I have a favorite website which is dedicated to two of my favorite things…cooking and photography. Its called TasteSpotting. You can click on the link in sidebar to see why I like this site. Its not your normal foodie site and you can tell by the quality of the recipes and the photography, that the people that submit really love to cook. It got me to thinking why some people don’t like cooking…aside from the obvious “laziness” factor or the fact that cooking for one is boring?

In my family the love of cooking has been handed down from both my parents and grandparents. Meals with the family were mostly a great occasion and remain that way even today. My mom never made cooking look like a chore and she seem to share that duty equally with my dad who had been a cook on a ship during World War II. You’d think cooking under those circumstances would make you swear off being in the kitchen forever. But no, he seemed to loved to cook for the family and friends that dropped by our home…the more the better. He even managed to invent dishes during lean times with cheaper cuts of meat and home-grown veggies.

My mom on the other hand, is a artist in the kitchen and made it look easy. If you ever came to her New Year celebration you’d understand why. She picked up her skills from her mother…my grandmother. I spent one glorious summer with, running around her country home, barefoot and dirty. I watched my grandmother kill her chickens fresh, pick her own vegetables and send me out to pick berries growing along the back roads of North Carolina. She made biscuits and pies with no visible recipes that I could see. All of them encouraged any talents we had in the kitchen. I even remember developing a recipe for the Betty Crocker BakeOff when I was 12! Cherry donuts. I’m not sure whether they were good or not…but I was encouraged by the dream of them tasting good and in the process winning the $10,000 prize.

So why do so many people hate cooking? I understand that a lot of people never had a family mentor who passed along the joys of cooking without making it look like a chore. After talking to different people (even people that I have taught to cook) I think the answer is simple…fear! Make no mistake, cooking can be work. But the theraputic value far outweighs the work factor in my opinion. More importantly, the fear of failure could be a debilitating factor. If someone doesn’t like something that you’ve cooked, most people treat it as a huge failure and refuse to try again. Instead, tryusing the failure as a teaching tool.

I love to try new things in the kitchen, to innovate. Its not always successful but I keep trying. A few weeks ago I tried an idea I had involving the use of wanton wrappers and a filling. Sort of a shortcut to making a ravioli. So I made a chicken and sausage filling and used pre-made wonton wrappers in place of the homemade pasta I usually make. Everything was fine until I placed them into boiling water, where they promptly fell apart and turned mushy. And with the pasta sauce I made they quickly because a disaster. Wanton wrappers are way too thin. I mentioned to Hannamari that they hadn’t come out like I had wanted. But the real test came when our good friend Yee came over. My friend will eat almost anything and in huge amounts for her 90lb frame. But she took one bite and honestly said what I already knew, “I can’t eat these!” This from a women that had never turned down a meal. I laughed and we all headed out to eat. My feelings were not hurt and I learned a good lesson about wanton wrapper. In fact I found a whole new use for them based on my failure. I’ll give you that recipe in another post.

The point here is that I was not afraid to fail. Everyone fails but it can become not only a good motivator but a nice memory…like my friends honesty about my faux-ravioli. Or the fact that some years ago my mom made me my favorite cake as birthday present…pineapple upside down cake. Only she used “baking soda” instead of baking powder. What can you do? I ate the cake and to this day we both have a great laugh when we think about it. On of my greatest family memories is my oldest sisters first try at making biscuits…a total failure…which precipitated the one and only food fight we ever had during a family dinner. And it was started by my Dad who threw one of the aforementioned biscuits against the dining room wall and proclaimed that those biscuit could be used as weapons! It was totally fun and my sister learned from it, because her second batch were totally sublime. To this day she remains one of my favorite cooks and I look forward to the time we can share the kitchen.

So the the next time you are afraid of cooking, try to make a few memories and discover the joy of cooking. Find someone that you like and have them join you or you join them in making a meal. Everyone loves to eat. but cooking is more fun and the memories are better.

