The Cook Next Door meme

Yay, my first meme! I was tagged by Santos (from The Scent of Green Bananas) for The Cook Next Door, a food meme from delicious days. Thanks Santos! Here goes:

What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own? I went vegetarian in high school, and my Mom refused to cook any special food just for me encouraged me to cook my own vegetarian dishes. A lot of what I cooked were just meatless versions of standard family fare-- lasagna, chili, spaghetti sauce and the like. But I also started cooking with foods that I'd formerly hated (or at least thought I hated), making stuff like eggplant parmigiana, stir-fried tofu and so on.

Who had the most influence on your cooking? My parents. Both of them passed on their love of seafood to me, which really helped me take to Japanese cuisine.

My Mom is not an adventurous eater, and by today's standards her cooking might not seem terribly exciting. But she didn't stick to standard Canadian WASP foods-- she exposed us to fairly "exotic" (at least back then) Italian, Mexican and Chinese foods, as well as cooking some classics from her mother's homeland, Sweden. Thanks to her I have always enjoyed trying foods from different cultures and countries. She also has a fondness for innards like liver and head cheese, so I grew used to the idea of eating offal and wasn't as grossed out by it as most people are (I don't actually like it though).

My Dad has a real sense of adventure when it comes to eating, and an almost total fearlessness of strange new foods. Also, in the summer he insists on including whatever garden vegetables happen to be ready at the dinner table (usually at the last minute, which interrupts the meal and pisses off my Mom, but oh well). So I have inherited an adventurous palette and a real appreciation for seasonal food.*

Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it? It's not all that early, but there is a picture of me as a teenager (the vegetarian thing didn't last that long, obviously) with bits of discarded crab claw attached to my fingers like claws. That particular picture isn't handy, but I still find myself compelled to do the claw thing, so I have a similar pic. The wackiness never stops around here.

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat? Baking totally intimidates me.

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown? Not sure where the line between "basic tool" and "gadget" is drawn. But of all the really gadgety things in my utensil drawer, my vegetable peeler, shrimp peeler and garlic press are the most used. I know many people think they are unnecessary but my knife skills aren't great so these gadgets save me time. Biggest letdown: my Wive Vac.

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else! Nothing that no one else likes, but people here in Japan are a bit freaked out by peanut butter in combination with bananas or jam. Conversely, those outside of Japan might be grossed out by the combination of nattou and kimchi. Don't be, they're great together!

What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don’t want to live without? Cheese, coffee, garlic. At least right now.

Three quickies:

Your favorite ice-cream… Hagen-Dazs Caramel

You will probably never eat… Bugs (intentionally, at least).

Your own signature dish… I can't think of anything; ask my husband and he'd say "burnt toast".

(Added by Chefdoc) Any signs that this passion is going slightly over the edge and may need intervention? The scale (bathroom, not kitchen). Good thing I don't have one.

(Added by Melissa) What's on your all-time foodie dream list? (gadgets, destinations, restaurants, dishes to try...) A world food tour. I'd especially like to eat my way around Asia and the Mediterranean.

(Added by Santos of The Scent of Green Bananas) Have you ever poisoned/sickened anyone with your cooking? Yes. Was it deliberate? No. (Who knew cocoa powder had an expiry date?)

(Added by me) Are there any tools, techniques or food items that you know you should use more often but don't? My knife sharpener. I love how my knife feels when its freshly sharpened, but I only get around to doing it a few times a year.

Also, green tea. I love it and I know how healthy it is, but I just can't get into the habit of making it regularly.

Next, I'm passing this along to:

Obachan from Obachan's Kitchen & Balcony Garden

Jonny at KimchiJon

Petitshoo of blatant random silliness

Comments

[Jennifer Pack]

Thanks for the tag Amy!

[santos.]

hi amy! thanks for taking up the meme. this is one of the few times i've actually read one of these and felt like i learned something new about the author.

that crab claw thing is a little nutty :)

[obachan]

Hey Amy,
I got tagged by umami and posted mine today.
I love the combination of peanut butter and apple, BTW. I don't think American people would be freaked out by this, but my Japanese friends treated me like I was Darth Vader when I told them I loved that combination.

[Amy]

Obachan,
So Umami got you first! I hadn't noticed. I'll read your answers tonight.
Apples and peanut butter are great! Apple slices are very handy for scraping the last bits of peanut butter from the jar.
That reminds me of another apple combination that Japanese people have found weird: apple pie with a slice of good cheddar cheese. They really go together nicely.

Santos,
Thanks for tagging me. I really enjoyed doing it, and I like reading everyone elses' answers. I agree that this meme is particularly insightful.
I don't know why I feel compelled to put food on my fingertips. I think it all started with raspberries from the garden (much cuter than crab claws, by the way)

Jennifer,
I look forward to reading your answers.