I like to cook... yet, I haven't been cooking very much since coming back from JP... :(
Ironically, being back in a country that has all the familiar ingredients that I love to use for cooking doesn't entice me into cooking more often.. why? because of the difficulty in getting FRESH produce.. One has to drive more than 20 minutes just to get to a grocery store or a (wet) market, unlike in JP or SG.. here, my mum does all the grocery shopping....
Secondly, I don't like my kitchen.. or should I say, my mum's kitchen.. It is a very cramped kitchen, with only 1 washing sink and 1 gas burner.. the preparation table is too low for my liking.. cooking utensils being stored in places that only my mum knows.. not having the spices that I like to work with.. I just feel out of place in there..
Most importantly, there is no one to appreciate my cooking.. my parents do not put much emphasize on the enjoyment of food.. for them, a meal is just to fill the stomach and get the required energy to work.. plus their concept of nutrition means each meal must have chicken, fish or pork (my mum don't allow beef due to religious reasons and no lamb as she says it smells..), so there isn't much leeway for me to cook dishes that I like which sometimes might just be a soup or vegetable (dishes)..
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| one of my favorite concoction - cucur udang (prawn fritters) |
With so many "restrictions", it is hard to follow my taste buds and/or mood and cook whatever I would like to eat for the day.. While in JP and SG, I would go to the market and look at what is on sale for the day, then decide the dishes that I would like to cook and eat for the day.. sometimes with cravings, I would hunt down the needed ingredients or improvise/customize whatever I could get.. :) it was a fun process that I enjoyed immensely..
The reason I prefer cooking to baking is that I can be less rigid.. I don't have to follow the recipe exactly, if I don't want to.. I can't do that with pastry or cakes, where precise measurements are required.. I can take a dish, mold it and/or add in my own twist.. it is this freedom of expression that I like in cooking.. this is quite the opposite of how I usually do things.. I think this is a way for me to "go with the flow".. ;)
Darn! I really miss cooking.. I miss having friends over for dinner.. and most of all, I miss the look(s) of satisfaction and enjoyment when people taste my food.. of course, it will be an icing on the cake if there is someone (special) for me to cook for..
p/s: for those who are interested in the recipes showcased in Top Chef, check out this website.. once I am living on my own, I will definitely try some of the dishes there.. they look so interesting and appetizing!
2 comments:
miss your cooking definitely! understand how you feel about not wanting to cook here... such tedious process and not as convenient as what we had back in japan! still remember those trips we made to check out what they were selling in marusho and coming back to be your assistant chef and guinea pig :D
yep.. those were the long gone days..
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