Some years ago, when I was footlosse and living around the world, I lived in Osaka, Japan. One of my neighbors was an Executive chef at one of the many fine hotels there. He loved baseball and would invite me to see the Japanese style of baseball…but thats for another post. Most times he would take me to different restaurants to educate my palate to the food of the area. But a few times he would make something in his small flat and it always ended up being Ramen. Now for those of you that are having visions of Top Ramen or Cup O Noddles sold in this country, you can immediately dismiss the thought. The fact is except for the fact that they all use noodle, those food are so different from the real ramen as apple pie is from steak. His meats and fish were sliced paper thing and the veggies were beautifully carved…and the broth was heavenly.

In Japan, Ramen is a big deal and in some areas a VERY BIG DEAL. Its a bit like the hamburger competition here in the States. Some of you will probably point to the movie Ramen Girl as being what ramen is. Actually truth is stranger then fiction…but its pretty close for a Hollywood movie. Ramen shops are Japan’s Fast food…sometimes even beating out sushi eateries, especially if one has a taste for something hot. As to the origin of ramen, that debate rages on…the Chinese say they invented it and of course both the Korean’s and the Japanese say the same. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle.

So what is ramen? Thats pretty tough to answer since regional recipes differ, but it is acknowledged that there are three main components to ramen. 1. The Broth: Generally a flavored stock made with fish, vegetable or meat (chicken or beef but rarely pork). Nearly every ramen shop or home I’ve been in makes it to different taste. A lot of chefs say that if you don’t have a great broth, then you have a bad ramen experience. 2. The Noodles: There are some of the more diehard ramen chefs that make their own noodle. But for a lot it is quite a time intensive undertaking and they prefer to get them from places that specialized in noodle making. Two types of noodle are used for ramen…flour or egg based. Rice noodle are rarely used since they won’t soak up the flavors of the broth as well as the former. There is a competitive nature to the type of noodles used, but not as bad as the broth wars. 3. The Filling: This could be a combination of fresh vegetables, meat or seafood and, very rarely, firm tofu. The combination of filling are endless and are only dictated by one’s own personal taste. I once went with a party of 12 to a ramen shop and everyone had something different. Having an endless choice of flavor combinations is what makes ramen a perfect meal for any family where everyones tastes vary.

Here in the US, things like Top Ramen are a big hit in Colleges filled with student with barely enough change to buy a few cups or perhaps a harried office worker tired of spending large sums for bland lunches. I fear however that many here don’t go far enough to really have a “ramen” experience. So here are a few tips to make it better and give you a nicer experience.

Make your own broth and store it. You can get pre-made broth at any market…chicken, beef or vegetable. I buy a couple and add my own spices until there is something I like. I add things like basel, crushed peppers, garlic, onions, fresh ginger and a host of other spices. I even add wine, or liquids like lemon juice, sesame oil, or soy sauce. Once you get it to your liking its pretty easy to cool it down and store until the next time you need to make something good and fast. Buy good noodles from an Asian market. Most big cities have at least one great Asian Market and exploring one can be an eye opener. Ask if you can’t read the packaging. I like the egg noodle better, but that’s just my choice. The flour noodles go well with certain flavors. You decide. Anything goes for fillings. But always have fresh ingredients. Slice your meat as thin as you can. This will help to cook it quickly and evenly. Especially chicken. A trick for slicing meat is to almost freeze it and then slicing will be easier. Use firm white fish like snapper or bass. Avoid oily fish as it will cloud your broth and give it a more fish taste. Shrimp is always as great choice. Veggies can be anything you like…slice thinly or chopped into bit-size pieces. Instead of chopping carrots I generally shred mine with a grater. Remove the woody stems from mushroom before using. Once you have all your ingredients, bring your broth to a slow boil or simmer and add your meat or chicken. Cook until done. Most noodles come fully cooked, however you should drop the noodles in boiling water just enough to cook. When done, drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Place the noodles in the bottom of a bowl, arrange your veggies on top and cover with your broth and meat. Garnish with green onions or basel or parsley and enjoy! Slurpping is polite.

