Kinh Chau! Hello! Aloha! Konichiwa! Bonjour!

I wondered for a long time if the Cyber World really needed another Foodie Blogger. Heck, I have no formal culinary training–and yes, I still use recipes when I’m in the kitchen. What could I possibly add?

It’s simple really. I, like many people around the world, grew up in a culture where food served more than a mere purpose to nourish our bodies and was so intricately woven into our day-to-day rituals. It was the magnet that pulled my family together as the women gossiped over food preparations and the kids played around the kitchen. To this very day, the sounds of knives chopping and oil sizzling can instantly trigger memories of my childhood when the aromas of garlic and fish sauce filled our home. Images of my mother, grandma, and aunties crammed into our kitchens fill my head as I recall my mom nonchalantly explained that “her cooking” had no measurements, just intuition. Her confidence and expertise as she maneuvered around evoked a sense of strength and is the foundation for my fascination and admiration for food. The nostalgic images and life-lessons I learned from the women in my family stay with me through almost every food experience I encounter.

So as you can see, I’m not one who takes a bite of something and does not give it a second thought. I liken myself to “Remy” from Pixar’s “Ratatouille” as images sway in my mind while I try to dissect the flavors of the dish and attempt to understand why the chef added one thing and not the next. Food is an exciting puzzle to me that carries an experience, which is symbiotic to the surroundings of where we are, and whom we are with.

And yes, I am “THAT” girl you see in restaurants taking pictures of her food. I post those pictures, along with my own culinary experiments, on Facebook. I “Yelp” ALL of the time and I send emails to family & friends about food adventures I have. Epicurious.com is bookmarked on my computers (and yes, I have the app on my iPhone) and not a day goes by that the Food Network is not on.

That is what I’ll be ranting about on this blog……ALL OF IT! From posting recipes & pictures–to sharing my commentary on restaurants–to random food facts. It is my hope that this will be the e- schmorgesborg of all things “food”.

Enjoy!