The flip side of food

Calling myself the Hungry Dumpling implies I love food. I do. I truly love and adore food.  But my relationship with food is not without a downside. The reality is food creates energy, and when that energy isn't used up, it turns into fat. Not good.

Enter exercise.

I hate exercising. I hate exercising as much as I love food. But exercising is a must when food is involved. I write a lot about what what I eat, where I eat it and the types of things I make, but I have never written about the exercise I do so that I can continue my relationship with food.

For every blog post I write about, hours of exercise must take place to burn those calories eaten. Biking (stationary or otherwise), running, ugly power walks, and weights (occasionally).  

And when I'm not writing about something I've eaten, it's because I've been eating other foods. Like salads (minimal dressing) 6 or 7 times a week, or vegetables with a little bit of protein. As much as I'd love to sit and enjoy delicious food all the time, it's extremely important to me to have a balanced diet the rest of the time. (Not to say healthy food isn't exciting - I do enjoy the awesome salads from Longo's, but it's just not the same.)

Without exercise and a balanced diet, I wouldn't be able to eat the foods I enjoy - at least not in the long run. And that's the point of food, isn't it?  To enjoy it well into old age.

Even dumplings are worried about getting too round.

Birth of a dumpling

I'm not sure when exactly, but at some point, I became a food snob. By that, I don't mean limiting myself to foods that are rare and expensive, but to good, tasty, food.

I like to spend time in the kitchen as much as I do in restaurants. Though every time I eat in a restaurant, I learn something new. Why something works, why something doesn't work, why I want to go running into my own kitchen.

I believe that cooking is strengthened by experience, in the form of eating and, rolling up my sleeves.

I once said that if I ever rule the world (or strike it rich, whichever comes first), I'd apply to chef school...first at George Brown, then Cordon Bleu, etc, etc, until I become a full-fledged chef.

Let's be clear - I don't ever want to own a restaurant. My passion for food lies in what I can make for my friends and family. To see the looks of surprise and pleasure when they try a new dish - either out of my own kitchen or from someone else's.

May this entry be the start of my culinary education, or at the very least, a place where I can share my love of food.