A Day of Lessons

I have a vivid memory from childhood. My family and I were visiting my grandmother's sister, Aunt Sug. We were all sitting in the main room of their farmhouse when Aunt Sug said, "Well, I guess I should get dinner started." With that, she walked out into the yard, grabbed a chicken, spun it around her head and came inside to start plucking. To say I was freaked out by the whole thing would be the understatement of the century. 

Tonight was almost a walk down memory lane - almost.

I asked Cheryl to teach me how to make laksa, a spicy coconut, curry noodle dish native to Singapore with origins in Malaysia. I once heard it described as the national dish of Singapore. Yes, she makes it from a kit, but she has some added tricks that they don't tell you on the kit instructions. Ah ha! 

The problem is the grocery store around the corner closed for renovations this morning. I went in yesterday for supplies which was a very strange experience. Almost every single case was empty. I kept feeling like there'd been a natural disaster and all the food had been looted - that's how odd it seemed.

So Cheryl had to go to another grocery store. Naturally because the one so close to us is closed, the other one is running low on things. She had to buy a whole chicken as there were no chicken breasts. Whole chickens at home arean't really whole, now are they? This chicken had the feet, the head and the INCREDIBLY long neck tucked up underneath. I was a bit surprised to see it all unfolded. Okay - not surprised. Repulsed is a better word.

Expertly, she disected the thing, something she was raised doing. Me? I sat kind of curled up in horror in the corner feeling like my vegetarian days might be headed back for good. She also showed me how to devein a shrimp with the shell on, something I didn't even know was possible. The beauty is that the shrimp cooks in the shell which makes it sweeter and, when you serve it, the shrimp looks much nicer. 

Oh yes, Cheryl showed me all sorts of secrets. How mad I am at myself for not taking a lesson every night she cooked!?

Tonight's meal fit in perfectly with my new mission. I've decided that I will have no more Western food before I get back. I figure I'm about to embark on the most serious diet of my life when I get back so what's a couple of more pounds, right? I want to be in the best shape of my life by my birthday 2013 so this is the time for me to squander my health one last time. Truth is, I've always thought eating is an adventure all it's own. When I was struggling to put two dimes together, I used to take "coffee table vacations." I'd get a bunch of brochures (now I'd use the Internet) and read all about some exotic spot while eating food from there.

All to say that for lunch, I had Indian food, damn hot Indian food. My lips were still on fire 20 minutes after I ate.

I spent the morning running errands - things like buying another big suitcase and taking one of the two shirts I had made for Tom's birthday back to the tailor to "funk" it up. I liked it and it fits beautifully, but I wanted it to be a little cooler. It's a going-out-at-night shirt.

The afternoon was spent at the American Club with yet another learning game of Mahjong. I really do like that game! It's quite social and challenging. I like games with strategy that take a lot of brain power. Yup, it would take a LONG time to get really good. I once did a ridiculous story about the International Rock, Paper, Scissors championships in Canada - one of two international stories I did. Ha! The oddball we followed said something about RPS that really fits mahjong, "To the beginner, the moves are few. To the master, the moves are many."

Speaking of moves, these are our last few days here. More on that as this bittersweet week goes by...