The Omnivores' Diary

Sometimes we have the sudden urge to cook something out of the blue.. Sometimes we also have the urge to just eat something... anything... and fast! These are those times when you cannot afford to be picky so you just look around the cabinets, inside the refrigerator and voila! due to your growling appetite your brain and taste buds produce one brilliant idea... This is exactly what happened today... and from my raid of the pantry I've produced fresh out-of-the-oven mini chocolate chip brownies and piping hot chili con carne with a side of cream cheese served on a bed of nacho chips. Sounds delicious? Indeed! Sounds like a whole lot of cooking? Na-aaah! It does not sound as strenuous as you think my dear. I've cheated today. Using only a box of brownie cake mix and a whole can of chili con carne cooking has never been this easy. Just follow the instructions as directed behind the carton. For my whole box of Girardelli chocolate chip brownie mix I just added 3 pcs of eggs,

Yes. Cooking is more than following recipes. It is more on putting yourself into your food. Getting inspiration from what is around you, who you are cooking for, the time of year and the best way to put your dish into the table. With this, I hope you get the inspiration to be creative inside the kitchen. Get out of your comfort zone and experiment! Try things never been tried before or just experiment and have fun! You never know what the end results might be.. :) Trust me, I've been cooking for so many reasons. Because it is my job, because I like doing it, because I need to eat, because I feel sad and I need to do something that would take my mind off things... Try it too- cook for your very own reason and there you will find the inspiration to push yourself beyond what you think you can do.

Have you ever read a book that gave you genuine inspiration? A sort of guiding light as to where to go, what to do and how to start? Well... I did. And I am about to share the same inspiration to you through some excerpts I personally picked from Monsieur Bouloud's book. I do hope you get the same motivation from these words as much as I did. "Letters to a Young Chef" by Daniel Bouloud. "People often make that mistake: they confuse skill in the kitchen with being a chef. I've had some wonderful people work for me who can cook damn well. They have the talent. They've learned from the best. And yet I know they will fulfill their talents best by continuing to cook in a great restaurant rather than trying to run one as a chef or owner. To be sure, you need to know all the basics: cooking from savory to sweet, curing to baking, the almost mystical art of sauces, seasoning, spicing, texture and taste. Add to that are an up-to-date knowledge or at least acqua

       As colorful as the sarees, churidars and bangles worn by the women of Mauritius is their rich culture and heritage. Religion? A vibrant mix of Hindus, Tamils, Muslims and Christians.  Language? There is mainly Creole, Hindi, Bhojpurri, and English. Cuisine? A tantalizing combination of dishes from different nations- From fried noodles (Mauritian specialty), dumplings, curry, sachini, bouillon, pomme frite and gateaux branzelle it goes on and on and on... Cannot enumerate everything or else I will relive the taste and my mouth will start watering... my stomach will start grumbling.... and then... Okay stop it! Let's continue...  Everywhere you go, your eyes will be drawn into that something uniquely different in this island- and that is not just their colorful culture as I have described above or the untamed beauty of Mauritius' landscape .... I guess it is the feeling that despite of the visible differences in culture and ethnicity they all seem t