I'm a chemistry grad student at UC Davis and I study organic matter in soils and compost. I love to try to mimic dishes that I've eaten at restaurants. It's a fun challenge and I learn just how much fat or salt is in restaurant foods. Figuring out how to copy Thai and Indian dishes are the most intriguing for me since I'm much less familiar with the nuances of the specialty ingredients those styles use. My grandmother and my father taught me to cook, or rather let me teach myself how to cook starting from a very young age (maybe 5?). I have fond memories of my dad whistling along to Lorena McKennit's Green Sleeves while kneading bread on Saturday mornings.