While I do love hot, spicy foods, I actually just really like strong flavors. I'd love to take an actual cooking course through the local college to learn techniques.. I am just self taught but do consider myself quite accomplished. Baking is so so, but if I put my mind to it, I can do a pretty good job of it. Can't make a decent biscuit though! And gave up on pie crusts! Every thing tastes better with mushrooms, onions, garlic and hot peppers! I like to say I can cook any nationality of foods.. When I first fell in love with cooking it was a lot of Indian. I lived near Cincinnati at the time and would drive an hour just to buy all these lentils and beans, and what ever.. that I never did really use.. back then there was always some ingrediant you couldn't find or you'd have to go back, or some process I didn't understand... I love all foods... and am a skinny cook.. so don't trust me! When ever we've had parties, I have always cooked all the food.. I won't let anyone bring a single dish. It's my time to try all my recipes. My pride though is perhaps one lunch I fixed for two business men that met at our house for a meeting. They both to this day rave about the lunch and they've both eaten at the finest resturants. Wow... there have been some recipes I've tried that weren't to great. I'm sure there have been tragedies... I managed to set the oven on fire several times!