Food Like How Mom Made It

[betazed 0]

My husband's mom was not much a cook. He and his brother could count the times she's actually cooked with just his two hands, and both said that it was god-awful. So, the bar was fortunately set very low for me. I'm by no means a gourmet chef, but my concoctions have been passable, and to them, it's like food from the gods.

So what are your experiences with cooking here as a newlywed, versus the cooking of your or your spouses mother? Do they compare it? Have you taken any lessons from the said mothers?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

My (late) mum was generally reasonable as a cook, but there were some things she made which just did not work for me, ever (I've already detailed two of them on an "incredible inedibles" thread). Pras has some (in vegetarian cooking anyway--as my mum had no non-veg tastes to compare) tastes in common with her, specifically coconut chutney (but, as she doesn't really know how to pick good fresh coconuts, the issue doesn't generally arise--like my mum, she considers making it with prepacked shredded coconut an abomination) and also aubergines (I can tolerate small quantities, but you can guess I will try to avoid taking seconds--and that I consider it a nice-to-finish-off-first-time dish ). Similarly of dishes I can make, she doesn't like paneer (such as matar-paneer or paneer-tikka), whole-mung curry (only dish she likes whole-mung in is pesarathu) and frozen veggies.

Pras' mum (who visited from 2008/11/08-2009/05/04) has generally similar tastes to Pras but does like frozen veggies (nice mixture, easy to quickly prepare, really works well).

Edited June 22, 2009 by CherryXS

[trinket 30]

No comparison in my household but yes I did struggle at first with cooking. Indian food and ingredients are very very different from day to day American food ingredients. I had a hard time knowing if the meat is cooked or not when I first tried out --ground meat. In India you don't get ground meat (well you do, but its not what you cook everyday and its more of a religious base thing).

Then there were times when I put salt while cooking pork, not knowing that pork is already salted. I never cooked pork in my life, so I didn't know. Then there are things which my husband just won't eat, he doesn't like sweet in his food, he love desert but something like teriyaki beef, he won't eat. So I can't add even a small amount of sugar with what he eats.

Just these are some of the basic examples of my struggle with cooking. I did have a few meltdown but now after almost 7 months of being here, I think I got a grasp of basic cooking. Sometimes I surprise myself. I never tasted cheese cake before coming to US, now I make those from scratch and if I may, I do make some good ones

Youtube has been a big big help to me, I learnt a lot from watching others cook everyday food, from understanding American spices such as -- Oregano, thyme, sage........to the whole baking and using oven. Yes I never used oven before, it has always been gas stove cooking back in India and I never baked in my life but now I make corn bread biscuits and cakes regularly along with other things.

So yes, it has been a battle with my own self, a passion to learn new things, sometimes they come out fabulous, sometimes not so much, but you learn everyday.

[faryan 4]

I absolutely love cooking (and eating!), and it has been a joy making dishes for my husband (and my in-laws when they are in town). My mum taught me the basics since i was like 9 or so, and being the only daughter and the eldest, its our bonding time. Admittedly, I very very rarely accompanied her to the wet market back home (in Malaysia), and prefer the confines of grocery stores/supermarkets etc. Why? Coz the ones that mum loves to go too are usually sooooo packed and muddy, and I hate bumping into people so much (this is also why i dont go to concerts and the likes). But now that I'm here, heyyy... I'm a bit sick of looking at the "Wally-mart" and such, ah well...

True, its a pain not having the ingredients, fresh produce, herbs, spices that I'm used to. Buying curry, turmeric, lemon grass, pandan leaves, all so basic and so cheap back home... not so much here. But I guess I manage ok. I cant make truly 100% authentic Malay dishes like mum taught me here, but I change things up and make do with whatever I can find. To the untrained tastebuds, they wont know any different i think... taste just like home...

Before I came here, hubby just eats ramen noodles, and sandwiches. Hehe. And doughnuts! (His mum is into healthy organic stuff growing up, and his dad is a good cook, alas, hubby wasnt into experimenting in the kitchen) He taught me how to make burrito tho

[Dave and Helena 0]

My mother in law was for the most part a stay at home mom with many kids to take care of. After so many years of cooking she has basically "retired" from the kitchen and cooks very rarely these days. Taking lessons from her is a great idea though. It would be a lot of fun to surprise him by cooking his favorite meal from when he was a kid and it would make mom happy too.

