Reflection On Tradition

When I go out to my favorite burger joint, I always order exactly the same thing, prepared exactly the same way, with exactly the same condiments and sides. Do I do this because I am a staunch traditionalist that does not believe in change?

Far from it. My first couple of dozen visits to that place consisted of me tinkering and experimenting with different combinations of ingredients. Some were right out because I simply did not like them. Others did not get a chance because I already knew that they would not go well with other things that I did want on my hamburger. Eventually, I found the combination that I like the best.  And for the last two decades, every time I go there I have had my food prepared the same way. It has become tradition for me and it works for me. I can not speak for others and would not presume to tell them what they will or will not like.

But if some new condiment or topping were to come out that I liked, I would break with tradition. I would  experiment again until I found what worked best and make that the new standard.

I make(rather infrequently) one of the tastiest marinara sauces that I have ever had. This sauce takes 24-48 hours to get right. It is very thick and meaty. So far everyone that has ever had it has wanted me to make more so they could enjoy it again. It is a recipe that I learned by watching first my great grandmother and then later on my mother as they prepared it.  My great grandmother was from Italy and I can only assume she learned it from someone she knew when she was much younger.

You would think then that my marinara sauce is traditional and that the recipe is set in stone. But the fact of the matter is, I never make it the same way twice. Sure, the base ingredients are the same, the tomatoes,ground beef and garlic. But which herbs go in and how much is different every time. Also close to the end of the cooking time, something sweet to cut the acid of the tomato gets added. Sometimes it is sugar, other times it is cocoa powder or wine.

I never make the same sauce twice, yet the results are always identical. It gets rave reviews every time. How is this possible?

When you believe that everything should be done according to tradition, there are well worn pathways in your life for each and every thing to fit into. As long as all of the right things arrive in their appropriate time and place everything is fine. When you blindly follow tradition life becomes routine, mechanical even.  But if a single thing is out of line, tradition falls apart. Then there is fear and uncertainty over what to do and how to handle things.

With my marinara sauce, I know what things create what flavors and what general chemical reactions are created or need to be. So I can at a moments notice substitute one ingredient for another. If you know the purpose of each individual component in a situation then you are not required to follow a preset recipe, or tradition.

This allows for much greater flexibility because then you can just trade out one component for another that does the same thing and get very similar often better results. And when this is your general practice, there is no fear or uncertainty. When experimentation is the norm, you can and will proceed with greater confidence, which will lead to even greater successes.