1 . I started cooking when I was thirteen. Both of my parents worked, so I was usually _______ after school. One day, my parents forgot to _______ dinner before they went to work. As we were short of money, eating out was beyond _______. So I decided to be the _______ of the day.

A few moments later, I _______ to cook fried rice, the best option out of _______ resources, including my cooking knowledge. After _______ a pan on the stove and turning on the heat, it soon began to sizzle. I was so hungry that I _______ and threw everything into the pan all together. In went rice, pieces of meat and vegetables. Little did I know that the _______ of ingredients (原料) was crucial in cooking. I ________ waited for the meat to be thoroughly cooked, but other ingredients were ________. At first, I mistook it as steam from cooking, but I soon ________ something went horribly wrong when smoke ________ to fill the kitchen.

Later that day, my mother told me, “You cannot rush yourself when cooking.” Rather, I should take steps, turning to the basics, such as learning about the ingredients and ________ the recipe.

I’ve learned that the first ________ seems hard but we should just start and let the journey teach us.

2 . I’m now the cook and owner of a restaurant. Nothing in my early years led me to _______ my life would connect to food and cooking deeply. My family did eat together often: we had a _______ that my grandmother cooked the weekly big meal on weekends, but food was hardly the _______ of my family’s story. After I entered college. I was still _______ about what I wanted to do. I was “supposed” to _______ my family, getting a degree in medicine at graduate school or something similar.

When accepting the job assisting cooks after finishing college, I just _______ to pay my rent. That didn’t _______ any big life plans. However, as I worked longer, the food world showed me amazing _______.

Too little salt, and a dish is _______ to be “tastelss”. A bit lemon juice helps prevent cut apples and peaches from turning brown and ________ their appealing colors. The lesson that small things matter reminds me to never ________ tiny stuff in all parts of life.

Also, working with food teaches me to really taste, smell and touch. I learn to observe my ________, watching ways birds land, the growth of trees along roads… and ________ wonders in everyday life. ________, I head down my own path, which is ________ from going to medical school as my parents did, but gives my life purpose and direction.

7 . Tim Ma’s parents came to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970s. They opened a _______. It was not a success. They found success in America, _______, in computers and engineering. Because of their own _______, Ma’s parents hoped he would study to become an engineer.

Growing up, Ma considered many _______—writer, fireman, even president. But he had a sense early on. He didn’t want to be a(n) _______.

His _______ could not understand why he just wanted to open a restaurant. They had worked long hours on their own restaurant, still _______. But Ma remained _______. He was going to do things differently than them. He was able to learn from their one major _______ as restaurant owners—they knew very little about the art of cooking. Their chef (厨师) ________ and opened a Chinese restaurant across the street which really put them in a bad ________.

So, at age 30, Ma returned to school—one cooking school. He received training in ________ cooking. In 2009, Ma opened his first restaurant, which ________ excellent cuisine.

At Maple Avenue, Ma worked long hours, seven days a week. His hard work ________. Ma opened his fourth restaurant last year. He ________ his training in French cooking with his Chinese heritage (传承) to create new dishes.

8 . What are the foods that you can only taste in memories? Your mother's biscuits? The pies you made as a child? And what are the recipes that help you _________your memories?

This morning, for the first time in over a year, made Dutch Babies, a kind of pancake. I'm a poor cook who's always _________ to pull anything out of the oven that isn't burnt. But _______, I get lucky.

Making Dutch Babies brings to my mind some of the _________ memories of my life. I've made Dutch Babies many times for sleepovers and _________. They were always a hit, _________ burned them.

After my kids grew up, I didn't cook much for years, except for holidays or other_________ occasions. When we had a family _________, I'd make Dutch Babies for breakfast.

I can't recall the last time I made Dutch Babies, before today. I know it was _________ a year, before life was ____________ for COVID-19, and we stopped having guests.

So why did I make them this____________ for only my husband and me? It's been a(n)____________ year for all of us, filled with things we couldn't do. I was ____________ to celebrate being alive.

Good food can feed a hungry crowd. But if it's made with love and ____________, it can fill a(n)____________ with the hope of better days to come. So, add your own memories.

9 . Food has always been one of the greatest wants of humankind. The search for food is the_______human behavior. Thus，_______food were easier to get and prepare，it would be really helpful for humankind. It would reduce a great burden (负担). The development of processed foods (加工食品) has made food easier to get and prepare. _______every coin has two sides. Apart from its advantages，the_______of cooking also has its disadvantages.

Though processed foods seem like a great way to save_______，they offer much less nutritional (营养的) value than traditional foods. People today are so busy that they are not able to spend enough time preparing their food. As a result，many people_______to eat processed foods，ready­to­cook meals and various fast foods. But what will_______if one eats such food all year round? It will damage your health. The nutritional value of the food is not so high. Worse still，research shows that preservatives (防腐剂) used in these foods are_______to children. That's why health experts warn people not to eat too much of such_______food.

Besides，since people spend little time preparing food，the culture of cooking is slowly ________. Cooking is not done just to satisfy hunger；it is also a(n)________form of art. Across the world，there are thousands of ________cooking styles. If young people are used to processed foods，few of them will develop great cooking________. And when they become parents，it will be hard for their children to enjoy a(n)________home­cooked meal. What's more，cooking is a great time for families to connect. There is a lot of________when family members are preparing food together.

In a word，I believe though processed food has made the preparation of food much easier，it has not been a good step for humankind.

10 . Most people get rid of their leftover foods，but in Nigerian-born visual artist Haneefah Adam’s kitchen，they’re put to good use.

Adam，28，is famous for _______ food in creative ways，using it to make portraits and other works of art. She has _______ been artistic. Her mother said she had a _______ for art. Now，she’s building a career out of changing food into art. “I do _______ portraits and also often sew and paint，but what _______ me the most is food art，”she says. Adam is inspired by _______ things，including life experiences and culture. She _______ everything around her as something that can be made into art.

In 2016，she_______ the TechMeetsArtNG exhibition，which was _______ and funded by Samsung Nigeria and Rele Gallery. ________ the competition，my art was mostly random，and I was just recording food art on social media. But after winning，I started to think about ________making a living from food art，”she says.

Winning the competition kick-started Adam’s ________ and her full-time job is now________art for food brands such as Maggi and Dangote Salt. “I want to ________ in more exhibitions. I currently live in Kwara，northern Nigeria；it is difficult to ________in the country’s art scene from here，”she says.