I feel enviroment will play a vital role in what and how you cook, growing up in white bread rural NJ I never had much in the way of influence other than my moms cooking. She would deep fry the crap out of anything and be afraid to use seasoning, especially salt (talk about a narrow repertoire). It took working crappy restaurant jobs through college to see what else was out there. It was these jobs that eventually gave me a love of food and cooking, and ultimately led me to culinary school once I got out of college. Going to school in NYC was a great experience and influence for me. However, I still find myself concentrating my cooking strictly on what I learned at school and not broading my culinary horizons to influences and techniques (I think still living in white bread NJ keeps me in that culinary rut). Who you hang out with also has a big part, I am not currently cooking in a restaurant anymore so I don't hang out with anyone who has a love of cooking, which really sucks. I cook for my friends from college who like what I make but I know they would be just as happy with burgers and dogs.
