Have you always been interested in food and cooking or did you develop your interest later in life?

[ChowDownBob]

I didn't really pay much attention to food and cooking when I was younger; my parents cooked and served us meals each day, so I didn't have to participate in the making stages, and when I moved out my wife took on the role in the home (thankfully!!).

My interest grew as I headed into my 40's and, possibly combined with quitting smoking and my senses of taste and texture improving, I began to notice better quality food more and to be a little more discerning when eating out. This developed further as we experimented with the food products we bought for the family shop each week, and I'm now at a stage where I'm interested in exploring a little further (although I don't get much free time to do it).

How about you, how did you become a foodie?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I lived with my grandparents for some of my childhood and 'helped' my grannie in the kitchen. When I became vegetarian, my grannie adapted her cooking to take my food preferences into account. She was the only person who did this and she learnt a lot about my new way of life. She taught me what I needed to know about being vegetarian and nutrition and supported my choice. For many years she and my grandfather would pick us up after school and take us home at bedtime.

After I left for university, I was able to experiment in my own kitchen and learn more recipes, but they stayed traditional English vegetarian until I developed a cows milk allergy in my mid twenties. Then I had to start to experiment and really learn about cooking and look at foods from other cultures.

When the allergy to cows milk worsened to include all dairy products I had to take a serious look at our diet and really learn what provided me with enough protein, calcium, iron etc and that really started getting other cultures' foods into our diet.

Then a number of years ago my husband and I set off to try to the cycle around the world. That allowed us to see other foods in their native land for both good and bad. 12 months of either eating out or mostly eating of a single burner in a tent meant that when we had access to an oven or even more than just one pan, we would make the most of it.
Setting up in a new home on our return to the UK, with exposure to so many different cultures we suddenly food ourselves unrestricted by convention, no longer afraid to venture into asain supermarkets, or daunted by unfamiliar vegetables. We also found that we went out of our way to try new foods and cook from scratch. My brother-in-law had started on a raw diet whilst we were on the road, as a result of some hemp flour we had given him when we left (it had helped him control his type 1 diabetes better) and this along with my allergy to dairy products made me look further afield for ideas incorporating aspects of the raw diet into our life.

We were pretty adventurous cooks before we went out, now I guess we are very adventurous cooks and our bookshelves show it when people look at the range of cookery books we have.

 

[Rosyrain]

I was never interested in cooking much when I was a kid either. My mom would try to get me to help out in the kitchen so that I would gain some experience for when I became a grown up woman. Cooking just never struck my fancy and I felt that it was degrading for a woman to be in the kitchen cooking all of the time. When I moved out and mom was not there at mealtime, I learned quickly that I needed to learn how to make myself some food or else I was going to starve...or get fat from a whole bunch of processed junk.

At that point, I started watching cooking shows and experimenting in the kitchen. Once I stared, I realized it was fun and that I could make food taste even better with the right herbs and spices, or adding and omitting certain ingredients. Once I mastered the art of making food taste good, I started to want to make it look good too, and the rest has been history. I love cooking now!

 

[Ella]

The first time I cooked anything was at nursery when we had pancake day, okay I flipped a pancake but loved it. Ever since then I had my Holly Hobbie utensils and would watch my parents cook or my babysitter and help whenever I could.

I tore out recipes from my mother's magazines which upset her, and then had my own cook books as gifts when I was a child. I have always loved cooking since and came top at school (theory, not always practical) and still love looking through books and watching programs. I may not be the best cook, but I'm not bad and it's edible.

 

[SamClemensMT]

I've always been interested in cooking, from the time I was a kid. It's a creative outlet. Besides I enjoy eating, so why shouldn't I cook too.

 

[Micheleteresa]

I think I was interested in cooking at an early age because my nanny always let me help with whatever she was cooking. I do not have her culinary art of being able to create recipes, I am a recipe follower but I have learned how to adapt recipes to my own preferences.

 

[Food4thought]

I did learn a little as a child but I never really cooked until I was grown up. I've always been interested in traditional food from different parts of the world. i enjoy cooking and I have been given some tips by international friends on how to cook some of their dishes.

 

[nutmegprincess]

Even before, I was always interested in cooking. My mom always bought me toy cookingwares to play with. I also was very interested to learn how to cook because my mom was knows as the best cook in the clan. Hahaha. Sadly, I do not have the samel skills though I can cook somehow.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

I started to have an interest in cooking when I was in my high school days. I remembered I always watched my mom in the kitchen while cooking knowing that she is a good cook and that developed for years and up to now that I am married already the more I had the passion for cooking.

 

[kamarsun1]

I didn't really pay much attention to food and cooking when I was younger; my parents cooked and served us meals each day, so I didn't have to participate in the making stages, and when I moved out my wife took on the role in the home (thankfully!!).

My interest grew as I headed into my 40's and, possibly combined with quitting smoking and my senses of taste and texture improving, I began to notice better quality food more and to be a little more discerning when eating out. This developed further as we experimented with the food products we bought for the family shop each week, and I'm now at a stage where I'm interested in exploring a little further (although I don't get much free time to do it).

How about you, how did you become a foodie?

My interest for cooking came later in life. Being that both of my parents were good cooks, The ability was in me, I just didn't try it out until later. Once I had my first child things changed. I had no choice but to learn. Now I love cooking/preparing food!

 

[winterybella]

I was always interested in cooking. I remember always being around the kitchen as a child and wanting to get involved. My mom was always cooking for guest and at that time I thought she was the only person in the world who could cook well. In my early teens I remember preparing a dish as a contribution to an event all on my own. As I remember it was a little bland but after that, it was all uphill.

These days I say I have taken over from my mom who is now well along in years. Now I think I am the only one who can cook.

 

[lystless]

I think a lot of my love for cooking came from ... well, from being forced to do it myself! I was brought up in a very Italian household in NY and we were always involved with cooking meals with my parents, but it never really made me take an interest in it. It wasn't until I moved away that I started realising I couldn't live on fast-food and ramen exclusively. That's when I started having my Mother send me over our family recipes and experimenting with them myself. It was really eye-opening and fun!

Now cooking is my go-to date night of choice

 

[Rhodolite]

I've always had a fascination of food because of how I was raised. My mother is a prolific cook. She was lucky to have certain experiences most people don't. She was born to one culture and was raised in another. On top of that, she often traveled so she was able to learn a lot of things. Growing up I was exposed to a huge variety of foods and generally learned how to cook by watching my mother. She always made an emphasis for me to learn about as many cultures as possible because the world is a large place and there's more than just what I see in front of me. We often visited festivals and one of the main things she always put emphasis on was food. In her words food was a universal concept people could understand, like music.