Lesson 9: 500g = ~1.1 lbs

I have never been much of a cook. I really never needed to be. With Chef Mom at home, dinner was always expected. Even in college, when I lived on my own, I rarely, if ever, cooked anything seriously. For two years I lived on dorm food, the other two years I mostly ate freezer food, fast food, and sandwiches. Or I went home to raid the fridge or mooched off my roommates (Thanks guys, you know who you are). So here are three reasons why waiting til Spain to learn how to cook was a bad idea:

1) Most of the food, brands, and packaging are different. So even if it does exist, I wouldn't know what it looked like or where to find it. For instance, my first culture shock was that milk is stored at room temperature on the shelf, not refrigerated. It was even more difficult to figure out which was whole milk and which was skim. Since I don't think I like either (and I never remember which is which), I just go with the one in between, semi-.

2) All instructions are in Spanish. The only thing I understand is numbers. So i guess that 5 means cook 5 min. This could explain why a lot of my food has tasted under cooked.

3) I don't know what measurements equate to. How should I know how much 500g is or 500mL? I don't even know how much 8oz is.

Which brings me to my story: Stephen's First Time Making Spaghetti.

After being criticized by Sara and her Father about my lack of cooking skills (repeatedly), I decided I would prove them wrong. (1st Mistake. See footnotes.) I thought pasta would be the easiest meal to accomplish and I had already bought the ingredients. I had a 500g bag of Spaghetti noodles, a 500g package of ground beef, and tomato sauce.

I decided to get the meat started first and began cooking it. No problem. I even added some pepper and spices, 'cause I'm that good. I then started with the noodles. I got the pot boiling, added some salt and pepper and then poured in the package of spaghetti.(2) 8 minutes later the noodles were ready, so I grabbed the single jar of tomato sauce and poured it on top of the noodles(3) and began stirring in a large bowl. I was curious why the noodles weren't really taking any of the orange sauce color and decided I hadn't bought enough sauce. So I stole some from my roommate (4) and used it as well, even though it was a different brand.(5)

After adding all the tomato sauce I could find in the house, I continued by pouring the pan of meat in to the noodles.(6) I stirred again, and felt fairly confident about my concoction. However, the spaghetti failed the taste test. Of course I had to make a point(7) to Sara and her Dad, so I scarfed down noodles and meat bits until I was full, which still didn't make a dent in the bowl. If I calculated right, I made about 2.5 lbs worth of terrible spaghetti and ate about a quarter of it.

I of course learned my lesson, and since then have made some great improvements. I cook spaghetti about once a week and the package now lasts me around a month.

1. Being competitive outside of sports has always gotten me in trouble. Just ask me about the story of how I fell through a window...

2. Yes, the entire 500g package of spaghetti. If that doesn't surprise you, than you are either a monster or one twinkie away from cardiac arrest.

3. Suppose to cook the sauce on the side first, preferably with the meat.

4. The problem with stealing other people's food is that you tell yourself you're going to replace it, but you never actually remember to do so.

5. Don't mix brands. Especially when one is some orange concentrated goo that looks like the leftovers of some nuclear experiment.

6. Forgot to drain the grease first, although it probably helped for this situation.

7. O dear, pride takes over again. Some people never learn...