Serving up the daily news

The mushrooms and onions are searing in olive oil while I’m getting the right balance of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice for my chicken.

Wait ““ the milk is boiling over.

I spilled some milk, leaving a mess on the stove. It’s OK. I’ve still got enough for rice pudding.

For years, I spent an hour or two at a time in the kitchen tossing the contents of my refrigerator into woks, pots and frying pans. For theatrics, I’d sometimes add a dash of pepper and shout “BAM.”

I was never one for recipes. Or keeping my cooking to myself.

I didn’t really care to eat what I cooked beyond taking a small taste to see what I did right or wrong. I really cared to have my friends or family eat my food and tell me what they thought. I loved the pressure, the creativity and the reactions of people enjoying ““ or sometimes suffering through ““ my creations.

This past year, I haven’t cooked much. The rush I’d get from the kitchen was replaced with the rush I get from the newsroom. Sometimes the chicken would get burnt, so to speak, and we’d print an error. Nobody’s perfect, sorry.

Cooking isn’t about being perfect, either. It’s about keeping those who eat your food satisfied and healthy.

Journalism is about keeping your readers informed, your democracy well-oiled and your community engaged. We’re all here for you, the readers.

This past year, I got to edit the Daily Bruin, a news source produced by more than 250 of the most passionate student journalists, and damn good ones at that. And as much as I enjoyed being a part of an internationally renowned student newspaper, it wasn’t about the product for me.

It was about making something creative that the readers would chew over and think about. Sometimes the thoughts are good, sometimes bad.

But the readers keep coming to dinner and telling us how the food is, good or bad.

I hope you enjoyed my 154 meals.

Mashhood was the editor in chief for 2010-2011, the Sports editor for 2009-2010 and a Sports reporter from 2007-2009.