My Food Resolutions for 2011

Mostly everyone thinks and talks about the food they are or are not eating but as a professional cook, food pretty much rules most of my life. So I've decided to make some food resolutions for the new year.

1. Save Money

I've been spending way too much money on irrelevant things like cell phone bills, toileteries, clothes, and gadgets. I should really save a significant amount of money from my little paycheck every month and spend it on eating out at good restaurants and pampering myself with new kitchen tools. I must.

2. Quit Smoking
I know I've been saying this for quite some time but I swear I'm going to quit smoking all my foods this year. Of course, if there's an occasional barbecue party, I will passively have to oblige. It is only natural.

3. Go on a Strict Diet
I weigh well over 80 kilos and it is about time I took this whole diet thing seriously. Having lived along the coastline most of my life, I think the most apt for me would be the Seafood Diet. I promise that whenever I see food, I shall eat it.

4. Keep a Journal
I venture out to eat or cook something new every day and it is about time I started recording my daily culinary activities. It could be useful some day in the future.

5. Read More
I have over 60 books on food and cooking in my collection and have barely read any of them cover to cover. It sounds ambitious to read them all in a year but at least I have to try.

6. Fall in Love

I love almost anything that's edible but there are a few ingredients and foods that I just can't get past yet. Believe it or not, I'm not a big fan of macaroons. The taste of almond paste just does not appeal to me, but I'm going to make an effort. I've given up on water chestnuts though.

7. Learn Something New
Ferdinand Point once said, "In all professions without doubt but certainly in cooking, one is a student all his life." I must continue to hone my skills and knowledge in the kitchen. Complacence could lead to sudden death.

8. Spend more time with family

As a professional cook who works long hours and is exhausted more often than not, it is important that I don't lose track of family. All ingredients are broadly classified into various families such as Dairy, Meat, Fruits and Vegetables, Pulses, and Fungi with members of each family having common characteristics. A proper understanding of them is therefor quite essential for good cooking.

9. Do a Good Deed Every Day

Actually, on second thought, I feed people good food for a living. Isn't that good deed enough?

10. Be Happy

Even though I work in a high stress environment, am on my feet for 12 to 16 hours a day, six to seven days a week, and get paid very little, I love what I do for a living. I should be very happy.