The first good cook is very skilled at following the recipe verbatim with no deviation. Quality control, consistency, and diligence still produce a great outcome for the dish.

The second cook understands how the recipe works, sees patterns and opportunities, and changes the recipe to fit the problem to be solved or to his/her personal taste. It’s about a metaphor in addition to the process of cooking.

Both cooks are useful and the dishes they make are still very tasty.

If you think this is a post about cooking, you might be the first kind of cook.