Want to know what's really going on in our children's lives? Cook for them

Saturdays start with a morning trip to the wet market and end with a table of hungry teenagers. There's no bigger delight than that.

- Wong Jeat Shyan

“Will you be home for dinner tonight?” is a question that I ask my two teenage children every Saturday morning.

The answer is always the same: “What do you plan to cook?”

My wife and I have served up a home-cooked dinner every day since the children were in primary school. But Saturday dinners are special.

That’s because part of the ritual on Saturdays is getting up and going to the wet market that morning to see what is the catch of the day, uncommon, or available at a good price.

I’ve had random finds like mini pork belly (for Korean bossam, or boiled pork wraps), pork prime rib steak, rainbow clams and crayfish.

Dinners can be elaborate or simple. There'll be crab or lobster if there is something to celebrate. At Chinese New Year, I pull out all the stops with festive dishes including steamed chicken or fish, lotus leaf rice and abalone. If someone in the family is not feeling well, there will be a simple black chicken herbal soup.

But it all depends on what’s available at the market that day. Recently, there was a medley of fresh mushrooms, which I turned into a tasty and healthy dish of stir-fried mushrooms.

My wife and children are all there, in their usual seats. They tuck in and enjoy.

I’ve always loved cooking since I was young, even though it can be an arduous process. Cooking is a task that tests a person’s patience, belief and creativity.