Hacking with Knives and Spoons

I was deeply invested in building keyboards some time ago, and I think I got pretty good at it—soldering switches, diodes, and even tiny RGB lights onto a motherboard. I even went a step further and customized a PCB with my name, some fun little logos, and inside jokes. This was mostly in the 2022–23 era, when I was grappling with philosophical turmoil and questioning what I wanted to do with life and the purpose that comes with it. Turns out, it’s not keyboards—at least, not yet.

I’ve always felt that hobbies are things that spark curiosity and imagination. Questions like: How do things work? How does a keyboard work? Can I build one myself? Why are Telegram bots so fun to write? That kind of thinking has always pulled me in.

The best part about hobbies is how they tether you to reality. We spend our days toiling away—chasing money or maybe purpose—and life can start to feel monotonous. But when you find something outside of work that excites you, it becomes part of your identity. Suddenly, life feels more bearable. Whether it’s writing code, understanding car engines, maintaining your bike, fixing motors, reading books, or even playing an instrument—hobbies are experiments. They let you tinker with ideas, try things that might not work, and follow your curiosity without consequences. And that’s a win.

Back to the title.

These days, I find cooking to be that thing for me. On the surface, cooking seems mundane—something you have to do daily. It seems like it demands planning, ideas, and experience. But the more I got into it, the more I realized how fun it can be to mix and match ingredients and watch something come together over time.

Honestly, I see cooking like integration in calculus. You start with x and y ingredients, combine them over a time interval, and voilà—something that makes you feel good (or not). I get the same satisfaction from a well-cooked meal as I used to when I fixed a bug or successfully soldered a keyboard. That spark of “I made this work!” never gets old.

Sure, you can always order food and avoid the hassle—but then you deal with decision fatigue: what to eat, how much to spend, and how often to repeat that cycle. Cooking, on the other hand, started as a simple way to save money and survive. But it quickly became a space for experimentation. I’ve learned to mess around with different flavors and curry powders, figure out when to add salt, when to toss in the chili, and how to mellow things out when I go overboard with the heat.

Cooking also gave me a whole new appreciation for my mom. For over 23 years, I took it for granted how much she did every day just to put food on the table. Now that I cook for myself, I see how much planning and mental energy goes into feeding a household. Even something as basic as grocery shopping became a strangely enjoyable activity. I plan a week ahead now. Who knew?

What’s most fascinating about cooking is the why behind the ingredients and techniques. Special thanks to YouTube for breaking it down. I didn’t know what the Maillard reaction was, but now I know it’s what makes seared food taste amazing. I didn’t know baking powder is “double action”—one reaction when it’s wet, and another at around 140°C in the oven or air fryer. That kind of chemistry makes cooking addictive.

In the past few months, cooking almost daily has taught me that eating the same food every day can actually give you the room to experiment. Changing up little elements each time makes even repetition interesting. And when I do switch it up—like baking brownies or cakes in the air fryer—it feels like unlocking a new level. I make a cake about once a week now. Bread is next. I can feel it coming.

At this point, I can confidently say I can cook well enough to feed myself—and even friends—without resorting to takeout. One of my proudest wins recently was learning to butcher a whole chicken. That might not sound like much, but where I live, you can’t easily buy just chicken breast or specific cuts. And here’s a quick price comparison: 450g of chicken breast costs ₹250–300. A whole 2kg chicken costs about ₹250. Buying the whole bird is way more economical. Plus, I make stock from the leftover bones—so it’s tasty and cost-effective. In the end, it’s all about balancing convenience and curiosity.

Cooking has become a new kind of hacking for me. Instead of soldering wires, I’m tempering spices. Instead of building keyboards, I’m building meals. It’s a different toolkit—but the same spirit of making something with your own hands and watching it come to life.

Maybe that’s what hobbies are all about: making life a little more bearable, one experiment at a time!