Sort of Embarrassing Food Question Regarding Me [26F] and my mixed race boyfriend [27M] of 2 years.

OP, be very careful about those hints here as some aren't all that helpful.

First of all, there's nothing wrong with being a "salt and pepper cook". Cooking skills aren't determined by the amount of spices used and using too many will more often than not leave a result with a rather unidentifiable taste. Using less will allow you to let the actual ingredients speak for themselves. It's a different style of cooking, not a wrong one. Let your victims actually have a chance at guessing what you used! ;)

But yes, it quickly comes off as bland, especially to folks who are used to takeout or spicy homemade dishes. Took my Chinese roommate a year to get used to our food (Central European) but it really grew on her :)

That all being said, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a good collection of spices in your pantry and cook dishes outside of your cultural comfort zone if cooking is something you enjoy.

A few hints: - Largely avoid buying spice mixes. If you do, try to get the stuff designed for professional chefs. - Garlic is great, but don't put it to everything and don't use it too much. You want to add taste, not scare off vampires. Same goes with onions. - Grind pepper yourself. The difference is huge. - Keep both fresh and dried variants of herbs - Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, ground Paprika and nutmeg are very good basics that cover a lot of dishes and are good to always keep around. - Buy other spices as you need them and try to keep your collection at a reasonable size. You'll use them more likely. - Things like mustard, chocolate, coffee, beer.... add lots of taste as well and work quite similar!

And yes, asking his mother is an amazing idea!

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