It's been a long and fun journey. I started with home economics, learning to make a few basic dishes while I was still in grade school. Time marched on, to my first New York City apartment. All I had was a hot plate, and you have to be pretty creative to make a digestible meal. Prior to that, I had a roommate and we stayed at the infamous Chelsea Hotel in New York City, known for their rock and roll bands and artistic people LOL. Again, another hot plate. My roommate managed to get us kicked out while I was at work. I went back home with my tail and between my legs. Those were the lean years. I ate out on occasion at places like Max's Kansas City in New York City, back in the day when Andy Warhol rode in on a white horse. horse. Got my first taste of lobster at Max's. Money was tight, so we made tomato soup with ketchup packets and water.
When I was a child, my mother took me to Radio City Hall for a movie and a show. Before that we stopped at the automat, cafeteria style food, where you put a coin in the window and turn the knob and reach-in for your food. I learned about comfort food like mac and cheese and tried to duplicate it home. She also took me to a place called The Italian Kitchen, where the Chef was tossing Pizza in the window, and their were little Juke boxes on the table. My favorite dish was veal parmesan with a choice of spaghetti or french fries. Best meal I ever had. It wasn't until years later that I tried making my own pizza.
A little later on, I moved to the Upper West Side in New York City, off of Central Park West, and moved in with a roommate. We had a bachelor kitchen. I learned from my roommate how to make orange chicken, which mostly consisted of chicken and a can of concentrated orange juice, served over a bed of rice surrounded with almonds. That was my company dish. Fast forward to my real first apartment with a full kitchen, but limited time to cook. A girl's got to work you know. Bought myself some pots and pans, cookbooks, ate out once in awhile to get an idea of what dishes should taste like, discover new foods and dishes, and tried to duplicate the dishes that I grew up with. It's been an ongoing happy learning process with many fond memories.