MEME - ThE CooK NeXt DooR

I must say this is the first time I am answering a meme… but what the heck, I don’t mind….

What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
Besides the Maggi Mee stuff at home, the real cooking for myself has to be my first year at University overseas where I probably survived the short holidays without catered food by eating bread with beans and soup (not necessarily together of course). It was then that started experimenting with various “combinations”. Eating just bread and soup can be boring even for me so I tried putting stuff onto the bread…. Beans, cucumber, tomato, mushroom, cauliflower (not very good), fruits, luncheon meat, tomato sauce, black sauce, oyster sauce (good in small amounts), pepper etc etc.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?
No one. I take full responsibility for my lack of convention.

Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?
Sorry, am not into taking photos of the self, even though photography used to be a hobby.

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
No, but I would probably be nervous if I hypothetically had to cook for a date.

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest let down?
Most valued – a large pot. I used to cook boiled cabbage with a sprinkling of luncheon meat and oyster sauce in such a pot. Once everything was “soft” enough, I simply chucked enormous helpings of rice into the pot and ate directly from the pot thus negating the need for a plate… hey! I was a poor student. What was I supposed to do?

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!
Well, my so called friends say that most of my food combinations are weird so it’s a little difficult to say. Actually I just eat to survive so I can’t comment much here.

What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don’t want to live without?
Well, I have always liked jelly-based desserts, and generally speaking, I like egg based dishes and dishes with mushrooms.

Any question you missed in this meme, that you would have loved to answer?
What eating situation would you most like to act out?
To pre-prepare a small helping of warm brown oatmeal (perhaps with bit of fruit) in an airline provided air-sickness bag. Get on a commercial flight and replace empty air-sickness bag with your own, pre-prepared with warm oatmeal with fruit before other passengers seat next to you. As the plane takes off, rush to take air-sickness bag and pretend to throw up in said bag (with relevant sound effects thrown in). Then to immediately feel the warm oatmeal you know is at the bottom of the bag while looking around at your neighbours who are most probably already very wary of you. Thereafter, to rummage in bag to look for a piece of fruit, hold up, sniff and devour. Immediately then whip out a foldable spoon and eat the contents of the bag with gusto! Your neighbours will then leave you alone for the rest of the flight…!

Three quickies:
Your favourite ice-cream… : Haagen Daz, Vanilla
You will probably never eat… : Anything still living and most things considered “exotic”. I am not very adventurous with food as I do not really see the point!
Your own signature dish… : I guess my friends would say boiled cabbage and oatmeal… but not together please!

Who do you want most to cook you dinner?
People are going to think me strange but… Margaret Thatcher! If only for the dinner and post dinner conversations.

Three people to tag:
I really do not know any other bloggers with the exception of Boo_licious who gave the meme to me in the first place so I can’t really do this part.