I blame my lack of ability to cook partially on my mom. She is objectively an elite level chef. Some of the most delicious food I’ve ever encountered has come right from home. I’ve watched people who claim they don’t like wings absolutely devour her home-made BBQ wings.If you take a look at the picture below, you can almost tell how sensational they are just by looking at them.In college I used to have no problem selling my thanksgiving leftovers for 10$ a plate. There was honestly a point growing up where I didn’t know if some of my friends were coming over to hang out with me or get a piece of her cooking. The smart thing to do would have been to learn as much as possible from her while I could. Yet, I never realized the value of cooking and my mom’s food was so high-quality that I never felt the motivation to make things on my own
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Fortunately, moving to Ireland has darn near transformed me into an iron chef and it might be time for my mom to pass the torch. Ok, that’s an exaggeration but I’ve definitely made serious strides in my journey to becoming a cook. Before moving here, I was clueless in the kitchen. My specialties consisted of things like eggo waffles, ramen noodles, or anything that doesn’t require me using an oven or a pan. What’s not an exaggeration is that during week one, I couldn’t so much as make eggs. It actually took the help of two scholars to help me to put vegetable oil on the pan and when to flip them. So, as you can see, my cooking skills could only go up from there…and that they did.
My desire to cook only came when I realized how much money I saved doing it. Why spend 15 euro on a meal when I can spend 15 euro on groceries that could last me days? I also figured since elite cooking is in my genes I might as well give it a give it a try. Once my roommates taught me how to properly season chicken my interest was sparked, and it only grew from there. Like basketball and other things in life, when you get the basics down it becomes easier and easier to build from it. A few pieces of overcooked chicken and incredibly dry noodles later, I began seeing clear signs of progress in the kitchen. I went from struggling to make eggs to being able to quickly make omelets with spinach, bacon, or whatever else I feel like that day. My repertoire has grown from instant noodles and toast to items like seasoned baked potatoes, any pastas such as penne and spaghetti and some of the most delectable gourmet baked chicken you’ve ever tasted. Currently, I’d say that my strongest dish is a steak wrap with eggs, green peppers, spinach and fried rice (pictured above), but I would expect that too change because my personal menu continues to expand.
My favorite part about cooking is that it allows you to keep bettering yourself each time you step up to the stove. It allows you to be creative by combining unexpected items and following a recipe in a way that best fits your taste buds. I may not be featured on Master Chef anytime soon but I’m definitely grateful that I was able to pick up such a valuable skill in the land of the Irish.
