An Acquired Taste

Five years ago, when I was living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I would have had a hard time trying to decide which type of meal I enjoyed more, one I made at home or one I ordered in a restaurant. Granted I was living in an incredible food city and even a mediocre meal in NYC far exceeds the best meal out in other locations. But I must say that in recent years, I have acquired a real taste for my own cooking.

Perhaps this acquired taste is a survival instinct. We are on a tight budget and eating out/ordering in are not good options for us these days. However, I am going to choose to think that I have become a better cook over the years and really know how to make meals that my family and I love. I cannot count the number of times we have eaten out in recent months just to conclude that our version of (fill in the name of a food here) is much tastier, healthier, and cheaper to make than the one we just ate.

These days you can't browse the internet, the food section of a newspaper, or the cooking aisle of your bookstore without seeing information about food movements: slow food, local food, there is even a new Jewish Food Movement. Maybe I should start a new "acquired taste" food movement ... it would be focused on learning to cook the foods you like really well rather than relying on others to cook them for you. Food for thought I guess.