our brains. As a hobby, you can compare these different storylines and their characters with one another. 

There are different types of programs on TV that are so crucial to enhancing our awareness about worldwide matters. TV channels also telecast different types of educational programs to improve our knowledge of history, science, economics, math, culture, and geography etc. In such programs, you get to analyse the different acting styles, writing and overall good and bad behaviours of various communities, their thoughts and cultures. 

Different Genres on TV  

Each TV show has different types of content or genres. These TV genres are sci-fi, dramas, adventurous shows, action, animations and reality shows. While Watching TV, it is not necessary to stick to any one genre and thus, you get to explore various other genres. 

And this is the most valuable part of my hobby. Television brings together numerous elements of imagination and ideas from different genres and allows me to explore them. 

Some Other Hobbies

You can have more than one hobby, as they are not restricted to any particular limit. All the things that you have an interest in can be regarded as a hobby. A person can have multiple areas of interest and have more than one activity as a hobby. 

I, too, have more than one hobby. Other than watching TV, I like to listen to music. This helps me keep myself calm after doing lots of work and gives my ears and heart a soothing effect. 

Besides these, I also have hobbies, such as reading comic books, painting, writing narrative stories, and maintaining a scrapbook. These activities make me happy and enhance my hidden qualities. Writing and reading boost my imagination. Along with these activities, I participate in gardening in my leisure time because I love to plant new and colourful flowers. 

Moreover, I like dancing and singing. These are the activities I often do whenever I find time after completing my studies and homework. I do participate in singing and dancing competitions as well because I like to sing and dance. My teachers and parents always appreciate and encourage me to pursue my hobbies. 

Conclusion 

Every human being on this Earth is unique. Not only in terms of appearance but also for inherent characteristics. All the people work, think, talk, interpret, act, etc. , in countless ways. These are all the things which express me. One needs to have a good command of themselves before going to write something about their life. Life is meant to be lived avidly and with a proper visualization to do good for your fellow beings. Keeping this in mind, I have always desired to serve my people in whatever capacity I can.

FAQs on My Favourite Hobby Essay in English for Students & Children

1. Why are hobbies important for students?

2. What are the best hobbies to make students more creative?

Essay: Cycling as my Favorite Pastime

Samples / Social Issues May 9, 2011

Sample Essay

I believe that sports play an important role in the physical and mental development of an individual and everyone should participate in sports in order to be healthy and physically fit. I consider cycling as my favorite pastime and this sport is very important to me. I believe that cycling can be regarded as one of my qualities as I have participated in different competitions and in certain cases I achieved a lot. Cycling can be considered as my past time but I do cycling in order to be physically fit. Furthermore, I believe in the fact that cycling helps me a lot to overcome certain personal challenges that are associated with my life. I usually spend about 20-30 hours for cycling and this energizes me a lot and vitalizes my entire body and mind.

I believe that after cycling I can concentrate more on my studies and that is the reason why I have regarded cycling as one of the qualities. In the similar manner there are certain individuals who are considered as the giants of cycling and they are quite inspirational to me. Lance Armstrong is my sporting hero and I have actually learned a lot from Lance Armstrong. This inspirational personality has actually developed my interest in cycling and it is just because of him that I can easily over come my personal challenges through cycling. Cycling makes me proud because I believe that it’s a simple way to get fit and you don’t have to engage in hectic exercises just a 2 hours cycling can easily nourishes your mind and it can have certain positive effects on your soul as well. Cycling can easily be related to my personal attributes and it gives a soothing effect to my entire personality and my overall outlook.

Therefore, it can be said that I consider cycling as one of favorite pastimes and it can definitely be considered as a quality. I believe that in order to improve your reflexes and to improve the concentration level every individual should engage himself/herself in certain activities. I love sports and I am very much interested in cycling that is the reason way I give more and more time to this sport. Although, I am not a professional of this field nor I am interested in becoming a professional but I believe that since it helps me to overcome my personal pressures and my problems that is the reason why I am giving a hefty amount of time to this sport. In the similar manner it can be said that my studies will not be affected by this and I believe that this pastime will help me a lot in concentrating on my studies and I can produce good results just because of this.

Kindly order term papers, essays, research papers, dissertations, thesis , book reports from the order page.

Related Pages

• Essay on Effect of LGBT Content in Popular Culture
• Family-Centered Theories
• Historical Overview of Adolescent Pregnancy
• Categories of Terrorism
• Why Students Quit School?

