For me, food reminds me of family, memories, and my childhood. Since I live a great deal away from my family, cooking helps me feel connected. An example is when I cooked ribeye steak + habichuelas guisadas for my sister when she came to visit.
I also blasted salsa music and busted out some dance moves while I was cooking! 
What inspires you guys?
Hunger usually does it. 
I like to enjoy good food. but I have a limited budget, so I will cook the best food I can.
There is nothing more annoying/disappointing/frustrating than going out for a special meal and paying for food that you couldāve produced better at home. Thatās really become a problem in my household. We donāt go out much because the food is almost always better at home.
Best way to get rid of the DNA evidence.
@Ember I dig that answer! Lol. I try also try to eat and cook within a budget, thatās definitely a part of what inspires me to cook. Thereās some things I canāt cook, that requires a restaurant, because I havenāt quite perfected my cooking skills in that specific area, though haha (hint: vegan dishes) lol.
Outside of writing fiction that will never be published and some mean Dungeon Masterinā with friendsā¦ I had zero creative talents. I could not draw, sing, craft anything, build things with my hands, etc.
Then, I discovered I was quite passable at cooking. I started grilling, smoking meats, and inventing stuff in the kitchen and the friends and family kept digginā it. I am not a chef by ANY means, in fact I donāt think I am particularly greatā¦ but amongst my close friends, siblings and wife I seem to be the better oneā¦ so I cook to feed them all and see them smile!
Sappy for sure, but itās the honest truth!
Admit it, youāre curious.
Kinda concerned. O_O @acs
@omarxcs I freakinā love that you found your passion and your talent!
+1 for what @Ember saidā¦the love of great food!! Iāve always cooked, but it was back in the early 90ās that I made a couple of new friends that are quite exceptional cooks (sheās had professional training), so the three of us have enjoyed many, many phenomenal meals together at our homes as well as out at some of the better restaurants in Toronto. (should have kept a diary about all of the restaurantsā¦heh) 
When it comes to restaurants, unfortunately, that frustration only grows. You have to recognize them for what they areā¦a convenience. You can almost always produce a better result at home. I also have a friend that manages one of the steakhouse chain restaurants up hereā¦he confirmed they donāt use sous vide in their kitchen - which means they donāt have a snowballās chance in hell of EVER making a better steak than I can make at home!! 
It means that, regardless of your budget, youāll find youāll continue to eat more meals at home and enjoy a better quality of food because youāve done so!!
I have realized that my standards for good steak have gone up. Steaks at restaurants are usually a disappointment, so I donāt even bother ordering them anymore when I eat out. @fischersd
I have always enjoyed cooking and I especially like to explore the food of other cultures. When I was young we had access to an abundance of fresh seafood that we caught. Salmon, Halibut, Red Snapper, Dungeness Crab, Oysters and Clams and more. We also raised a steer every year and had our own chickens. We also had a huge garden and the produce that was not eaten fresh was saved by canning or freezing for the Winter. Sous Vide produces great results especially with proteins that are so easily overcooked.
Currently I enjoy searching out really fresh produce from local Farmerās Markets and proteins from local farmers and butchers. We also have access to many fine cheeses that are produced in the surrounding states. It is fun to put together a meal using the local bounty. Real planning is required though so as not to waste anything. You need to plan a few meals to use everything up. One trick I use if I want to buy fro one meal is to use the salad bar at the grocery. I can get exactly the amounts I need and it is already chopped up.
Here in the Chicago area we have access to some great restaurants and their meals are wonderful in part due to the quality of the ingredients they use. They give me a standard to shoot for in my cooking.
I recently started to get into cooking and actually enjoying the process behind it. I use Facebook and Instagram for inspiration to be honest!
More than anything, though, I want to eat well! Iām at the very beginning of my weight loss journey but I know that most of the weight comes from eating out and eating food I didnāt prepare myself. Cooking for myself helps me feel in control because I know exactly what is going into making my meal. PLUS, thereās no better feeling than taking a bite of something you just made and exchanging happy glances with your husband because the food is good!!
Looking at drool-worthy food and
cooking websites usually does it for me!
(The Anova site is definitely included!!)
Love that! Oh, and Pinterest, along with FB and IG are definitely sites I drool over on a daily basis. I can definitely see how sous vide can help with healthier eating. @melramir
I feel ya! @Patti_Henkhaus
You can defiantly have a better quality meal and feed more people at home. For the price of a big burger meal I can have steak, potato and veggie.
