I discovered today that my favorite part of cooking is this moment when I put the taste test spoon down and begin washing my knives and stowing the excess spices. There is nothing quite like that exact moment. It's when I have either finally found the flavor I was looking for or else submitted that what I have is about as good as it is going to get this time around. I look forward to the clean up because it signifies a close of the search. I am not looking for something I cannot quite put into words, something I know I will only recognize when it is right in front of me. No. Instead, I have either found it or lost it and I am packing up my tools to try again tomorrow.