You may also like this

Best Ways to Avoid Plagiarism in your Essays

How to write an essay on the use of Nursing

Herding in Financial Markets

Importance of hand hygiene, higher global temperatures.

Speech (Un)leashed

For better or for worse, Sidechat has become Penn’s digital soapbox. 

In Photos: The Revelries of Spring Fling

Penn’s greatest weekend of performance, artistry, and debauchery: a Spring Fling retrospective photo essay.

Penn’s Student Bands Get The Best of Both Worlds

Ahead of our inaugural “Street Sessions” band showcase, Street gets the inside scoop on our favorite Penn musicians

Music is On Sydney McKeever’s Mind

Classical music training might have prevented major brain damage for this Penn freshman. 

Ego of the Week: Walden Green

Meet Street's former editor–in–chief: patron saint of Street print production, goat milk aficionado, and Twitter ethnographer for the ages.

Ego of the Week: Kiln Chen

This senior is embracing her community and identity wherever she goes.

LinkedIn Keywords: Getting Paranoid and Caught up in the Details

You spent three hours in the LinkedIn Rabbit Hole, and you are now successful.

Eternal Before Sunrise

“I can’t believe we never met at Penn”

Who Am I, If Not a Violinist?

I know I am not the art that I create, but I also wouldn’t be who I am if it weren’t for my art.

Alex Garland Is Breaking Everyone’s Brain

The release of the director’s fourth film, the Civil War, has divided film discourse. 

Zendaya's 'Challengers' Shines With Pure Delight and Depravity

Tennis is exciting when full of techno, sex, and attractive actors.

The Power of Prestige Television

How HBO's 'Band of Brothers' leaves an indelible impact in the age of streaming

End The Musical Witch Hunt

Musicals are our most maligned form of entertainment—why not sing their praises instead?

Microgenres, Macro Problems

Is this “dadcore”, or am I not rocking these New Balances? 

Don’t Be Mad at Musical Nepo Babies

There’s something uniquely transmissible—and democratic—about musical talent. 

Art in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment

A mosaic of resistance emerges on college campuses across the country.

Margaret Atwood's Genre-Defying Journey

This year at Penn's Stephen A. Levin Family Dean's Forum, Margaret Atwood spoke at the intersection of politics and literature. 

Defending The Well of Loneliness’ Legacy

Radclyffe Hall’s 20th-century queer novel can still challenge and inspire 21st-century readers.

What’s Your (Personality) Type?

As arbitrary as their answers may be, personality quizzes offer insight into our desire to know ourselves. 

The Death of the Dining Table

Eating meals in the age of the internet 

Take It to the Streets: What to Do in Philly this Month

This month: cherry blossoms, food trucks, art exhibits—and lots more to explore.

Overheards February 2024

This Month: botox, blowjobs, and bisexuals.

Overheards December 2023

This month: super stylists, super villains, and super sloppy top.

Overheards November 2023

This month: hummus, hoagies, and homophobia.

34th Street Magazine is part of a student-run nonprofit.

Please support us by disabling your ad blocker on our site., i love to cook, and it’s not because my mom taught me, how a little bit of free time and patience steered me into the kitchen.

Before coming to college, I could confidently prepare three kinds of food for myself: pasta, sautéed vegetables, and smoothies. During high school, I felt like this was more than enough to sustain me for the rest of my life. If not, I used to tell my mom that I hoped I’d make enough money to have a personal chef. I never wanted to prepare, cook, or clean up meals. Oh, how the times have changed. 

I’m not sure where my aversion to cooking came from. My best guess is that in high school, I was always in a rush, so cooking seemed like a luxury I couldn’t afford. I often needed to eat in the ten–minute windows between school and practice. My mom is a great cook, but I never thought deeply about eating her food because at the end of the day—it was a race to eat my dinner so I could get back to my homework. 

When asked to help with preparations for dinner, I would groan. To me, cooking was housework, and I wasn’t a fan. I would peel potatoes, cut the ends off of green beans, and chop onions. I would even make my brothers shuck corn for me in return for favors. I hated it that much. 

It’s not that my mom never taught me to cook. If I would’ve asked to learn, she would have been excited to help me. But I never did.

