I grew up poor on a farm, so if there is any food in the house I can make a meal out of it. If there isn't any food in the house, chances are I can go get some, by growing it, finding it, or hunting/fishing for it. I can cook almost as well without modern equipment as I can with, but that's a lot of work! I love to try to cook traditional ethnic dishes. We have an eclectic mix, but are most known for making something out of whatever is on hand. Green Chili, Lamb Curry, Cheesecake,and lots of Game meat dishes. I was a caterer for a few years, and my crowning glory was probably Jenna's wedding, complete with 3 tier wedding cheesecake and 2 tier grooms cheesecake. My very first attempt at cooking pork chops,(in my early teens), resulted in something resembling the soles of shoes... we ate the side dishes, and fed the chops to the dogs.