I took Food and Nutrition in my four years of secondary education. I remember making Swiss Roll, Queen Cakes, Cream Puffs and Chicken Wings among other dishes. I had a difficult time trying to make the butterfly wings for Queen Cakes and learnt that honey can be a delicious marinade for chicken wings. I also remember producing dainty cream puffs once I got the concept of making the pastry and the filling. However, I was too nervous for my O'level practical exam and forgot to put the egg into the pastry. As a result, the shells were uncooked and even my cream filling was watery and uncooked too. I had to be thick-skinned and serve the uncooked dish for exam purposes. I also made Kueh Ko Swee but it turned out uncooked in the centre. Sigh.
As the years passed, I had tried to cook for my parents but the dishes tasted bad even to me. So I gave up on cooking for them. I try to cook for my friends though. It's a way to show my love and friendship to them.
I remember making my first pizza for my Sec 4 friends when they went to my place. I put tuna on top and at that time, it was a topping unheard of. They thought I had bought it but what they didn't know was that I had shed tears over it. It was my second pizza cos the first failed to rise properly. My maid had comforted me and helped me with the second one.
I occasionally make simple dishes at my girlfriend's house. Then we have little pot-luck sessions. I remember attempting to make potato patties with the help of some good friends, as well as cooking spaghetti, fish and meatballs for some of these sessions. I also cooked some frozen food such as chicken nuggets and wings.
When my parents started going on holidays without me, I was given more opportunities to improve in my cooking. I graduated from burnt instant noodles to little steps of achievement with time. I learnt little nuggets of wisdom through having to plan for my meals.
I learnt again that the temperature of the fire makes a difference to how the food will turn out. I learnt again that even though the colour of the food may change, it doesn't mean that the inside of the food is cooked as well. I still have a problem with frying frozen food. Sigh.
I learnt to understand better how my dad feels when he decides on what to buy for each meal. It can become a boring routine when done consecutively. I walked around the supermarket at least twice in order to plan for my next meal!
Most importantly, I learnt that cooking needs virtues as well. To cook a dish well, or even to fry frozen food well, one needs patience to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. One also needs care and gentleness to ensure at least near-perfection. Another two virtues are love, whether for self or others, and humility. My readers may baulk at my inclusion of humility but it's true that complacency will cause the food to be overcooked. If you think it's easy to cook, you will do it in an easy-going manner and fail to take note of little details that contribute to the perfection of the dish. You don't stop to think and "listen" to the little signs.
Individual conscientiousness is essential too. I prefer to attend to fewer pieces at a time because you can pay more attention to the outcome. Evidently, for all these virtues to come into place, time is the ultimate requirement. If you don't start cooking early or have a lot of time on your hands, cooking won't be as effective, I feel.
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