Secret Recipes

Baking is something I've always enjoyed doing, and some of my earliest memories are of helping my mother in the kitchen. I willingly helped her stir the batter and roll the cookie dough, although I harboured resentment when my clean up duties extended beyond licking the beaters clean. She really did keep us well supplied with home baked goodies - so much so that "store-bought cookies" were a novelty (my favourite were the Fudgee-Os that we got at Aunt Merlene's). There are staple recipes that Mom has been making for as long as I can remember, but some of my favourites are ones she's received comparatively recently from people who didn't believe in secret recipes.

Secret recipes are all over the place. The 11 herbs and spices that go into KFC's Original Recipe Chicken remain a mystery, and thank goodness no one knows what they put in Coca Cola. To be sure, in the realm of food retail, secret recipes are a huge asset, but they're not for me. If I've made something that another person has enjoyed, and she asks for the recipe, I have no problem in giving it to her. What's the point of not letting her enjoy it whenever or wherever she likes? Refusing to share the recipe doesn't improve the quality of the food and is of no benefit to me.

Why not share the secret?