When I migrated to Canada with my husband and 15 month old son (Preston), my husband, Joe had thought he would be getting home cooked meals just like my mother's (State of the Art because of my dear mother's reputation as a great cook amongst friends & family).
Boy! Was he in a fit! I thank GOD (also the hubby) for getting me conceived within 8 months of residing in Canada as then I had practically no choice but to stay at home for awhile and work on my cooking skills.
My culinary skills did take another height of its own. During this time, a typical pregnant woman would normally be busy browsing Motherhood magazines and deciding on the baby's needs - baby room & etc, I on the hand would venture into Cookery books from the nearby library. I took delight and experimented out recipes from other nations. My experimental subjects were of course the hubby. He loved the many varieties- Italian, Indian, Thai, African, Middle East, Greek, Indonesian & Japanese to name a few. Soon, I was opting to improvise the recipes and ended up with creation of new dishes of my own. I like to call them Cruziey's pantry of the nation. For these, my new found canadian friends become my guests to my scrumptious table. I also had the great privilege of volunteering in the vicinity of Scarborough - Agincourt Community Centre teaching women in the chinese delicacy of cooking.
On the other hand, Joe was still missing his Malaysian cuisines and had to put up with my limited knowledge then. All the delicious food from other nations that I cooked for him was still stale for his taste bud being the KAMPONG BOY he was & is.. (in Malaysian language - it translates to the Village Boy).
Looking at his non-excitement facial expression at dinner times, I finally decided to call mummy dearest to the rescue. Mummy was great! She knew the way to a man's heart was through the stomach :) and she applauded me for taking the time to seek her advice and instruction.
We both decided she would carefully teach/narrate over the phone one recipe per week. She was so good with her instructions that I was able to visualize every step. I would then attempt to try the recipe as meal of the week and in my next call, not only did I learn another new one but had to give her a count of how it went.
When she became my teacher, she really meant business. She was good! She would encourage and told me not to be afarid of trying something new (substuition if I was unable to find the authentic ingredient). If I had a bad day with a recipe, she always said, " Practice makes perfect".
And she was right! I did become good! I know this for sure as Joe was beaming with joy. He would volunteer to do the grocery shopping and encourage me. Meal times were not not scrumptious but a great feast. I recalled one time he boasted me off with one of our guests that he did not need to go to any Malaysian or other restaurants as my cooking was above par.
And we are all know what compliments and encouragement spells out..... Yes, success and thus Chef Cruziey was born.
Walk into my home and you will not be disappointed as the desires of your heart - food to be precise will be met.... And you will be coming back for more!!
My Mummy dearest, Madam Francesca Cruz ( The amazing cook).
Originally written on September 26, 2003
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