Hi all! My name is TJ. Thanks for checking out Gyoza Please, my food blog! I have always loved food, or as my mother-in-law would say “a good eater”, so naturally it made sense that I create a blog about food.
Although, I was born and raised in the U.S., at home we were very much Japanese. At home, we spoke Japanese, we ate Japanese food, and when I was young I attended Japanese school on Saturday mornings. Most of my exposure to “American” food was at my friends house. I distinctly remember in high school, going to a friend’s house and was amazed by the mac & cheese that came from a box with orange powder cheese. It was an amazing discovery and for the next several years I loved Kraft mac & cheese.
Now as an adult, wife, and a mom of a toddler, I have come to realize that I should have paid a lot more attention when my mom was cooking. When my son starting eating solids, I knew I needed to start cooking at home more. I also wanted to expose both my child and husband to Japanese food. But with being a full-time employee, and definitely lacking in kitchen skills, the transition to cooking at home has not been an easy road. The only upper hand I had in this transition was that I knew how the food should taste. And I’m not really sure if that’s even an advantage.
My main focus for Gyoza Please is about my attempts (or maybe adventures) of cooking Japanese food at home and lessons learned. On occasion, I may touch on the ever growing food scene in Cleveland, Ohio and other cuisine such as Czech food as my husband and his family are from the Czech Republic. Hope you enjoy!