Culinary Confessions

I am not an avid fan of television anymore, especially since I don’t own a TV, but I do manage to enjoy watching two cooking channels whenever I have the chance. I love old episodes of Iron Chef Japan, which I believe is the best cooking competition show ever; all those series that have followed in its footsteps (including its American equivalent) will never be as good as the elaborate original. Even though I don’t eat meat or poultry, which the show constantly used in all of its dishes, but the culinary artistry and skill used to create these and other ingredients into something visually and tastefully appealing was and is something I admire.

Cooking is something I enjoy doing, even if I don’t have time every day to make all the elaborate dishes I want to make. It is something I never thought I couldn’t do; I always had an affinity for baking, stir-frying and more. I will never understand those who “can’t boil water” or won’t even attempt making a salad or sandwich, at the very least; it is beyond me. There is something wonderful about making a meal that you and/or others will consume, because you know exactly what goes into it and what it takes to create it.

One of the many things I want to do starting this year is to take cooking classes from cultures around the world, and this week I start with Thailand. A local restaurant hosts a class once a month, and I am looking forward to starting with Thai spices and other food staples to create something that I can hopefully re-create later on at home. Ultimately I would love to go to France or Italy to do one of those “culinary vacations,” surrounded by gorgeous landscapes and working with fresh and delicious ingredients. I want to do it for myself most of all; if people I know and love want to taste the fruits of my labor and they enjoy them, then that is an added bonus.

Does anyone else have any culinary confessions to share?