One Big Spoonful of Determination

One Big Spoonful of Determination
To all of those who are or are about to find themselves living in a different place, standing in a kitchen to take on the challenge of cooking in another country, this post is written for you and those who remember what it's like. 

Honestly, I have never considered myself to be an aspiring Martha Stewart, or even close.  My favorite recipes consisted of which cans, boxes and packets I could get my hands on. The more boxes and cans I opened, the more often I wanted to cook that recipe. What happens the day those boxes, cans and packets are no where to be found?  I give you my experiences of cooking in another country.

While packing all of our belongings, saying goodbyes, and flying across the ocean, the thought of cooking and what an adventure it would be didn't cross my mind.  Greeting me our first afternoon in our new country, head still foggy from jet-lag was a little girl with hungry eyes and a pleading voice.  This was the day it all began.

First thought, I can do this, how bad can it be?  I went to the grocery store.  Check.  Felt very proud that I found something to cook.  Check.   Went home with the spaghetti sauce and noodles in hand and a smile on my face.  Check, check.  I began what I thought would be the first of many delicious dinners in our new home.  If we're honest, though, we'd all agree that our first meal in our new home was far from the way it played out in our heads.  This particular spaghetti dinner was better in the trash then in our mouths. 

Somehow after facing defeat I put that apron back on (well not really, but it sounds dramatic) and set foot back in that kitchen, more determined than ever to be a conqueror.   My moral is up.  Then comes the fantastic task of  realizing that I need to figure out what all the ingredients in the local language.  Even though I like to think that I mastered all those words after one trip to the grocery store, the reality is that Google translate became a dear friend. 

Translated list in hand I go to the store, and there make a couple discoveries.  First, I not only get to go to one store in order acquire everything, but several.   Second, there are some ingredients, that no matter how hard I search for, I will never find.   That leads me back to my dear friend Google where I search for substitutions or alternative recipes.

So no matter where you find yourself today; getting on an airplane soon to land for the first time in a new kitchen, or maybe your an accomplished veteran-travel-chef looking back and laughing, or perhaps your local grocery store switched things up on you unexpectedly.  One day you will find yourself with a list of recipes that work, people eating and enjoying your food and realizing that the most important ingredient to cooking in a new situation is this: one big spoonful of determination.