1st post

Food - food isn't just about living. Do we live to eat, or do we eat to live?

My 1st experience with cooking food began in my mom's kitchen. Both my mom and gran were avid cooks, their food was talked about among relatives. I guess I inherited this love for cooking from a young age. Up to now, I still miss their cooking and it's tragic that our family recipes are lost forever.

My first encounter with cooking began actually with baking - during the week before CNY, I always looked forward to coming home from school and helping Gran make CNY cookies - keuh bankit, butter cookies, yum. I grew up learning how to bake apple pie from my mom.

Later on, I was good friends with the maid, and would hang out in the kitchen with her. It became only natural that I started as her kitchen helper - chopping garlic, onions and preparing vegetables, even helping her stir fry. Little did I know how much this would help me later.

My next experience was in hostel, where my room mates and I cooked instant noodles and canned food for dinner - made us all lose weight rapidly and it was cheap too! Those were fun days, 3 cooks in the kitchen. :)

When I first got married and moved to Manchester, UK, my hubby never expected I could cook. Growing up with maids, neither did I. Yet alone in a foreign kitchen, in foreign country, with nothing much else to do other than study, I cooked to get a taste of home, and to help pass the time in a cold wintry place. Watching lots of food channel and food shows with Britians best chefs was totally inspirational. I started to cook and hey, I took like a fish to water, all my chopping and preparation skills came back!

Coupled with the great food science tips from food channel, I was inspired to try out new recipes. Living in a country with 4 seasons helped - the food in the supermakets were always diverse, we could have new dishes every season.

My food exploration journey began...and now continues after I've moved to my own apartment.

Bon appetite!