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Stewing, frying, steaming, braising…right! It is all about cooking.

Cooking is the activity that holds my attention and is enjoyable for me. It gives me a sense of accomplishment whenever I see the raw ingredients transforming into a delicious dish.

All the more, I feel so thrilled when my dish gives delight to my family and when they give me the two thumbs up for the successful dish. Somehow, cooking is something like a legacy for us though we don’t formally discuss it. It is because in every family of our clan there will always be someone who would stand out in cooking. So I feel proud to be one of those.

However, I wanted to do more. I ventured on more than what our family cooks, and I even went beyond cooking the traditional food of our country. I studied foreign cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Indian, American, Italian, and French.

Don't be impressed, however. I studied it all on my own, so I am not exactly a professional chef.

In this way, cooking does not only connect me to my own family but connects me also to one whole big family! Every new ingredient means an even wider interaction and a growing individuality. So vast is the world that, I guess, growth will be a constant motion in my life. This is how far cooking has brought me.

But there is one reason, above all others, as to why cooking holds my attention. It is about the basic—the very purpose why cooking has been discovered: for the sake of our health. Aside from enjoying cooking and its ingredients, I made it certain that its nutritional value benefits the body of the people I serve.

Fresh ingredients, cooking techniques, and just the right amount of seasoning are always on my consideration list. I pick the fresh ingredients because it has the most nutrients, and I use cooking techniques to preserve most of it while I put just the right amount of seasoning to avoid damaging the fresh taste of the food. All of these, if not properly considered, affect our body badly, and so it had become my task to be the guardian of health through cooking.

With this foundation in cooking, I am enjoying everything that this activity offers.