While I was doing research for my PhD in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Law, baking and cooking became compulsive

“While I was doing research for my PhD in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Law, baking and cooking became compulsive during the hard times. To balance the stress, I would cook every evening, even if there wasn’t anybody to eat it. I would give the food away to friends and family, and they could measure my stress levels based on the amount. At breaking point, intricate desserts were the order of the day! While I was studying hard, without realising it, I became a better cook too. The turning point was when I went on a research trip to Palestine. In a taxi, minutes after leaving Ben Gurion airport, we came upon Israeli soldiers executing a man at the side of the road. We spent the next two weeks visiting refugee camps and settlements, which was a real eye opener for me. I became disillusioned with law and lost a lot of faith in what I was studying being there. I came back and had to write about it and felt it was somewhat futile because International Law, or Law in general, didn’t actually apply there – it definitely made me rethink my plans. By then I was sure I didn’t want to be a law lecturer. Around the same time there was a job opening in TheTaste.ie. I was already following them religiously with my ‘after study cooking’ so I thought I would give it a try. Every time I meet people who find out I have a PhD and ask what I do, they’re always surprised when I say, ‘I’m a food journalist and I get to cook a lot’. I’m most proud of myself for being able to take a leap of faith and change my career. Working with TheTaste has taught me to be a do-er rather than an observer and I’m starting to care less about what people think about my choice. Maybe one day I will get back to Law, who knows, but at the moment I feel lucky to be able to say that I’m doing something that makes me happy.”