ABOUT THIS COOK:

Art teacher by day - emerging eco handbag designer by night and blogging diarist (www.barefootinherkitchen.com) by morning and weekend......where do I find the time to cook? I definitely love to eat, although I don't have the blessed metabolism to eat the massive quantities of certain foods that I often crave(like chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, good grainy raisin nut bread, pumpkin ravioli with mushroom cream sauce, nutella). I also love to cook, but I have to admit that I am most drawn to the sheer joy of playing with food, mixing random ingredients together, creating new dishes based purely on making something pretty and abandoning all (well most) logic of recipes. My husband and I are occasional fish/seafood eaters but our diet is 97% vegetarian and I prefer eating mostly raw/living foods. (He can down cheese, pasta, bread, beer, potatoes no problem - my digestive system is a bit more sensitive). Despite the lack of food diversity in our great expat-nation, Japan's culinary culture is family and tapas-style friendly, so my feasts may be small or large but often with many savory treats to sample.

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  whale in Japan - ick...and wrong

• What do you cook when home alone?
  sauted veggies with brown rice, peanut butter or tahini and spicy chili sauce...or when I'm being good, raw peanut butter

• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  my Braun blender with groovy attachments

• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  at my house, 8 but at someone else's 10-12