Finding One's True Love

"I don't understand why everyone makes such a big deal about Valentine's Day here" my friend Katharina from Germany told me earlier.

A lot of people wonder that as well. Mostly single people. I don't think the average person who is spending their day with someone they adore is pondering thoughts about whether or not Valentine's Day is over commercialized. Unless they're edgy, in which case they feign disinterest but are covertly planning beds of roses or something similarly romantic.

While I think Valentine's day is a day of putting undue pressure on single people and involved people alike, I understand the attraction. Visions of romance and extravagance are not something that is altogether detestable. In fact, it's a delightful thought.

Today though I am alone, and I'm okay with that. I'm embracing a whole new affair. For the longest time, I'd say the thing that has consistently made me the happiest has been food.

Food is something that always elicits a provocative response from me...either I completely ravage the food because of the tastiness (95% of the time) or I find myself working through it when it isn't so good (the remainder). I cook from time to time, and I greatly enjoy the experience. Yet I find myself surviving on scraps and not embracing the more complex meals that I love crafting.

Yet today, Valentine's Day, I've decided to embrace my passion. Aided by an influx of cookbooks and viewing 2009's Julie & Julia (a sneaky awesome movie), tonight I will be beginning my love affair with two recipes from Jaden Hair's The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook - Baked Garlic Chilli Wings as an appetizer leading up to shrimp pad thai, all from scratch.

Photos to come from the experience. We'll see how I do. Hopefully this is the beginning of a more robust cooking life. My stomach is looking forward to it, and the warm embrace of a tasty meal on Valentine's Day.