Monday, July 28, 2008

Cook on weekend

Oh, it was a lovely weekend. What a breath of fresh air. Throughout my weekend of juice in the kitchen. Today I was thinking of the pleasures of homemaking and thought I'd share a few with you. I love homemaking because my time is my own. I dictate how my day will go and that is an awesome thing to do. Cooking became an outlet when I was all of a sudden out of options to keep myself occupied at home.

If all of us realize how important good food preparation to our families and loved ones, we will never ever take this for granted and I get great pleasure out of seeing instant gratification on people’s faces.

This is how my Mom taught me where love and food is actually connected to each other… Prepare the food with love definitely love will grows stronger in you and peoples around you.


I could start off by telling a story of how I learnt cooking from my Mother when I was a young girl … but I didn’t. Hehe! And still can I remember being in the kitchen with Mak when I was little and "helping" as much as any 5 year old can. Then the teenage years set it and, gosh, was I selfish!! I remember Mak asking me "How long do you boil chicken?", "How long do you boil eggs?" and on and on and on. Things I would have learned had I been less selfish and continued under the tutelage of my Mother. My answer? "Mak, I'll just read the directions."

My Mother love to cook, it’s her passion, it’s her life. And when I was little, I wasn’t interested in cooking. I just wanted to eat! Plus, if I was anywhere near the kitchen when Mak was cooking, it never fails… I’d always end up with the shit jobs!

Pinching the itty bitty tails off the of bean sprouts, shelling pounds and pounds of shrimp … so on and so on .. Hehehe! Of course, Mak would constantly spew out kitchen wisdom, but hey, I was young and didn’t care about cooking- I WANTED TO EAT!

So I really didn’t learn how to cook during my younger days well until my Mother opened her mouth and said to me “How in the world are you ever going to cook for your family if you never help me cook now?"

Okay, so I was Miss Smarty Pants and not very honoring to my Mother. I've repented, believe me. I'm not saying I'm an expert cook, but I love to learn new methods instead of the same old same old.


After years gone by and time flies … And I’m all grown up now, it’s never too late to learn. Hehe! Here's the story... I'm not a chef. I'm not a professional cook. But I love what happens when I serve up delicious food from my own kitchen. In our family, the kitchen is the center of life. It's a warm and friendly place to be. But it wasn't always like this -- in fact my first encounter with cooking was a total disaster. Cooking is the center of life for almost everyone in the world, and it's about more than just feeding your body. Cooking is really about love and connection.

I love to cook and I'm going to cook something special…So today, I’m cooking Ikan masak kukus Nyonya style - I've got fresh limes ready to squeeze. (You know my passion for fish) and sambal tumis taukua.. it’s been long time since I have cooked that and I’m more than happy that I realized it, even though it was after a good long while. I was determined to learn how to cook a decent meal, though. That's why I was determined to learn to cook and doing so really changed my life.
Fact I'm proud of myself though I'm a lousy cook but bit by bit my cooking skills have improved over the years, my enjoyment of food has also increased. Hehe! As I work to improve my cooking skills, my writing style and my lifestyle in general, I have realized to become a better cook as well. To target my “audience”.. Hehehe!

Even though cooking is not my obsession. It's not even really my hobby. But it has become a great vehicle for making a connection with others I cannot make any other way. The well-cooked meal is simply a vehicle to deeper friendships, fascinating conversation, family together time, and yes...sometimes even romance. And I’m willing to give it a try. Absolutely!

I want to be like my Mother. My Mother is very good cook. She teaches me how to cook and be a good wife for my future husband. Mostly, I learned to cook from my Mother and Mummy (my aunt).

Even if you don't think you can cook worth diddly and If you ever wished you could cook up meals and dishes that leave your guests with their mouths watering... rubbing their midsections and making that "mmmmmmm" sound... and raving about how delicious your cooking is.
Have a great weekend and full of healthy food!

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