NO BAD HABITS TO SPEAK OF

My ex is depressed and obsessed. She broke up with old whatsisbucket (again) around Christmas, and misses the dumbass.
Yet she admits that the relationship was queer as hell.
Wisely, I am keeping my mouth shut.
The bloke is "likable".
Sort of.


And, seeing as my role, as I see it, is to provide calmness and stability in the operatic life of a woman who is still my apartment mate, whom I appreciate as a good close friend of many years standing, it probably behooves me to not get too involved in her emotional turmoil.
Probably best for me too.
Aside from which, there is the entertainment value to consider. She expresses herself well -- eloquently and with vigour -- although at times by voicing the personalities of the stuffed creatures in both our rooms.
It's a way of reflecting the extremes.


I am, if anything, an opportunist.

She doesn't understand that my peculiarities are, in fact, not acceptable in the modern world.


The other evening she asked me what I was doing with an old dead fish (鹹魚 'haahm yü'; a dried croaker). And, she inquired with great curiosity, would the result be food?

Why indeed yes. This is a fermented dried fish, which when softened and cut, then steamed with chunked fatty pork (which was first seethed in oil for colour and flavour), ginger, garlic, sherry, a pinch of sugar, and a thin-sliced green chili, will be absolutely scrumptious!
And great with rice!


A woman who finds this both understandable and fascinating is rare indeed. Many of the people I know would be repulsed, and vocalize insultingly about meat, dried fish, strong flavours, allergies, and my politically incorrect dining habits.

Then they would harangue me, on a near-daily basis, about cultural appropriation, the marvelous benefits of marijuana or soy-free tofu, sustainable farming, third-world spirituality, broccoli, and yoga.
Besides bitching and belly-aching about most of my genuine bad habits: tobacco, grumbling, snarling at young idiots on the bus, acrylics and woodworking in the kitchen or the teevee room, book acquisition disorder, stinking up the house by cooking.....
And finish by sneering at the Dutch.
Or other "other" cultures.

One further factor deserves full mention: she has an attention to both detail and her responsibilities to the other people in her life which is extraordinary.

Not many people in this world have that.

She just doesn't have a boyfriend.

Which is stressing her out.

Not me, though.

I'm fine.




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