stress-reduction cooking

It began subtly—the roasted garlic didn’t just smell pungent and sweet; it appeared in my mind’s eye as a deep amethyst spiral. The crusty bread didn’t just crunch; it sounded like cello notes in C minor. The leftover chili wasn’t just spicy and rich; it felt geometrically like nested octahedrons. This wasn’t imagination; this was culinary synesthesia—the neurological phenomenon…