Whence came "Cooklady"?

Some people who know me in real life say that the cooklady moniker is flat and, well, boring.

I once received an “Industry Achievement Award” at a fancy banquet. When he introduced me, the organization’s president said that I was being honored because I was “nice”. He actually used that word, several times, and I immediately felt sort of patted on the head, even though he also gave me a lovely engraved crystal blob.

Over time, though, I’ve come to realize that in business, nice is not only desirable but rare. And if I turned out “nice”, in the view of the president of something, then my parents should feel like their efforts were rewarded.

That’s where the “lady” comes from. A lady, above all, is nice. (Don't be fooled: there's an edgy side there. But still, "nice".)

And as for the cook - well, I'm not, nor do I aspire to be, a chef. My culinary school education will not make me a chef. Even Julia Child didn't claim to be a chef, and she felt uncomfortable being called one. But I can cook, and I cook every day, and in culinary school, my cooking will improve. That's where the "cook" comes in.

I first used Cooklady a couple of years ago as my user name on the craigslist food forum, and I definitely didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about it -- I don’t have that witty creative mind that thinks up catchy nicknames and slogans. One of the “foodfo” regulars sent out cute little drawings s/he made, to all who requested them, and Cooklady looks good, don’t you think?