This is a story of how I came to be a foodie. A foodie, that’s a bit credible and legitimate (as I’d like to think) even without the formal chef educational background.
Growing up, I’ve been exposed to having my Mom’s side of the family to be well versed in the kitchen. My Mom and her siblings are the type, where each of them have their own specialties and that during family gatherings, they’ll always bring sumptuous food that they’ve made from scratch. By the way, my Mom and her siblings, like me are also not formally trained to be chefs/cooks. They’re all just very passionate with the craft and they really made time to learn and develop the skill over the years. So, can you imagine the pressure we’re faced with, as their children?
That said, my Mom will always let us help her out in the kitchen whenever she’s cooking/baking. Primarily because she needs the extra hands for the work to be done and for us to learn and become a great homemaker someday. She has this theory that since we are girls, we are expected to be a homemaker one day (that is, when we have our own families). To her, if we know nothing about cooking and managing a household, it’ll put her in a bad light, such that her upbringing methods will be questioned. A tad bit old school, eh?!
As a kid, I like these sessions with my Mom. But over time, it became tasking and annoying since my Mom is very particular — from the process to the slicing and dicing of ingredients. If the output is not within or same as what she expected and instructed, all hell will break loose! I usually prepare myself for the whole day nagging that will ensue. 🙂 However, it was from these nagging episodes that I learned. I literally learned the hard way and I wouldn’t have it any other way! 😛
My Mom believed that if you know how to eat, then you should also know how to cook. Such belief is actually logical but it requires a lot of patience and hard work to do it successfully. Ever since I’ve heard this belief, it sort of became my mantra. I think this is one of the reasons why I got hooked into cooking/baking and in becoming a foodie. That and the influence of social media and the internet, I was able to learn how to taste and describe the food, no matter how subjective it can get.
The Siblings and their Better halves
I know there’s still a lot for me to learn and hone, especially in making some of the family’s heirloom recipes. However, with time, drive and enough willingness, I’m optimistic that I’ll get to learn and hone this craft, and be at par with my Mom and her siblings’ skills.
Bye for now folks! I’m off to honing this craft or not?! 🙂
SingleBakedMiss by KiaraC 