Cooking and the definition of self

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     I love to cook. I sit down, looking through all of the 48 cookbooks in my house. Not just to look for something to make for dinner, but to get inspired. I get inspired by the flavors and colors of the food to create new art pieces, to relax. Cooking is somehow both so exciting and so stressful. It's exciting because I can create something that I can enjoy making, seeing the foods transform and evolve using spices, heat, cold, and they become this symphony of flavors and textures, almost like a gorgeous design in a fabric. Regardless of if I'm cooking for one person or for my family or friends, cooking is so vibrant. I dance across the kitchen looking for spices or flavors that you have to bring out by tending to the food like a small child. I often cook for my family, such as eggs benedict, crab stuffed salmon, and more. As a person who is Deaf and colorblind, cooking is a creative way for me to create something without needing some sort of accommodation, such as hearing devices or colorblind-glasses. Cooking is about the taste and smell, both do not affect my day-to-day life. Reading the books in my house allows me to taste the food before I even make it. I know the tastes of garlic and onions and chili oil just by reading it. Cooking defines me because I don't have to worry about something or something else. It's just me and the food. I will admit I am a kitchen snob, but I also do enjoy help in the kitchen. 

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