If I were writing a saucy book about my lifetime of experiences in the food trade, this would be the first chapter where you learnt about how I unleashed near-Messianic talent in the kitchen upon the world as soon as I could hold a knife.
As this page will probably give you an excuse to follow or disregard anything I write on this blog, I'll be more realistic.
Food's always been big in my family. I remember my mum cooking all sorts of things and as a kid I would paw through her cake decorating books (from her well stocked library of Women's Weekly cooking compilations), and the family photo albums are filled with all manner of birthday spectaculars created from towers of buttercake hacked into raw forms, bolted together with toothpicks, slathered with icing and augmented with sweets to create swimming pools, trains and helicopters.
And the occasional days spent preparing dinner parties and How-To-Host-A-Murders that would take place after we were sent to bed - but that was okay because the next day we kids would get the left over dinner mints and Irish Creme chocolates.
I hated washing up though. I really hated it. I still do hate it, and 6 months as a kitchen hand/dishpig in a busy eatery cemented that dislike of the scullery.
When I was a teenager, I really hated washing up and somehow the deal was made - he who cooks doesn't clean. Awesome! I started out making dreadful stir-fries with frozen vegetables, uncooked rice and 'seasoned' entirely with soy sauce. Entirely too much soy sauce. I moved onto spaghetti bolognese, white sauce, added cheese - lasagna! Curries, stews, how to cook a decent steak.
Gradually I picked up things here and there from magazines, books, TV and other people's kitchens.
So fast forward a few years - I've got some cooking heroes from the early 2000s : Jamie Oliver, Bill Granger, the original Iron Chefs and I get pretty good complements from my food-liking friends when I lay on a spread. And I know they're not being polite about it either - they actually like my food. Cool.
I move to Japan, eat whale (thought it was tuna), discover seasonal cooking, get more into food, begin my dirty love affair with Kewpie Mayonnaise & 'Umami' (both MSG and natural kinds), discover Anthony Bourdain, learn to understand Neil Perry, move back to Australia, slow food is taking off. Master Chef is happening (first series : producer rigged, second series : as soon as I see Adam is on the final 24 I call it and stupidly don't put money on him), continue cooking, learning, reading and think about food blogging.
Then start food blogging.
And here we are.
I don't want to be a chef - I want to share food and deliciousness and surprises with my friends and family as they get together around the table. And I'd like to share some of that with you too.
