I can't vote on the poll due to missing options. I learnt to cook mostly by myself. Well, I'm still learning. When I was in junior high, I was considered by my parents old enough to be left home alone. Firstly, I just went to the nearest (in distance and relationship) neighborhood and ate with their family. And then I started to think to cook of my own. I just boiled water and put everything I can think of from the kitchen set to create my first soup. I cookup up rice, and fried scramble egg. They were good enough for my taste, but I can't guarantee anything for anybody else ;-)

My favourite cook is fried rice, and everytime I fry rice, it's never the same. I always come up with a little different in the detail of receipe. Wondering myself where I'm heading to with my cooking skill, well, if it's considered a skill :-)

Nice poll, though. Thanks for bringing this up.