Let’s take a break from the heavier stuff.

In recent years, I have taken quite a liking to cooking and making desserts. This is partly because I am beginning to notice how the food you eat affect how your body functions and feels. Another reason is the sense of accomplishment that comes with making good food. I admit, my skills as a chief is probably only average, but part of the fun is to see my personal growth. With each meal and dessert I make, I gain more experience with how to prepare the ingredients and what to do once the fire is on.

Desserts are my favorite things to make. The more challenging the dessert, the more I want to attempt it. I always love a good challenge and a hard dessert is like a puzzle to be solved. Personally, I think unlike main courses and dishes, most dessert recipes require some delicacy to their preparation and cooking. It takes patience and care to make a good dessert. As the ancient Chinese like to put it, calligraphy is the practice of character – I believe dessert making is the same. It is amazing to see something so delicious come out of the most basic ingredients. This is especially true when I make everything from scratch. For example, when I make tiramisu, I prefer making my own ladyfingers instead of buying them.

In the process of blending and mixing the ingredients, I always thought the amount of love and care you put into it determines how good it tastes. Albeit, sometimes the desserts just do not come out the way you expect. I made an apple pie last night that had a great filling, but the pie crust for some reason was very salty. I could not figure out why, especially because the amount of salt used in the dough was only 1 teaspoon. When something like that happens, I get this urge to throw it out and make it all over again. Then again, I can always just make another.

I must admit, however, that most of the desserts I have attempted thus far are mainly Western. For my next challenge, I definitely would love to attempt some of the traditional Chinese desserts. In my opinion, Asian desserts are harder to make. Perhaps that is because I am less familiar with some of the ingredients and certainly, living in the States, I have been less exposed.

Cooking, like writing, can be a demonstration of your character. It is also a reflection of how you take care of yourself. It takes planning, patience, preparation, care, creativity, and the ability to multi-task and to keep track of a number of things. These are all important life-skills to have.

If anyone has any really tasty recipes, please share them with me so I can attempt them!