What influenced your love of cooking?

ElizabethB said:
I do that a lot. Or I will use a recipe as a base then make it my own.
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Because of my allergies, I'm often adapting recipes. A lot of the vegetarian/vegan ones I try and often post on here started off with fish in them. Because I don't eat a lot of meat either, I usually end up substituting potatoes for the meat. Strange that too because I'm not really a potato eater except for chips.
 
One period that I enjoyed - for a whole variety of reasons - was the two years I spent working in Eritrea. In culinary matters, it was very interesting because we only had a limited range of food available. As a vegetarian, I was even more restricted than most other people. The range of vegetables was very limited, so it was something of a test of invention. On top of that, the only cooking utensil I had was a single stove. Initially, I had a kerosene one, but it stank the place out, both literally and metaphorically. It also had a propensity for attacking one's eyebrows. I bought an electric stove that probably would have failed any kind of health and safety check in the west, but did a better job. Admittedly, it had one spectacular strop when it hurled me across the kitchen and left me feeling as if I'd had a close encounter with the electric chair, but at least you could cook something without tasting kerosene for the next four hours.

Despite the limited ingredients, I managed to make curries, chillis, pasta sauces and a variety of other dishes. I quite enjoyed the challenge of trying to come up with something new. There is something of the Blue Peter spirit about working as a volunteer (for non-UK readers, this was a legendary BBC children's programme where the presenters always seemed to create something improbable like making a three-story house from a washing-up bottle, that kind of thing).
 
When I first lived in Germany, I shared a flat with another new work colleague. Our kitchen consisted of a double ring table top cooker between the two of us, a sink, cold water supply, a cupboard, and a table with two chairs. On the first day I was there, my parents went out and bought some pots and pans and utensils. Meals were rather bleak, and if we wanted anything that couldn't normally be cooked on a hob, we had to improvise or go out for dinner. Luckily our office had a kitchen complete with a gas cooker, so while we were staying there we ended up cooking our main meal at lunch time. Later I rented a room in a nearby house. I had no cooking facilities there at all, but I could use the landlord's kitchen if it was free.
 
You all have such worldly experiences.

My only serious period of cooking deprivation was when I lived in the Barracks - first USN duty station. 4 women to a room. Communal shower and bathroom down the hall. A kiosk on the first floor with soda and junk machines, 2 microwave ovens and a hot/cold water dispenser. I purchased a small refrigerator - maybe 4 cubic feet with maybe 1 cubic foot of freezer space. A trip to the
commissary meant Ramon noodles, soup bowls, frozen dinners, peanut butter and assorted junk food.

Thankfully I only resided in the barracks for 6 months then rented a room in a home with kitchen privileges. My landlady was very happy to have me for a tenant. I cooked dinner 3 or 4 times a week and baby sat her children when she went out on the town.
 
Been married for 43 yrs. When first married I worked (still do) in banking and had off bank holidays while my spouse didn't have the same days off.
Made her dinner those days from "simple & easy" recipes from all the cookbooks as wedding/shower gifts. Got away from it when we had kids and she was a stay at home Mom. After a long bout on unemployment (25 yrs ago) got back into cooking and really enjoy it. A very good 'amateur" cook. Developed the motto..."if you have to do something almost every day...why not enjoy it !". My wife is a very good cook and, unfortunately :), we've become "food snobs" as a lot of our dishes are restaurant quality and it takes more than usual to be impressed with a good restaurant.
 
I will cut to the chase as it is very late ..

Both my great grandparents, grand parents and parents, in the food business ..

As true Mediterraneans, we love our products and my branching out into the tourism travel sector in my parents business, our uncountable requests for visits to Michelin restaurants and wineries for tastings, had been the spark and of course, my own family, now twin married sons and my husband who was born and raised in Provençe ..

We enjoy dining out as it is a true part of our Catalan and Spanish culture, and when time permitting, I enjoy cooking however, we usually travel at the weekends to visit our parents and my 2 sets of elderly grand parents, whom all live 2 hours north of us ..

When our sons were little boys, I cooked during the laboral week .. However, I prefer to do with time and passion ..
 
Dados1950 said:
Been married for 43 yrs. When first married I worked (still do) in banking and had off bank holidays while my spouse didn't have the same days off.
Made her dinner those days from "simple & easy" recipes from all the cookbooks as wedding/shower gifts. Got away from it when we had kids and she was a stay at home Mom. After a long bout on unemployment (25 yrs ago) got back into cooking and really enjoy it. A very good 'amateur" cook. Developed the motto..."if you have to do something almost every day...why not enjoy it !". My wife is a very good cook and, unfortunately :), we've become "food snobs" as a lot of our dishes are restaurant quality and it takes more than usual to be impressed with a good restaurant.
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Oh yes, I am known by my friends and mates on other forums as a "Food Ponce" which I like. :happy:
 
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