Cooking as a total family experience

The Joys of Cooking

Cooking is one of my passions in life. I often tell my friends that in order for one to become a truly good cook, one has to have great respect and love for the food he eats. I come from a family that meets regularly on weekends for a potluck lunch at my Grandfather’s house. Every family brings at least two especially prepared dishes that everyone has to comment on. At these so-called get-together lunches, the women would spend the day discussing about food either exchanging recipes or talking about the latest food craze in town.

I had my first cooking lesson at the tender age of three. Actually, it was not so much of gourmet dish but a candy recipe known to us Filipinos as, Yema (a mixture of egg, condensed milk, vanilla, dayap and sugar, cooled and rolled into balls and then, dipped into caramel).

By the time I reached my teens, I was already preparing daily dishes for the family. Though at that time, I did this task hesitantly because it prevented me from going out with friends and enjoying the things young people love doing.

When I arrived in Dubai in 2000 to work as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), it was only then that I realized what my Mother has prepared me for in all these years. She has trained me to live independently. All those house chores had come in handy now that I am living on my own and my cooking seems to improve with every compliment received from friends and house mates.

I do not often get a chance to cook nowadays because my Doctor suggested I should trim down a bit for health reasons. But, whenever I get a chance to do so, I find enjoyment in it and would not mind doing it on a daily basis for the people I love.

I am the biggest fan of my Mother when it comes to cooking. She is a marvelous cook and her recipes are often copied but never paralleled in taste. When I was younger, I remembered asking my Mother about her cooking secret and she replied to me with a big grin on her face. She said, the greatest ingredient in her recipe is “love” and that whenever I am preparing something, I should think of the delighted faces of the people who will have the pleasure of eating the meal I prepared. Now, that is what I call total commitment!

Bon Appetit everyone!