I am lucky to have an IKEA close by. They have a Swedish food court where I can find some basic Swedish ingredients when I am feeling homesick.

[reeses16 8]

Its doesn't even compare! US cooking methods are completely different from Ethiopian cooking. I love practically every Ethiopian dish I've eaten, but my hubby not so much on US food. As I mentioned the cooking methods are different. In the US we will use a little oil and sautee the onion, in Ethiopian cooking you ad the onions directly to a hot pot, sweat them, then add oil once they are nearly dry. And in the US we will pan sear chicken, but in Ethiopian cooking chicken is typically added raw into a cooking stew and eaten once the chicken has cooked all the way through. So, I get frustrated when my hubby watches me cook somethings decides he not going to eat it. Then when I'm done, he'll have a change of heart, "can I try that?" Seriously, when he goes to a restaurant he never sends anything back or asks how the cooked it. lol.

To our mothers. He thinks my mom is an okay cook, but she cooks with too much meat. Our diet is generally vegetarian diet but we do it meat occasionally. His mom is a good cook, but I think he cooks waaaay better than she does. What can I say, my hubby doesn't cook US style food, but his Ethiopian food is ridiculously good. I'm pretty lucky too since most Ethiopian men don't cook.

[Dave and Helena 0]

True, its a pain not having the ingredients, fresh produce, herbs, spices that I'm used to. Buying curry, turmeric, lemon grass, pandan leaves, all so basic and so cheap back home... not so much here. But I guess I manage ok. I cant make truly 100% authentic Malay dishes like mum taught me here, but I change things up and make do with whatever I can find. To the untrained tastebuds, they wont know any different i think... taste just like home...

Don't know where you live but have you checked if there are any International Farmers Markets around? I have only been to one but it looked like they had a pretty good selection of spices, vegetables etc. I remember seeing at least lemon grass and curry (and tons of other stuff I have never seen before ) and the prices were pretty reasonable.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Bren compares it.... along the lines of "thank God for this wife who can cook and add spices properly" --- I adore my mother in law, but the woman just cannot cook

Sad, but true.

[faryan 4]

True, its a pain not having the ingredients, fresh produce, herbs, spices that I'm used to. Buying curry, turmeric, lemon grass, pandan leaves, all so basic and so cheap back home... not so much here. But I guess I manage ok. I cant make truly 100% authentic Malay dishes like mum taught me here, but I change things up and make do with whatever I can find. To the untrained tastebuds, they wont know any different i think... taste just like home...

Don't know where you live but have you checked if there are any International Farmers Markets around? I have only been to one but it looked like they had a pretty good selection of spices, vegetables etc. I remember seeing at least lemon grass and curry (and tons of other stuff I have never seen before ) and the prices were pretty reasonable.

Hi Helena.. We live in Iowa City, IA, and its not a bad place to live at all.. There's a cpl of Asian stores and i do get excited when i see some spices that i can use... I miss our sweet soy sauce tho and the only ones there is at the stores are the thin salty ones. And I can always adjust the curry powder we find from the stores here with more chilli or coriander or turmeric and such, no problem. Fresh produce is where it gets tricky. I've just been here 4 months, and still cant get over how expensive a bit of lemon grass or some okra or fresh coconut here compared to back home.. yikes! maybe when i start work next week and rake in the extra money, i will be able to feel better about it..

[Marilyn. 340]

my hubby said they rarely had a home-cooked meal growing up.. more so because his parents both worked full time so they just ate out a lot.. his mom could cook though, hubby said she could cook a mean batch of Spanish rice..

he did get a lot of home-cooked meals from his grandma but he said she cooked everything in lard ..lol

I have my hubby spoiled now with home-cooked meals.. we do eat out a far bit more then I ever did growing up but I try and cook during the week...

