And so the saying goes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. This saying, however, never mentioned whether it is homecooked meals or those you buy ready-made from coffee shops and hawker centres. So before we even get married, I would tell hubby that I am not a cook. It was not an issue with hubby as I've already captured his heart then with my beautiful warm smile and adventurous spirit, at least that's what he told me. Rewind about 7 years back, when my in-laws came over to ask for my hand or maybe it was just a kenal-mengenal session, when suddenly, without informing me in advance so that I was better prepared for the situation, my mom dropped a bombshell on my in-laws that literally 'make my water face drop'. She said, "Walaupun anak saya ni belajar tinggi-tinggi, tapi dia tak pandai masak." Oh my...for the love of mum and heaven under her feet, why on earth did she have to do that? In-laws need not know of your culinary inadequacies especially when my better half has approved my lack of culinary skills. I could sense the delayed reaction and uncertainty of my mother-in-law's "....ahhhh...takpelah, nanti boleh belajar". Though mom and me debated about this after that, and though there were others on her side who believed it was for my own benefit, my esteem in cooking has never been the same ever since...sigh.When we got our first home and was ready to move in, the presents from my mother-in-law includes a whole set of periuk-belangah from xs, s, m, l and xl that you can stacked them up. She gave me her hardly-used black set of plates, bowls, and cutlery, including the Chinese style soup spoon. It was the biggest hint to me that "Ya betcha start cooking for me son". Oh well... I'm a full time working woman, where got time to cook maybe except weekends, but then again we would always be at mom's or mil's place for the weekend.
Now fast forward to today. Eversince being a stay-at-home-mom in Alabama, I have never cooked so much in my life before. But I will stress that my cooking is not in the same league as mom's or mil's, for the fact that I can never beat them at their area of specialisation. As long as my lauk is edible and that hubby and son appreciate them, it does not matter what others think anymore. It is always good to hear especially my son saying, "Sedapnya mama masak!" That really make my day and make all the penat go away.Top pix - Beef steak with gravy, bake potato, carrots, broccoli and snap beans.
Bottom pix - Sweet and sour fish with broccoli and red capsicum my style.
11 comments:
mmmmmm looks good to me! I never knew how to cook until I got there too....but now that I'm back home..I never touch the pots and pans...looks like I'm back to square one...:)
hello, first time reading ur blog.
the food looks great. i cant cook american food for nuts but i can cook malay food with my eyes closed! if theres a slab of meat, i would turn it into malay beefsteak or curry and the husband will turn it into steak!
Hi Apples, when I go back to Singapore, and the hawkers and coffee shops are within reach, we shall see whether I'll touch the pots and pans on a daily basis again.
Hi Ely, thanks for dropping by. I've always lurked at your blog but haven't commented yet. I think I'm better at western food bcos no basis for comparison to mom's or mil's cooking...lol. Anyway, ur recipe blog looks good too.
Maria,
I was in same place as you are before married.. I never learnt or know how to cook ecept making rice and simple stuff until I migrated to US, no choice but to learn to cook. Wasn't great at first but eventually, it gets better. The reason being there's no muslim food around here and furthermore, it's more blessed to cook for your own family. Occassionally, we go out and eat but that's once in a blue moon.
Anyway, your food looks good to me regardless how it looks.. as long as your family likes it.. :)
Insha Allah, in the future, you'll surpass your parents and others in cooking who knows..
Heh, I know what you mean..we practically eat out..but nothing taste better like home-cooked food la.:)
Will reply your email as soon as my migraine subsides! ergh...hate it when that sets in...:(
Say hi to Afzal!:)
Suriyati,
Your food blog is like a pro-chef, and you do seem to know a lot about cooking. For me sometimes I masak campak-campak, and surprisingly it turns out sedap but when I try to do it again the next time, tak menjadi pulak. But I always love to eat my mom's and mil's Malay cooking ...just so delicious, they are the queens.
Apples,
No worries ok. You take care of that migraine. :)
Aku pun tak pandai masak.. and when i cook i love chilli stuff, but not to husband's taste. When first got married, was cooking like crazy trying out different stuffs and seeing if its to his tastebuds or not. Now pregnant and with anak, if I even cook at all, he Is thankful already! hehee...But till today, I still have to ask..if the food is ok or not, but alhamdulillah he gentleman lah, if he does'nt like pun he eats, if like, eats more! But ive just discovered that instant sauces and soups can sometimes save the day!
and ooh..i don't know how to iron too and i am bad at cleaning. hmmm..entah apa aku buat the last 3 years as SAHM!
Same here too, bila dah berumahtangga baru lah kelam kabut nak belajar masak. Mintak dgn mak recepi....tulis mcm nak rak....hahaha. Alhamdullilah pelan2 boleh lah jugak sekarang masak....and my hubby luvs it.
ehkehkehkhekhe...i still got hope then. married for a yr wif a kid now...and only gets the chance to cook on weekends...itu pon makan kat rumah mak or mil cooks for us most of the time...but so far...when if i cook, it's edible but still not up to the queens of the family's standard.
kalau tulis resipe pon..mcm nak rak...haha. laok bening pon nak kena tulis satu-persatu instruction...terok kan?
Hi Maknenek, Anita and shesays...Thanks for dropping by.
Basically I wld tell my husband that I was never program by my parents to be a housewife or to spend lots of time in the kitchen, unlike in mom's and mil's days. My parents send me to school sampai menara gading so in that sense time has changed, and eventhough I still put some effort in the kitchen (or the ironing and laundry), hubby cannot expect the same standard, and he has to chip in. Kalau tidak, he better provide me with a domestic helper. Betul tak?
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