Unlike many of my friends and family, I did not marry, and divorce at an early immature age. After seeing so many divorces in my time, I decided to wait until I was 101% sure that I had found the right one. Fortunately, I found her before I started collecting social security. We plan on getting married in July of 2006.

Being a bachelor for so long, there was one thing I had to do for myself that my married friends (or those living at home) did not: cook. I was never taught any real cooking skills while I grew up so it was all new to me. Once I turned 18, I was out of the house and had to cook for myself. Being in college and broke like most of my friends, cooking was limited to Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, and hamburger. There was not much room for innovation there!

In between semesters, I would work odd jobs, landscaping, fast food, etc.. After college, I found myself working in a privately owned seafood restaurant. This homegrown eatery was my introduction into cooking, that is to say cooking without worrying about my budget. The owner and staff, some of which were culinary institute graduates, taught me many tricks of the trade. The owner however taught me the most valuable secret: cook food the – (More…)