Day 4 - It won't be long

Hi guys

Remember when I said I am working on my thirty day cook book? Well I know I haven't been keeping you guys in the know about it but I will treat you to the introduction. Don't tell anyone though. =p Yes, I know my english isn't all that great but deal with it.

"Dear potential great cooks! Welcome to my thirty days of cooking. This is my first book and also my first attempt to cook for thirty days straight. A lot of people have been asking me this question, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to come clean. My friends think that I am cooking only because I want to keep my mind off certain things, which is true to a certain extent, but I have always cooked before. So, in this book, I will take you on a journey through the basics of food, shopping and cooking with fresh ingredients.

Over the past thirty days, I’ve been amazed with the reaction people have given me. The amount of support is just unbelievable. You would think that people who start cooking would be in their mid twenties, but I tell you that is not the case. Classmates in my baking class are in their mid twenties, married, singles, working class and all sorts of people who are just passionate or interested in baking / cooking. They all have different reasons for coming across cooking, but the one thing that I hear the most from people is that they wish they were my age when they started cooking.

In this book, I am going to tell you how good food has changed my life. I use to not care as to what I put in my mouth and ate fast food or quick fix meals all the time. I learned that it is pretty easy to cook! In this book,  I have included in this book recipes with easy to buy ingredients for and I will show you how a few simple ingredients can change the way a dish tastes. For instance, if you take a basic salmon fillet and bake it slowly in the oven for eight to ten minutes, it will give you soft and tender meat.  It is simply the quality of the meat and the benefit of being patient.

During the course of my cooking, I felt that times have changed dramatically. It amazes me as to how some people can be totally up to speed and knowledgeable in many different things such as sports, fashion, technology, and music but don’t give a rat’s behind about what they put in their mouths. Not only is cooking important but shopping for the right       ingredients is significant as well. There are many products filled with additives. What I want to do in this book is lay out where to shop and what to look for. For instance, fishmongers at a Chinese supermarket are labeled as some of the worst workers. Yes, they are skilled in what they do but they do not take care of their products like they should. A excellent fish should be a laid down on a fresh sheet of ice bed, it should still have an oily shine on it’s body and the eyes should not be cloudy. Some fishmongers simply don’t care and even when the fish is not fresh, they shine on some red lighting on top of it to deceieve customers. Am I being too picky or what? Well you have to be! My mom always tells me that when purchase food, make sure it is a well-supported brand name that we trust and know.

Now you are thinking to yourself, that I am being unreasonable and just plain crazy. But the more I think about it, the more I understand about food and how it works. I think what we can all agree on is that good food is important. Food has always been a bare essential and it represents either the good times or the bad times. Either way, they draw people together in ways other things cannot. But now with our busy lives and high-end technology such as microwaves and frozen dinners, we have moved further away from good foods. We are losing the importance of home cooked food. All I am trying to say is, cooking should be as normal to you and me. It is important to learn the integrity of homemade food.

So having said that, I am going to share with you my journey throughout these thirty days of cooking. This book was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s books and also inspired by my will to change and make a difference. I hope this book will help you and motivate you in ways you never thought a cookbook could. Since you eat everyday why not learn how to make it. "

Tomorrow is my baking class! Well actually today. Wait for pictures. =)