>>I do enjoy cooking by the book from time to time. At the same time, there is a lot of Asian food that is made by instinct. There's nothing unique about "Asia

>>I do enjoy cooking by the book from time to time. At the same time, there is a lot of Asian food that is made by instinct. There's nothing unique about "Asian" food in this regard. You can codify anything culinary, and you will get a stable result (more or less. Some produce is better seasonally, old meat doesn't taste as good, etc but that's all cuisines). You can also cook "from the hip" and make things that fit your personal tastes.