Making Food Out Of Ingredients

I no longer have appetite for food. Okay, not exactly that. What I meant to say is that I will no longer go search out for yummy food, especially when I am alone. Life is simplier if I don't have to make decisions on lunch choices. And cheaper too, espeically 'in this economy'. I don't like having buyer's remorse: did I just spend three plates of Hainanese Chicken Rice for one delicious Whopper with some so-so french fries and a cup of sugared water? Actually, I am not that interested in that three plates of Hanianese Chicken Rice either. Or eating out alone. And I am living in a country with both eating-out and street-food culture. What I want is to learn to make food. No, I am not talking about growing food in my balcony, or rearing animals in my backyard. (No, I don't have a backyard.) Instead: turning ingredients into food. Cooking, that's the word I am looking for. I know how to fry an egg. Steam a slice of salmon. And stir-fry some vegetable. But that's where my skill set ends.…