Cooking: The Love Hate Affair (But mostly L-O-V-E)

Today, we both got back from the lab but did not head home. Infact we walked a little further, made a pit-stop to Shoppers, and then we pop into Fenwick Place to meet up with another student who was selling to use some used stuff. Apparently, there's a classifieds service provided by the University's online portal which allows students / staff to advertise anything they like - even inquring for services ads are sometimes pasted up as well. The fact is, my Mrs managed to contact this student (who incidentally was from China). She sold to us a couple stuff like the clothes basket, 3-hole puncher, files, hangers and waste paper basket. It was ok. Roughly all in all about CAD 35. Which if we had gotten first hand would have more than double that. Its a common culture here (even one that foreigners have learn to easily embrace) - that is the culture of selling and buying used stuff. You see, the kind of stuff made here are pretty much of a higher standard than back home (most of them I would say - thought not everything), and so, its pretty much ok to purchase used items, like clothes, furniture, stationaries, cutleries, cars, etc. There's a famous online portal here that helps facility the trade of selling used items - over here it is called Kijiji. Go google it and see what I mean.

Anyhow, that's not the whole point. Back to the title of this post, what was suppose to be written about is this love-hate relationship we have with "Cooking". Though it has been 1 month of being away from home, we have managed to survive. Most importantly surviving on our own. Yes, our own cooking mostly.

It is indeed a love-hate relationship we have with the kitchen. You love it, but hate the time spend in the process of getting the food on the plate - because mind you, its not just all the apron and waving of the ladel and stuff like that in the kitchen, - but it is also the planning, the research (googling recipes and cooking videos), walking to supermarkets, purchasing the goods, planning (I can't stress this more - because there's just so much 2 person can eat, what more buying too many greens and then ending up not being able to cook it in time), and also the preparation of the raw materials like chopping onions (oh boy, these guys are big and they made you cry more than Asian onions), the garlic, washing the french beans....etc.

The way I am going makes it makes it sound horrible - doesn't it? Well, its a lot of work to be done but it is indeed something refreshing and something to take our minds away from work and studies. Infact, we've learn to love it. And its all good. Coupled with the fact that we don't have cable TV or a car, makes us want to do more creative things. So "Cooking" has become somewhat a combination of art and science to us. A place where we can put our detective minds to work asking though questions like:

• What's the best way to cut the chicken?
• What's the right fire to cook the bacon?
  
• How many bacons should you cook to make a decent bacon bits?
• How long can you keep your bacon bits?
• How can you keep your veg and which time of storage is best to keep its freshness?
• What would make a swell pasta?
• What's the best seasoning for a potato salad?
• What goes best with your cup of coffee on a boring misty and foggy weekend?
• How bout using pesto sauce for seasoning?
• Would course salt be better than fine salt in this?
  
• and the list goes on and on...

"Cooking" - I can say, is nothing more than a way of life. And so its encompasses more than just art and science (which I choose to believe). -- It is like a religion. Woah!!!!

Living the "Cooking" process has broaden our minds to the endless possibilities that may eventually end up at the bottom of our bellies. But it is NOT the getting there that's important but it is being present in every moment - be it in the kitchen, the supermarket, the bathroom (thinking of the next recipe while showering), etc that makes it a worthwhile experience, don't you think so? At least both of us do....

Have a nice day now....