Ada Apa dengan Memasak?

I was really looking forward to be a SAHM!  Spending more time with the children, kemas2 rumah, gi taman/shopping waktu pagi orang pergi kerja...:) EXCEPT for the fact that i DO NOT know how to cook.

short cut yang sedap..

In "Outliers" M. Gladwell wrote that for someone to be really good at something, (s)he needs to be doing it for 10,000 hours. I barely have 50 hours of cooking throughout my entire life...boarding school, maid, malas, org lain masak lagi best, took too much time, kedai pun ada and mcm2 lagi faktor2 yg lain...

SO, here i am, been given a "chance" to pick up the hours and improve!
But it turned out to be like throwing a baby into the pool and expect her to swim backstroke.
I have been so pressured with situations in the first month either guests coming to the house (proper dinner or lunch is called for) or obliged to bring yummy dishes at people's makan-makan. Aduh! Sangat menguji...i wish i could hide and quickly do my 1,000 hours first!

Especially for those like me (don't cook, can't cook), here is some idiot guide to chef-in-the making...

1.  Have your spouse and children know that you really take time cooking.  They will be more appreciative and less critical of the food taste. After all, they are the ones who you would be cooking for the most. This will boost your motivation.

2.  "When you are in Rome,.."...ha, hubby asked me why the trouble to masak all these difficult malay dishes in OZ. just ikut makanan sini aje...mudah2 aje lah, tak payah stress-stress...

nak makan ni, balik msia aje...

3.  Avoid criticising other people's cooking, or stay away from people who play critics. To me, the only food that you are allowed to criticise is your own cooking and kedai food that you have paid dearly for but taste really bad.  If you are given food for free just say your Bismillah and later, alhamdulillah.  Nabi pun tak pernah kritik makanan...Modern food tv shows pun satu, banyak sangat yang mengkomen makanan, My Kitchen Rules lah, Masterchef Msia lah...so penonton2 ni pun repeat lah skill kritik mengkritik pada food yang dia jumpa....

goreng pisang...

if you eat my food, save your comments please...

4.  Cook with sincere heart.  Cook because it is your responsibility and you know that it has high rewards / pahala jika menjamu orang makan...if you want to show off, well..."hak" (nasib/rugi) masing2.

5.  Always appreciate..talking about this, i had horrible experience once many many years ago in KL.  At that time, i didn't have a maid.  We were invited to this tea/dinner.  I didn't have time to cook (not that i would know how, if i had the time) so we went to Jusco to buy a dozen of the regular pastries.  That pastries although look 'normal' to some people, they are luxury to us as i never buy them for the kids...At the dinner table, there was a spread of good food including my bought stuff.  This person was sitting nearest to the pastries and was offered by the tuan rumah to eat. And she said, oh, i want to taste the home made stuff jer...u bet, i felt really really low.....belikan kat anak2 lagi diorang appreciate...

at that time, i made a point to always say good things about whatever people bring.. Dia beli ke masak ke, hargai aje lah...bukan susah sangat pun, kan?