There is a certain art to cooking. One adage I heard constantly in my youth was from my father. "It doesn't matter how it looks, as long as it tastes good'. While there is some truth to that, I realized very quickly that I completely disagreed with that philosophy. To me, cooking is a mix of two arts. The art of flavor crafting, and the art of aesthetics. Though I have absolutely no training in either field (barring what my mother taught me years ago), I am a perfectionist in both fields, and demand that everything I cook both tastes great, and looks like it came out of a fine restaurant. If it doesn't meet those standards, I count it as a failure and a learning experience. I am extremely critical of myself in everything I do, and it always shows.
You may notice I don't give exact ingredient amounts most of the time. Cooking is a delicate art and the taste of each dish has to be catered to the person you're serving it you. Personally I like certain dishes extremely spicy. I really don't taste spice unless there is a LOT of it, so if you used as much spice as I do, you would probably end up throwing up the dish due to the flavor being off. Always cater your food the way YOU like it.
Another thing to remember is the little differences in the appearance of a dish can make a huge difference to how a person perceives it. A little thing, like a garnish, can really bring out the beauty in your dish. The little things, though however small, can really make a difference.
