In contrast, some of my Dutch friends think the opposite way. I believe they are living in a culinary desert. For them lunch is just a sandwich or sometimes pastas. Foods are generally boiled and are served with plain taste. Pepper, paprika and salt are the only known spices in their daily meals. And adding some flakes of coriander is adding the herbs; anything green except some vegetables are herbs. When I told my parents and friends back home about this they laughed out loud.
For us Asians, we generally use lots of spices and herbs in our daily meals. Corianders and garlics are just additives to our food and we have lots of dried herbs and spices, depending on the food we cook. I think that’s one of the reasons that my corridor always smells of food. And boiling food is not cooking for us, it’s one of the preliminary steps of cooking.
Some may argue cooking food is a waste of time, but for me its meditation- it’s a medium to relax in the evening after a long day. And for me eating tastefully is lot better than eating healthily. I would hate to live five years longer eating healthily, but be deprived of all the good and spicy food.
I am sure most Asians would agree with me on this. Eating tastefully is as important for us as going to church, temples or mosques.