@Nose5775
I live in Los Angeles, and there are really great farmer's markets here, and corner stores featuring foods of many nations. I try to take advantage of these resources by using fresh seasonal produce and trying foods from different cultures. I don't exactly have the problem of not being able to find exotic ingredients; more often, I see things in the local stores (lotus root! passionfruit! chayote!) that turn out to be delicious when I finally learn how to prepare them. Interested in expanding my repertoire of techniques and cuisines, I finally took up my sister - Recipezaar member Roosie - on her recommendation to visit this site. I hear our parents use it too sometimes, but they don't seem to have figured out how to write reviews. My culinary pet peeve is when people stir rice while it's cooking, thereby making it gummy.