SteveB wrote:
>
> How would you define a cook?
>
> I think it is someone who prepares food who:
>
> will try new things.
> will accept failure.
> is adventurous.
> is flexible.
> is creative.

Those are personality traits that haven't a whit to do with cooking
ability per se... those apply equally to any endeaver.

Any pinhead can follow a recipe step by step, but that's not cooking,
that's mimicry.

To be considered a cook one must be born with the innate culinary
talent the same as one is born with the innate musical talent to be a
concert pianist... no number of lessons over any period of time will
help either one iota were they not born with the innate ability.

Cooking ability is not something one can learn... in fact most of the
world's great cooks are totally illiterate, and in fact any attempt to
make them literate enough to read recipes can only interfere with and
subtract from their culinary talents.