My love for food first became apparent the day I was born. Having started things off while my mum was having dinner the night before, I made my debut at lunchtime, a fact that she – and my stepdad, upon learning about it – will not let me forget. Thus my reputation for being a big eater began.
Despite being an unemployed single parent for a while, my mum did a good job of getting healthy food down our throats, mainly in the form of lentils, wholegrains, and at least one fruit or vegetable per meal. My school, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. Being on benefits meant I was entitled to free school lunches, comprising stale, white sandwiches, a flapjack, a vividly purple or orange drink, and fruit so shrivelled, I decided I would rather save it for Mum as a “present”. The sandwiches were usually dry cheese; I looked forward to the rare occasions they had chocolate spread, not just because they were sweet, but because they were moist!
I don’t know how long this lasted, but apparently when it stopped, the frequency with which I caught colds and ear infections dropped significantly.
Being half British/half Taiwanese definitely manifests itself in my sense of taste. I’ve inherited my biological father’s love of spicy foods; I add garlic to every savoury dish, and will happily eat any chilis that come with takeaway curries or pizza. I love strong tasting, vegetable based recipes, and have never grown to love roasts, pies, crumbles, and other plain, stodgy British things. Yet unlike many (fully) Chinese/Taiwanese people, I love sweet things. Cake, chocolate, and posh ice cream are a sure-fire way to my heart.
As a teenager, I once made a New Year’s Resolution to learn how to cook. You could argue that it started with my first cooking lesson at school, attempting to make scone-based pizza. You could say the lesson was doomed when I tried cracking an egg by tapping it with a spoon. Or when I melted a plastic spoon when making the sauce. It’s better to focus on the positives, though, and once I belatedly removed the pizza from the oven I hadn’t set high enough, it tasted pretty good.
With the help of the various recipe books I’ve accumulated over the years, I think I’ve come a long way since then. I often make dinner, and love making things for special occasions – I’ve been decorating the Christmas cake since childhood, and have more recently taken to making roast tomato and garlic soup for our Christmas day starter. I’ve never fancied working in the culinary industry though. I’m notoriously bad at sharing the kitchen when cooking!
Meanwhile, one of my next culinary endeavours over the coming fortnight is to make fudge for not one, but three good causes: my job’s Halloween bake sale, a visiting gift for my stepbrother and sister in law, and to line my parents’ stomachs. I’ve made many things before, but fudge isn’t one of them. So this should be fun! If no kitchen utensils will be harmed in the process.
Last year’s Christmas cake
Cupcakes
My Mothers’ Day lasagne
Unwritten Grace writing 