The Best Cook In The World
I've always thought my mother's the best cook in the world.
Her Otak-Otak.
Her Pork Rib Soups with Lotus Roots.
Steamed Red Snapper.
Pork Stew in Dark Soya.
My mother-in-law, a housewife, had dishes that she'd made, experimented with, adapted, created from scratch and basically memorised after years of feeding her children and husband, all of whom proclaim that she was the actual best cook in the world.
Of course, I would protest. In my heart. Her Otak-Otak was nice, but it came nowhere near my mother's. It was a family recipe, handed down by my grandmother and adapted by mom. And even though it was simple to make and required no real skill, my mom's Otak-Otak would be the one dish that I'd remember my mother's cooking by. And none could take it from her.
Thing is, my mom's cooking wasn't about just taste or skill (or the lack of which). It was the fact that she'd been a working mother, who teaches afternoon classes because she wanted the time to make sure the family always had home cooked meals everyday when we came back from school. Looking back, sure, the dishes we'd grown to love so much were really just mediocre. But it was whatever my mom could find the time to make.
It's been exactly two years since I have cooked, and that was when I was away in London with my bf currently the hubby  . I've been cooking up little storms everyday then. They're simple dishes, just like mom's, but as I watch my hubby tuck heartily into each meal I'd spend my time and effort making each day, the realisation then was that I am making history as the person who none is ever going to measure up to in terms of home cooking as far as my hubby are concerned, settled on me like a warm blanket. Hopefully, I future when we move in to our new place and have a family of our own, this will apply too.
Not exactly one of my cita-citas (objectives in life), but man, it feels great to know I will be remembered that way. | 
