I will be honest and say I was spoiled rotten when it came to food. Growing up, my mother made two dishes every time I did not agree with what was served. I ate the same things everyday without thinking twice; outright refusing what could've been delicious dishes (except Chayote and Tilapia; those can die for all I care) and missed opportunities to expand my tastes outside of McDonald's. Honestly, the culinary life I lived before was downright appalling and it's a genetic wonder how I didn't balloon in size.
When I left for college and had to fend for myself, I followed with this mediocre dietary consumption. I tried to continue my weekly (all right, almost daily) habit of heading to a fast food joint. Needless to say, my money dwindled a lot because I was wasting it on comfort foods. Sure, I gave cooking a shot back then, but it was quicker to buy than to make. Back then, I didn't see the art that flows into making perfectly fluffy rice, the effort it takes to make a savory, thick soup or the love that's poured into each bite.
That all changed when I met my boyfriend. I met him as gentle, quiet person who'd I talk to every other day to pass the time (and inexplicably miss him every time he didn't come to class). After we got together, I took a good look at my culinary skill and determined I sucked. He introduced me to foods I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot stick back in High School. He made food enticing, made it feel like an artistic skill that I had to master for my own perfectionist satisfaction. I saw myself buying ingredients instead of make-up; cookware rather than clothes. He fed the budding foodie in me with books and gadgets.
To chronicle this journey, I started the blog Kouneli Cooking (Bunny Cooking), but it felt contrived. So I changed to The Quirky Kitchen based on a SpongeBob Squarepants line for sh*ts and giggles and it stuck around. It embodied what my blog what I wanted to represent: Good home cooking that was accessible and fun to people my age.
Why should a student resort to buying every meal premade by some unknown entity? It's like a crack in a water glass; sure you can drink from it, but you'll gradually drink less over time until you've basically wasted all the water. Being able to cook a satisfactory and good looking meal is a sign of independence and skill, admirable by peers. I'm not telling you to slave away on a stove for 8 hours (that's what a slow cooker's for); but spending a little less than an hour a day will help you be a bit healthier, have a bit more money and generally make you feel better.
I hope my blog can help you make cooking not a chore, but an outlet to your creativity that you can be proud of (and eat!).
Sincerely yours,
G.Santana
