What food would you say is your specialty?

When I was a kid, I often watched my father make dumplings.

He would just dump flour on the kitchen counter or outside at his workplace,

and somehow, in no time, he’d have a pot of hot, soft dumplings ready.

The outside was cooked, but the inside still a little raw—his signature style.

Mom always said that was his specialty.

My mother, on the other hand, liked making cookies with us,

especially brown sugar cookies.

From mixing the dough to shaping and baking,

the kitchen would fill with that sweet, warm smell.

Waiting for the oven’s “ding” together is one of my fondest childhood memories.

Compared to them, I’m not really much of a cook.

The one thing I remember doing somewhat well is pork belly.

The trick isn’t in the seasoning—it’s in slowly rendering the fat.

I cook it until the fat comes out, then fry the meat in that fat.

The skin turns crispy, the meat stays tender, and it ends up rich and flavorful.

Sometimes I also use a small Japanese B6 Fire Pit to grill chicken wings.

I hang the wings on the rack, and let them cook slowly.

The fat drips off, but I don’t reuse it.

Hanging the wings lets the heat reach every part evenly,

so the skin gets crispy, the meat stays juicy,

even the edges get a little charred—delicious.

I may not be a professional chef,

but seeing ordinary ingredients turn into something crispy, juicy, and aromatic

gives me the same kind of satisfaction as my parents’ signature dishes.