My mother has given up cooking. And she is not alone. I have met a variety of women her age who are no longer making the family meals—by choice. Of course their families are now only two people, but still they have to eat. Plus, my mother is Italian and cooking is such a big part of her culture. For her to give up cooking is like Stephen King saying he is no longer going to write, or Jack LaLanne choosing not to exercise anymore. These activities are such a huge part of who they are.

Now I know she is so much more then a cook, but cooking has always been a brilliant facet of who she is to me. So my question is, who are we? Are we merely a compilation of the things we do or is there much more to it then that? When I meet new people they often ask “what do you do?” and not “who are you?” Although I have been asked the later in a rather rude way, but I am sure not because the asker really wanted to know who I was on a philosophical level and it was followed by “and why are you here?”

I keep thinking of that little duck in the children’s story asking every animal “Are you my mother?”  He obviously didn’t define himself as a duck, but he seemed to relate to what the other animals were doing. How much of what we do is a part of who we are? And since I am not sure how to define what I do right now, does that mean I am unsure of who I am?

So who are you? I mean what do you do? Or do I?