Ketchup and Minute Rice

Cooking has never come naturally for me. Being on my own since the age of 19 kinda forced me to learn how to cook. Never having enough money to eat out, my only other option was to learn how to cook. I hate reading, so cookbooks were out.

I trained myself through trial and error, from ketchup and minute rice to a tuna salad that would make the hungriest beggar turn away. I eventually evolved into making things better, like adding fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and bell peppers to Prego sauce. I knew what I liked, and when I had the opportunity to eat out, I tried to identify what was in each dish so I could recreate it at home. Practice, practice, practice. Eventually improving and making dishes my own, I began to experiment with other foods that I wouldn't normally eat.

I remembered my mom preparing traditional Korean dishes and the flavors from my childhood, which I was eventually able to duplicate from the memory of my senses. From family members in El Paso, TX, I picked up some additional techniques and ideas for making Italian and Mexican cuisine.

I would like to consider myself a good cook. I have come a long way from minute rice and ketchup, and now my family enjoys dishes like Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Risotto and Chicken Donato.