After taking a week off to be home with my mom, I realized something: I really love cooking. And I really had just begun to appreciate how much time and effort my mom put into cooking for us when we were younger. And then I felt increasingly guilty for not offering to help my mom as much back in those angst-ridden, self-absorbed teenage years. On the other hand, she really didn’t need my help back then. Because her cooking skills are top notch. I probably would have done more harm than good. But I did good this time.

One of the dishes (besides egg rolls) that my mom has been famous for is her shish kabobs. My family used to have a little booth in the county fair that would sell egg rolls, shish kabobs, and fried rice. We’d pretty much be out of food at an alarmingly fast rate. These kabobs are delicious right off the grill, and are even better slightly charred. The best part is that they’re fairly simple to make. My mom, sometimes with my grandma’s help, marinates the meat in fish sauce, lemongrass, pepper, sugar, and garlic salt. And a secret ingredient: vodka. It makes the meat tender and fragrant. She finishes it off with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Perfection. In the form of meat on a stick. Does it get any better? I don’t think so.

So now after helping with some dishes at home, I feel like I’ve become a better cook. Or at least better at discerning some of the techniques and tricks of cooking. The most important being to taste as you go. I did a lot of that