I'm a guy. I have my own business in the apparel industry in Southern California. I am also a pilot, and enjoy riding motorcycles and sailing boats as well. I grew up in a big family and my mom taught all her kids, boys and girls, to shop, cook, sew, do laundery, etc. I always liked the cooking part. Dad taught every one, boys and girls, to change their motor oil & tires, fix bikes, mow the lawn, painting, woodworking, camping, shooting, etc. My dad was a pretty good cook too. As a teenager, I worked as a restaurant cook for a while. I now have 3 grown kids of my own, and I have done a lot of cooking over the years. I bake breads, pies, cakes for special occassions, full meals of all types, lunches, sandwiches, desserts, you name it. I have a well equiped kitchen, I like to try new things, and always look for new recipies. I try to cook healthy, using whole fresh foods, whole grains, healthy fats, no transfats, as little refined sugars as possible. Rarely deep fry anything. I got married once, my new wife did not like to cook, or shop for groceries, or do housework of any kind. She had never been taught or required to do so growing up... She turned out to be a bit unstable as far as homemaking or mothering our three small kids. So I filled in, doing all the cooking and shopping, and making sure we had family meals together, saw that school lunches got packed, birthday cakes got made, school bake sales supplied, pot lucks contributed to, etc.,in addition to making a living. Cooking for my family (and teaching my kids to cook) kept some stability for my kids all their years growing up. Some of our favorite memories are holiday meals, birthday meals with special customized cakes, dinnertime conversations, trying new foods. As their mom made many poor life choices, I still kept a semblence of a supportive home life for the boys and cooking was a big part of that. Learning to make really good Chinese stir-fry. Learning any new recipe that comes out well. My brined Thanksgiving turkey that is soooo gooood. My black olive & spinich 4 cheese lasagna with homade sauce. I once accidently used rancid shortening to grease a cake pan and then baked a big chocolate cake, which then tasted like rancid shortening with every bite. Served it to a large group of family and friends. One of my not-so-fond memories, though my kids remind me of it once in a while in a good natured sort of way.