教員コラムBlog

  1. home
  2. 教員コラム / Blog
  3. 詳細 / Detail

Learning to Cook

2020.06.01

When I was growing up I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen except if I wanted to see what my mother was cooking. Food for me was whatever was put in front of me, and I didn’t really have to worry about how it got there. This loosely continued on into college and early adulthood, as well. My college had a cafeteria, and I had a meal plan to get three meals a day there. After graduating, my jobs overseas provided a similar dining setup. For too many years, I was ignorant about cooking.

 

That changed after I returned to the United States and got a full-time job. I had to move for the job, and, while a cafeteria setup was available, I chose not to go with it. That choice marked my process of being more comfortable with cooking. After my time living in developing countries where people got by with less, my standards were low and I just appreciated having food available (as I still do). I depended heavily on recipes and followed them as closely as possible. At that time, I didn’t trust my cooking ability enough to experiment. Gradually, I became more confident, my dishes tasted less like plastic, and I was willing to try more difficult recipes.

 

Much of this was made easier because I was given cooking appliances from family members that no longer needed them, but this would change when I decided to move to Japan. Bringing those familiar appliances were not an option since they’d likely get broken when shipped, or the cost of shipping would be much too high. Space was also a problem since my home in Japan had less space than where I lived in America. There were many unknowns that made my experience cooking in Japan feel like my progress was for nothing.

 

After I moved, I took time to adjust to the flow of life and learned what I could expect on a normal day. Cooking needed time, too, because some ingredients weren’t available and I needed to adapt to kitchen limitations. Eventually I would adjust, my recipes would taste a little more familiar, and I added a few more useful appliances after getting married (especially a generous marriage gift of a Kitchen Aid Mixer from friends in America).

 

What I cook now is closer to what I’ve done in the past, but with some differences. The taste and texture may be a little different because ingredients aren’t exactly the same. The time it takes to prepare varies because of available space. The oven I use is not as strong as the one in America, so the heat and cooking time need to be played around with. I am still learning to cook, but I am no longer starting over.

 

 

Photo Credit: Pixabay@pexels.com

 


Blog Quiz

 

1. When did the author start cooking regularly?

A.   When he first moved overseas.

B.    When he first got a full-time job in the U.S.

C.    In college.

 

2. Why did the author have difficulties cooking in Japan at first?

 

A.  Because his cooking appliances broke.

B.  Because the cost of food was too high.

C.  Because there were many unknowns.

  

3. Why do the author’s recipes taste different in Japan?

 

A.    Because ingredients are different.

B.    Because he forgot the recipe.

C.    Because he got a cooking appliance gift from friends.

 

 

 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Answers

 

1. B

2. C

3. A

戻る / go back

Related posts