Rice to the Occasion by Chef Tatung Sarthou, “Learning to cook was one of my fondest memories as a young boy. Cooking was not only fun, but also an engaging activity that taught me how to work with my hands, and become methodical and intuitive at the same time. It taught me to follow directions and repeat what I was instructed to do. But it also developed creativity; the more I cooked, the more I understood the fundamentals, and the freer I felt to cook without recipes. “I write this book to share Read more the wonderful gift I received from learning to cook. It is empowering, and makes children realize that they can do things with their hands to transform ingredients into something delicious and beautiful that can be shared with people they love. “By allowing children to succeed in cooking, you not only develop joy, pride, and confidence in their work, but you also teach them another valuable lesson, which is humility—to not be attached to either success or failure, as nothing is permanent. Cooking teaches that best, because food, no matter how perfectly made, perishes as soon as the dish is eaten or discarded. It teaches children to start over, aim for perfection every time, and develop their instincts by doing things correctly or wrongly, without judgement on their person...“More important, this cooking—more specifically, the recipes found in this book—allows children to immerse in the heritage of their family and community and develop values attuned to our culture, which is essential to self–identity and connectedness to their roots. This will foster not just a sense of independence, but also a sense of community.”— Chef Tatung Sarthou.