I only use asafoetida in certain dishes because it does have an incredibly pungent taste. I still remember the first time i bought it, dipped my finger in the pot and tried it neat. That was memorable for all the wrong reasons. But in things, so long as i use a little tiny bit, i find it gives a pleasant earthy taste, not unlike the effect fermented shrimp paste has in some Thai dishes.

Glad you like photos – i have a lovely little Sony Cybershot point-and-press. I try never to use a flash and sit the camera on something when I take the shot. Sometimes i use a timer to avoid camera shake. Then I also use PhotoShop to balance the light and crop the image if it needs adjusting. I try not to do this too much, but i will adjust if i need to.