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Welcome ...

to

i-cook-stuff*   & yes, it's mostly *mediterranean, 

all about experimenting, understanding, demystifying, explaining, preparing and sometimes inventing mostly «mediterranean» recipes with worldly influences and continental reinterpretations with tips & tricks and lots of dumb stories too  . . .

*the countries with coasts on the Mediterranean Sea are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Palestine, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and some British overseas territories (but I like to include Portugal too) and I think about our friends & neighbors in Europe and beyond …

I'm George or G-TSAK (which is easier to remember than Georgios Tsaklidis) and I cook stuff so that you can cook stuff too.

I was born to Greek parents who love to cook and eat and pretty much make almost everything from “scratch”... (and the picture above is me at 7 years old, wearing the suit and shirt & tie that my mom made for me).

Growing up in Montreal, with a lot of time being spent in between Greece and Canada, I pursued degrees in interior design and electrical engineering and then moved to Ottawa for a final degree in industrial design (which I felt combined the aspects of the first two).

Mid-degree, I was pushed to go to Paris for a short student exchange that turned into a full year scholarship and also won my first design award (I love this city) … The first few years, there was a lot of going back & forth from France and Canada and the U.S., but I live in Paris now. And yes, it’s really nice having 3 passports !

After several years of design work,, headhunters whisked me away to collaborate with the french institutions ... So yes, I do have a day job, just like you. I'm just curious by nature, which is why I experiment while preparing and sharing these dishes with you. Sometimes they’re quick & easy, sometimes not, but there’s usually alot of «breaks» you can take in between the steps, (just in case you need time to recover or to do other stuff) …

I spend half of my time in a suit & tie with a briefcase and the other half in pyjamas (yes, people do still wear them) experimenting in my teeny-tiny kitchen, most often covered in flour and other splatters & stains … Yes, I can be “messy”.

Being a do-it-yourselfer by nature and definitely needing a new creative outlet, the icookstuff blog/website was launched just over 7 years ago in March 2016, upon the suggestions of loved ones, who also share a passion for cooking and food, and of course my dear friend’s encouragement and support, who also happened to be a web-developer & designer and who helped me create this website from scratch. Yeah, it’s a lot of work !

But did the world need another “food blogger” ? NO ! Did people need to get back in touch with cooking and everything homemade ? YES ! You should “know what you eat” or at least have a clearer idea of what you’re eating and/or drinking and putting inside that body, not to mention the possible "savings".

The blog isn’t only about cooking stuff. It’s about experimenting with food & techniques, trying to eat in a more "wholesome" & “conscious” manner and using everything you can, and wasting even less. You’d be surprised that what we often discard is still quite "usable" as an ingredient.

Am I obsessed with my blog ? YES and NO. I don’t cook FOR the blog. The blog is MY COOKBOOK and represents a personal need to better understand and demystify food and to especially put some order in my recipe “scribblings”. I try to document all my experiments & trials with photographs (nope, no studio nor special lighting … just a regular camera, a tripod, daylight and wooden boards).

Often, forgotten trial recipe scribblings and weighing absolutely everything before & after (including the remains) and taking photos to accompany all of this, can help to literally “jog” your memory when you reattempt or retest a recipe (even months later) or even lead to something totally unexpected & new, so give it a try .

So, as you've understood by now, "I'm no chef" and I don't work in a restaurant and I respectfully tip my hat to those who are and who do, “I just COOK STUFF so that you can cook stuff too” … 

Anyways, I hope that the blog will please you and that you'll experience as much pleasure scrolling through it, as I do putting it all together. To be honest, you know what really takes alot of time ? Translating the blog into both French & English, but I'm going to try to keeep that up ... "the more the merrier", right ?!

I like challenges and trying out new stuff so please continue sending me your comments, ideas & suggestions ... The idea behind this blog isn't about me showing you what I can do, but rather about exchanging ideas and good tips and encouraging us, both you & me, to try out some old & new stuff & tricks.

See you soon ! BYE

p.s.: I really LOVE exclamation points and question marks and dot-dot-dots . . . did you notice ?!

GT

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