My mom tells me I’m impatient. As the oldest of three younger brothers, I’ve become accustomed to waiting for things to happen: waiting for them to be old enough to talk to, to get their shoes on to leave the house, to get down the ski slopes. I’ve never been good at waiting for meals at restaurants, or for breaks from school. I guess I’ve never wanted to cook with her, because I was impatient and hated having to be told what to do.

This past summer, with more free time after graduating from high school, and with the anticipation of only eating out of dining halls, I became more eager to cook. I made a smoothie every morning and perfected my recipes. I made chickpea pasta combinations almost every day for lunch. I had no idea what I was doing. I experimented. One day, I’d add capers and lemon, and the next day, it would just be lemon and tomato sauce. I began to tell how much oil the vegetables needed in order to be cooked, how the pasta felt when it was ready, and what the aroma was when my creation was ready to be eaten. I’d never been told how much to salt things or how to cook veggies. I flipped the veggies like I’d seen my dad flip bacon—it was often a mess. I would spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning, forcing my mom or brothers to try what I had made. It was nothing special, but it was something I had created on my own: no recipes, no instruction. 

Something clicked during the first semester at Penn. All of a sudden I was craving a kitchen environment. While talking to my college house director one night at a house–wide dinner, she mentioned that I could cook in her apartment for her, her husband, and eight of my friends. I took up the opportunity—despite still only knowing how to cook pasta, veggies, and smoothies—and we set a date. 

My friend and I came up with a menu: pesto pasta (I was confident I could cook that, at least), chicken, and Brussels sprouts.

We ended up getting a pre–seasoned chicken to keep things safe. We went to their apartment in the Quad an hour before everyone else and starting cooking. I’d ask her for oil, salt, pepper, butter, etc. I cut the Brussels sprouts and seasoned them as I’d done at home. Still, without any real knowledge on the proper way to cook, I rolled with it. I added dates, capers, bacon, and lemon. It was a random collection of ingredients—things that I thought would work well together. I got lucky. It ended up really good. 

That night changed me. I was cooking for ten people, in a kitchen I’d never been in, and without any knowledge of how to cook what I was cooking. I told a friend who wasn’t at the dinner about this afterwards, and she was astounded that I’d had the confidence to do that without a repertoire of recipes. 

The conversations that we had at that dinner in the Quad made me so happy. I loved Penn, but I was missing a homestyle forum. We talked about school and family while sharing home–cooked food, and went in for second and third servings. 

Suddenly, I was enveloped in cooking. I went home for winter break and made cookies, my Brussels sprouts recipe, and plenty of pasta. I even tried to follow some recipes. 

Over spring break, I cooked dinner for my extended family. I bought cod, pasta, and carrots to prepare. Following a recipe for the first time in my life, I pan–cooked the cod in a bath of chickpea, onions, mint, and oil. With the pasta, I thought about what might taste good and put it on top: garlic, parsley, salt, and butter. I also tried to replicate Magic Carpet's cookies by adjusting a recipe for oatmeal applesauce cookies. In the end, as I was running out of time (amateur mistake!), my mom prepared the carrots and my brother made the cookies, but all under my instructions. I even felt fancy, and put out some burrata with crackers and olive oil. Is that how it is served? I’m not sure, but my family liked it!

Bobby Flay would be insulted by my technique, but my family and friends love my cooking, whether they know I’m improvising or not. And it makes me love it too. 

Figuring out how to cook on my own has made me more confident. I may not know the proper techniques, but I’m confident that that will come with time. Some might call it bullshitting, but I call it finesse.

More Like This

Pennconnects, newsletters.

Get 34th Street's newsletter, The Toast, delivered to your inbox every Friday morning.

Your Favorite Pastime

Related Topics:

Paragraph List

A Book Fair

Pahela Baishak

International Mother Language Day

A Winter Morning

Back to Homepage

11 Comments

Damn fucking site 😡 dosent show any porn related thing

It’s really so good

Oh It's really good for you

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Good for students,keep writing

It's not bad good 😊👍

What the fuck bro it has nothing b*ck

Post a Comment

Contact form.

Artikel & Berita

Write my essay for me.

Our team of paper writers consists only of native speakers coming from countries such as the US or Canada. But being proficient in English isn't the only requirement we have for an essay writer. All professionals working for us have a higher degree from a top institution or are current university professors. They go through a challenging hiring process which includes a diploma check, a successful mock-task completion, and two interviews. Once the writer passes all of the above, they begin their training, and only after its successful completion do they begin taking "write an essay for me" orders.

Customer Reviews

(415) 520-5258