[Dr. Obvious 49]

My parents-in-law made/make a big deal out of eating lunch together every day of the week, so they pretty much always cooked some large meal at that time. I've never really attempted to make a traditional dish like my parents-in-law made yet and it has been nearly five years now. I have a fear of failure in that arena. I think...think...this fall, I'll attempt something like labskaus.

My husband rarely, if ever, makes comparisons in cooking between mine and his parents. He likes most of the things I make.

It is always fun to expose my husband to things I take for granted. A few weeks ago, I got in the mood for meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans, so I fixed that up. It was the first time he had ever ate meatloaf and he was immediately in love with it. New favorite food.

Edited June 23, 2009 by Wacken

[luckymom 0]

My husband has a very small family, his mom and dad and his sister who is in Washington State. My mom-in-law just cook for her husband and it's just the typical American foods. I cook a lot of Filipino foods since I came here and my husband likes some of them. There are quite a few Asian stores in Boston where I can find some of my favorite spices but it's still different if I buy them in a wet market in the Philippines. Anyhow, my mother-in-law, my husband and I and my son eat in the Chinese buffet around the area. Most of the time I cook in the house. I'm not much of a good cook but I try hard.

[faryan 4]

My husband has a very small family, his mom and dad and his sister who is in Washington State. My mom-in-law just cook for her husband and it's just the typical American foods. I cook a lot of Filipino foods since I came here and my husband likes some of them. There are quite a few Asian stores in Boston where I can find some of my favorite spices but it's still different if I buy them in a wet market in the Philippines. Anyhow, my mother-in-law, my husband and I and my son eat in the Chinese buffet around the area. Most of the time I cook in the house. I'm not much of a good cook but I try hard.

Hi luckymom, kumusta! I went to a Pinay's sari-sari store here in Iowa City, and even saw bangus (frozen i think), durian candy and the likes. I was so amazed, always the enterprising lot! I just went in to buy bagoong, which was abt 1.90$, so i didnt check how much the bangus costs, but it will be so good to have sinigang ni bangus one day. That must be my favourite Filipino dish. Did you find a sari-sari store there in Boston yet? I'm sure there is, since a small town like here also have one...

[BermyCat 1]

True, its a pain not having the ingredients, fresh produce, herbs, spices that I'm used to. Buying curry, turmeric, lemon grass, pandan leaves, all so basic and so cheap back home... not so much here. But I guess I manage ok. I cant make truly 100% authentic Malay dishes like mum taught me here, but I change things up and make do with whatever I can find. To the untrained tastebuds, they wont know any different i think... taste just like home...

Don't know where you live but have you checked if there are any International Farmers Markets around? I have only been to one but it looked like they had a pretty good selection of spices, vegetables etc. I remember seeing at least lemon grass and curry (and tons of other stuff I have never seen before ) and the prices were pretty reasonable.

Where's the one you've been too? I'm still looking for good places to get spices and produce. I find the grocery stores fairly limited around here.

I cook completely differently than my MIL. She does lots of very traditiional North American food very well. I've always tended to branch out and constantly try new things. I lived with a Chinese family for one semester during university and had a great time learning to cook southern Chinese dishes. I was working on Indian food before I moved to Atlanta but I'm having trouble finding ingredients. We have food from different cultures as often as possible. I'm lucky that my husband loves to try new things.

~ Catherine

[MIDUVIL 34]

hello,

My mother-in-law hates to cook, me it's my passion.

I don't like receipe so i cook like i feel it, my husband loves everything that I cook-

And all of our neighbour smell my cooking.

I mixed all spices that I find at home-

Yesterday it was grilled beef and rice-carots with homemade dressing salad- Today fried salmon with onions and white beans.

Before knowing me, he was eating cabbage, tuna salad or a mixed of cabbage-red beans (in cans, it's awful)- some salads and coffee. And tried to convince me (by phone, when I was in my country ) that it was delicious .

Now, he doesn't even cook or talking about those ''delicious food''.

I ask him just to eat and he loves that.

Yesterday I ask him if his mother or great mother cooks better than, he rgave me the good reply and not because he was waiting with a spoon in my hand

2 happys people