The cook next door

Nicky at delicious:days started this meme and I can't complain because it's kind of my fault in a way. As you sow...Anyway I would accuse Lyn of Lex Culinaria of being the teeth in my buttocks but she made me a cake so I can't mix the metaphor that feeds me. Apparently this is a way of getting to know me but the food me but there's so much more you could find out about the other me. Go on ask me about something else like ahm erm...

What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
I grew up on a farm in the rural idyll of Muntadgin. Despite access to a large number of things like guns, vehicles, and power tools as a child, I remember being quite excited when we got our microwave. I don't think we had anything else that went "beep" at the time. Except for my pong game, which kind of went "bwok". Child geek, I managed to set the clock and boil a cup of water before "Dad came home". This ramped up to a much acclaimed "Microwaved Rice Pilaf" before settling down to a steady routine of "Microwaved Cabbage with Pepper". It's sad that such a thing of wonder is now relegated to defrosting and hot water for gargling with salt.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?
When I was a child I had a book and in that book was a bear and the bear lived in this house with a winding staircase. This impressed me because we didn't have a staircase when I was a kid. No-one did. Which made slinkies kind of a disappointment. Anyway this bear made soup for his animal friend (maybe a rabbit) and used carrots and he also had these herbs which he was chopped up with a wooden handled mezzaluna and at that point I thought, if a bear could make a carefully prepared meal, then so could I.

Do you have an old photo as evidence of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?
No but here's a pic of me bringing apartheid to its knees in '88.

They got a reprieve!

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
Cake sized amounts of sugar and mandolines.

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest let down?
Valued- Wusthof Trident chef's knife
Biggest Let Down- What's that Toni? Oh, our wedding night, oh ha ha I don't think.
Tofu making kit, just too hard and my blender's pretty crap with anything tougher than a milky smoothy.

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!
Always been partial to a bit of roadhouse cheese inside a sausage.

What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don't want to live without?
Butter, Mushrooms, Yeast

The quickies section:

Your favourite ice-cream?
Pistachio

You will probably never eat?
Fois gras

Your own signature dish?
I'd like to think I make a very nice seafood chowder.

Three people....
I'll have to think.

Hokay, an under no obligation hello Perth: diverse of background Ted of TEdALOG Lite (up!); would do it very nicely Karen Cheng ; and man friday, Two Minute Noodle Cook.