The Joys of Cooking

2 years ago, I could barely make toast. Living alone however has forced me to fend for myself... I used to eat out more than I ate in, stopping regularly at the convenience store for a quick fix of onigiri or Cup Noodle. However, I'll be going home in 6 months and I have saved up A LOT less than I wanted too. Conbini food is also anti-Okinawa Diet. How can I save money and follow my new lifestyle? Solution: Cook my own food! You can make a meal for less than $5 (depending on the vegetables you use) and the best part is that you usually have leftovers for lunch.
Recently, I discovered the reason why so many people love to cook... IT'S F-U-N! Yes ladies and gentlemen, cooking is fun. Imagine that! I just wish I had a bigger kitchen.

A few things I learned...
1) Invest in good knives. It makes a difference. It makes it easier to chop garlic, cut vegetables and to take the fat off meat. I bought a couple of good knives to replace my dull 100-en store ones... it was worth it.

2) Non-stick is awesome! Pots, pans, woks... whatever. GO NON-STICK! It means you can use considerably less oil in your cooking and the food just rinses off when you're finished. Makes washing the dishes a breeze (if your sink is bigger than mine)...

3) Spice it up. Chilli powder, curry powder, shichimi, ichimi, fresh black pepper, garlic powder... you will never need to use salt again. Lemon juice and Ponzu (Japanese citrusy sauce) are also your friends.

4) Ziploc, Ziploc, ZIPLOC! Cheap and reliable. The bags are great for snacks, the containers are great for dividing up portions and for storing leftovers. Also microwave and freezer safe! (I should get paid for advertising)

5) Chopsticks. Not only are they better for lipstick management, they also help manage bite sizes since you can hold way less with chopsticks than with a fork or spoon.

Common sense perhaps but no one ever accused me of having any ;)