Welcome to my finely chopped lockdown journal part 1. My journey of lockdown was definitely not about web series, gossip, anxiety, and time pass but it was genuinely an experience to discover the hidden talents and skills inside me. It’s been 8 and a half months, if not more, since the lockdown. The five of us were at home in Surat because of it. Feeling lucky and grateful during these trying times to have shelter, provisions, and the company of each other. We can’t count enough of our blessings. We understand that countless others are suffering tremendously and that their suffering is heart-wrenching. Such wretched pain and loss are so unfair. One prays for, and hopes for, a recovery. But instead of cribbing about the situation, it was time to learn. While Covid-19 has locked the nation down over the past months, I couldn’t think of anything better than getting into the kitchens. My mother was a massive help in the kitchen, from the ingredients of the dish to the tasting and responding to it. It hardly seemed to be a CAS task and it felt more of a new experience, and it helped me improve my ability to collaborate. (LO5). It helped me find my interest and identify my strengths and develop areas of growth(LO1). With time and interest, it helped display regular involvement and persistence during the task(LO2). For my kind of taste and ingredients, I never had an active input or made decisions, I tended to be a working hand for something more than the mind. This goal was a new challenge for me. To fill the restaurant taste gap at home, to be a leader or active planner for something, I had to leave my very comfortable bubble. My first approach was a mini-homemade pancake batter. In this approach, I was involved in making my own homemade healthy batter recipe instead of using the packed mix available on the market; something I had never done before. I have helped to deliver healthy pancakes personally. This approach was constructive in showing me how much effort and work is put into these simple dishes and the coordination with my mother that must exist for the pancakes to be made. The CAS experience has completely changed my view of the kitchen and how it happens; it is a real full-time job that requires daily participation in order for others to have a full stomach. My first approach boosted my confidence in making dishes that were healthier and more delicious, and the journey went further to lasagna, paneer tikka, balls of cheese corn, broccoli cheese cornball, baby corn fries, Thai rice and curry, dahi-pani puri, and finally the homemade subway. This is a great opportunity as I get to know how more healthy dishes can be made at home with the help of youtube and my mother. Yeah, right, youtube, a medium where I could learn to make appetizing dishes like that. We were also concerned with healthy organic vegetables.