I was looking for a cooking forum, and this one seemed pretty active. I'm 28 and all my life I've never cooked. My mother always cooked for me, then my wife always cooked for me. Well it's a new year and it's time for a new hobby, and a useful and tasty one at that! What really got me interested is the wide array of herbs and spices that are almost unknown in America. I want to toast and grind my own blends, so that I have full control over the flavor. I'm sure this will yield some failures early one, but I figure if I track what doesn't work and what does, I'll wind up with some great dishes. Can't wait to read through all the great info here.