Not quite a meme....

[kayre]

pernishus responded to this a few days ago:

How did you learn to cook? Who taught you? Did you teach yourself? Are you a good cook? Do you like to cook, or is it a horrible chore for you? Do you cook best in your own ethnicity, or another popular style? What's the worst or best thing you've ever cooked?



My parents didn't cook much. Dad did steaks on the grill maybe once a summer, but as typical for the time, cooking was women's work. Mom was a farm girl whose main ambition had been to get away from the farm and all those chores, including cooking, but her plans fell through, and she ended up a housewife with four kids. She learned to cook a bit out of necessity, but never learned to like it. By the time I was 5 or so, Mom's cooking consisted almost entirely of opening cans and warming up frozen food. She had a regular menu of 6 dinners, with variations on Saturday. (For example, every Tuesday I can remember was fish and french fries, straight from the freezer to the oven.)

When I got married, the only cooking I had done was heating soup, and making cupcakes from a mix. I got two cookbooks as wedding gifts-- the Betty Crocker cookbook, which was a great beginner's book, and Joy of Cooking. I read Joy from cover to cover, twice-- that's the heart of how I learned to cook. About two years later, my brother gave me a year's subscription to Bon Appetit. I loved it! I tried a lot of the recipes, referring back to Joy when I was uncertain. Finally, I became lactose intolerant when the kidlet was born (childbirth fever-- it really does still happen in first world countries), and was forced to become far more creative about changing recipes.

Lactose intolerance also led me to experiment with Asian cooking, since most Asian recipes call for little or no dairy. While I wouldn't call myself an expert on Asian cooking, my standard recipes include far more Indian recipes than is typical in a midwestern household. (I can eat yogurt, so Indian works well, and satisfies my craving for dairy foods.) I'm a good cook, and enjoy cooking as long as time isn't too limited.

Best thing I've ever cooked? Well, the family's current favorite menu is Turkish kebabs with seasoned yogurt and spiced rice. Worst? In those first few years, I used a lot of convenience foods, until I learned to handle fresh ingredients. I remember being quite proud (*shudder*) of a meal of Steak-Umms (frozen thin-sliced steak), bottled gravy, French fries from the freezer, and a veggie dish (likewise from the freezer). It probably did taste okay, but I could make the same menu today from fresh ingredients, and it would be way beyond "okay"!