There’s probably no better way of starting this than introducing myself. Hello, my name is Adam Saraswati Rawlings and this is my new food blog. I’ve been a writer for about 10 years but haven’t had the chance to do much writing about food, this is in spite of the fact that there are very few things I love to talk about more. Over the years I have made a conscious decision to pour most of my free time into honing my skills as a home cook, and in that time I have learned a thing or two. With this in mind it only makes sense that I’d combine two of my greatest loves, writing and cooking, into this humble little blog.

For me food is everything. It is one of the first ways in which we can understand other cultures and walks of life, giving us a peek into histories and beliefs in between the lines of a recipe. Every cuisine that we know and love from around the world has been shaped by centuries of human activity. Throughout human history the transfer of people, ideas, and ingredients have changed how people make and eat food. No truer is this the case than in our day and age. We live at a time when the flavours of the entire world are within our grasp with more immediacy and ease than ever before.

With the recipes and knowledge I share I want to show how much I care about good food. I tend to make food from across the world, with a focus on Asian food, and at the heart of my recipes is always a fixation on respecting authentic methods and ingredients. To me it is important that when making foods from outside of my own culture that I honour the long histories behind each dish. When I can’t get my hands on exactly what I need, I strive to make educated substitutions with the intent of capturing as closely as possible the original flavours and textures of a dish. I do this because food is, to me, a manifestation of someone’s heritage and way of life. 

Food for me has also been a life raft. When I left a relationship that made me lose sight of who I am, spending hour after hour in my kitchen and learning new dishes helped me find the parts of me I was missing. With each new dish I felt I had mastered another little part of me lodged back into place. I’ll forever be grateful for the love I have for cooking because it has taught me so many important things about patience, acceptance, and the value of hard work. These were all things that I needed desperately to find within myself, and the kitchen was the best classroom for these lessons. 

Above all else, food is a form of love. From as far back as I can remember, every single plate of food my mother has ever made for me was accompanied with the same question – can you taste the love in it? The answer was always yes. I knew that with every piece of toast buttered (occasionally with a cheeky bite missing) and every pinch of salt added my mother was thinking about how she wanted me and my sister to grow. 

It is through food that me and my sister, my best friend, have continued to form a bond that is unmatched despite living far away from each other. We are able to share in the passion we have for bold flavours and the best ingredients. Few people have inspired my love of food more than she has, and few people indulge my food nerd ways more than she does. It is because of my sister that I know food is something that brings people together, and for those of us who truly love food, it can be the foundation of lifelong bonds.

Cooking takes time, it can be difficult, at times it can be downright frustrating, but at its core it is always a manifestation of love. With every garlic clove diced and every potato peeled, I do so with a true love and respect for the gift that cooking is. Above all else, I hope that this comes through in this blog.