I'm a native Michigander who has landed in the Pacific Northwest. I'm not hating the 40 degree low temperatures in winter, to be sure, especially when reading about the snowstorms back home. I've also lived in Atlanta, Denver, Madison, and Germany. I have restaurant experience working in Asian cuisine and American barbeque. I just enjoy the rhythm of prepping and cooking in the kitchen with a little music to keep me company. The bonus is when your guests truly enjoy the results of all the work. I really love Asian food. I prefer to have the one dish with a good mix of veggies and meat in a delicious sauce. It's quite a change from my meat-and-potatoes upbringing. The maternal side of my family are of Czech descent, so it's those meals at Grandma's house that I love and miss. I feel the need to learn more about Czech cuisine so I can continue those traditions if and when I have a family. I'd say that making a Thai Chili Pepper Chicken dish for a gal early in our relationship has led to her sticking with me for a while now. Learn to cook you single fellas. It helps! I added cayenne pepper to a hot pan the other day, which resulted in much coughing and hacking for about ten minutes for both my gal and I. It was really ridiculous. I should know better, but I basically mace-d the household!