I am 15 days away from surgery. I am excited but also nervous. I love cooking and baking. I like to experiment with all kinds of food and just like reading cook books. Are there any budding chefs out there that still enjoy cooking even though you can't eat it anymore? I know some people have said that their tastes change after surgery, does that always happen. I cook low fat recipes now also so I guess I'll just be able to stick to that once I am back on solid foods. How do you handle being in the kitchen?

I'm a professional chef by training. I took off 6 months to get this surgery out of the way and take care of some other things. I always used a spoon to taste, and still do for the most part. When I never ate a lot when cooking on the line, but boy did I eat once I got home. I am going back to work this year (got to find a job soon). But I will have a box of tasting spoons available to check out the dishes. I don't see the job being the problem, its the time I'm not at work, that I need to be aware of.

I have always loved to cook and haven't had any problem cooking for others, they (friends and family) tease me when I get my small plate of food. My surgery was 10/08 and I cooked thanksgiving dinner for family and friends and as always everyone enjoyed everything I made. I still cook spicy food, but have to somewhat limit the heat because I can't wash the heat away with a beverage any longer. What I do now is prepare for family and friends and prepare my meals seperately much healthier.

I love watching cooking shows and competitons and I love to cook, it doesnt bother me not to eat it.

My tastes have not changed at all. Sometimes when a person can not tolerate a certain food after surgery, their taste for it returns later.