One last thing. At the Asiam market there are packages of ramen pre-made. Generally these are ok but be warned that each is slightly different. Most consist of noodles, packages of freeze-dried veggies or meat and some flavor packets which you pour into boiling water to make a broth. Be aware that unlike in America, MSG is legal in imports. Other then that, the next time you want to bad mouth this cheap and delicious food, just give Ramen a chance.

I just got an email from a friend that has tasted some of my dishes. Last time she visited I made her a very easy Thai soup. I spent a year working out of Japan when I was a photographer and as I traveled around Asia working, I picked up a few of good cooking techniques and recipes. I will from time to time, share them with you as they are both easy and healthy and very fast to make when you are in a hurry. I’ll also share with you some chefs tips that I picked up from a few of my chef friends. I had this soup the first time I visited Bangkok although I’ve modified it a bit because the “real” Thai version was so hot it would take the paint off your car! Enjoy!

1 tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste
13.5 ounces Coconut Milk
1 can Yellow Kernel Corn
24 Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in half
20 26/40 count shrimp
24-32 ounces chicken stock (low sodium)
1 bunch cilantro

Heat the red curry paste in a saucepan until it starts to sizzle in its own oil. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the corn and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and prawns and cook for another 2 minutes, until pink. Add the chicken stock and heat until simmering, stirring well. Stir in cilantro at the end and use for garnish. Add wedge of lemon on the side. You can add some rice or noodles to this soup it you need something more substantial.

The other day i was in the bookstore and as I always do (foodie that I am), I peruse the cooking section..religiously (smiles). I don’t know why I never noticed the number of cooking “bibles” there were. In fact, i own a number of these “bibles” in my extensive collection of cookbooks. My initial reaction was that perhaps the authors of these books were being a bit sacrilegious. But the more I thought about it, the more convinced I am that perhaps not.

Consider: During most of our major holidays…at least the ones with religious meaning…food plays a major part. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Ramadan and Hanukkah to name a few. Couple this with the fact that most churches and religions have all sorts of events planned around sharing a meal. Frankly, I am amazed.

This begs the question of why we can’t all get along better. I mean if we all sat down to a meal together, maybe the world would be a better place. After all, who do you know, that isn’t happy sharing a well cooked meal? So with that thought in your head…Happy Easter, one and all.

Yesterday I was reminded that American sensibilities for different types of “foreign” food is really horrible. Most Americans will turn up their collective noses at all types of things the rest of the world knows are delicious declicaties. But thats cool…More for me!

Yesterday, Hannamari, my friend Yee and I went to a Chinese restaurant that was the real deal. Its true that most Americans have only eaten at restaurant where the food has been “dumbed down” to their palates. No so this place. The menu was really authentic. I have a friend that owns a great restaurant in Hong Kong and have had the real Chinese meals. I have visited him and nearly ate myself sick on deep-friend chicken paw (chicken feel). They we unbelievably good and after 15 or so of them, he had to make me quit. “There will be some tomorrow!” Imagine my surprise when I saw the menu of yesterdays restaurant..they had Chicken Paws on the menu! As well they had items most American’s would not even think of eating! Chicken tongues and bits of this and that were superb! We had the chicken paws and the most authentic Peking duck ever…served in the Chinese style….crispy skin carved right at the table and served  steamed bun, duck sauce and thinly sliced spring onions. While we ate the skin, the staff took the rest of the duck back and carved the rest of the meat, then stir fried it with fresh vegetables. They brought that back to the table abd served it with fresh lettuce leaves! Needless to say, we shall return to try more item.

Since we travel a lot and are not afraid to try different types of food, finding authentic foods in this country is a treat. I highly recommend that when you travel, you at least try the food. Ask a local what to eat but at least try. You might be surprised. Italian or Spanish restaurant in this country bear little resemblance to food I ate while living in Milano or Barcelona. In this time of recession, I think other cultures eat much more cheaply them Americans. Try different thing before deciding that its yuckee. I guarantee you might be surprised!