I was born and raised in Virginia, and I also visited my grandmother in NC a lot, so I know a lot of Southern dishes. I went to college and had a lower-middle-class income and know a lot about cooking on a budget. I started dating my Chinese-Indonesian now-husband in 2004 and we've been married 4 years now and am learning more and more of all kinds of Asian dishes thanks to his mom being so patient with me! Things with cheese and cream sauces (Italian,) spicy things with sour cream and peppers (Mexican and SW dishes,) and lots of fried-rice dishes (Chinese, Japanese, and Malaysian.) I love to bake, too, because you can rarely screw it up! My parents loved to cook meatloaf, onion rings, fried okra, spaghetti'n'meatballs, and oatmeal raisin cookies. My husband's family loves to cook kwetiau goreng (stir-fried noodles with veggies,) nasi goreng (fried rice,) cendol (a sweet-milk and tropical fruit dessert served over ice,) and wonton soup. 2009 authentic Chinese New Year buffet done by me, my sister-in-law, and mother-in-law; we featured a dozen homemade Chinese and Indonesian dishes! Deep-frying whole fish - It always falls apart in the oil or it turns black!