Remember those days of Home Economics lessons?
Actually, I don't.
Growing up in a family that "da-bao"ed mixed rice daily, a taste of home-cooked meal held much less meaning to me than most of my friends. Listening to friends missing home-cooked meals, watching friends bringing packed meals that were made by their parents (yes, dads cook too), I felt a small part of childhood missing.
Was my mum a busy career woman? Nope. In fact, she was a full-time homemaker since I was born. But let's face the facts, cooking takes courage. And time. Taking care of 2 children and keeping the home sparkling already takes a lot of her time and energy. Every CNY, my uncle would whip up a huge feast for about 30 of us, and mum would always rave at how amazingly simple he makes cooking look. The younger me never understood the weight of that sentence, until I stepped into the kitchen myself.
Space constraints, equipment constraints, ingredients preparation, flavour of sauces, food hygiene, storage, plating, controlling the heat, cutting techniques and the list goes on. So many factors to consider when you step into the kitchen, and as a complete newbie, it can feel extremely overwhelming.
Holding a knife for the first time feels like taking your O'levels paper using only your left hand (or right hand if you are
a leftie). You kind of know how you want things to look or taste like, but you are not able to execute to your expectation. Starting to cooking at 5pm might end up with dinner at 8:30pm. How does time fly so fast in the kitchen but not at work?
So if you are feeling this way, I am proud to announce that I have stepped out of that newbie zone years ago, and now, my MIL (a full time homemaker that cooks daily, watches Taiwan dramas and talks loudly on the phone with her neighbourhood 'sisters') raves about how fast I cook and how delicious my meals are.
If I can do it, so can you! Whisk Management, at your service!
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