IN PRAISE OF PLEASURE

A few years ago I realized that charsiu pork and the perfect woman have a lot in common: vibrant good taste, juiciness, and infinite appeal. I may have shared that insight with some people ..... they weren't impressed. It is too staggeringly brilliant a concept to appeal to the average person.
Most normal men think only in terms of sex and beer.
Normal women have handbags and beer.
The overlap is beer.

Seeing as so many relationships seem to be beer-based, or founded on the commonality and desirability of beer, you will grasp that since the break-up back in 2010, this blogger has not been involved in any way with any one.
The dearth of non-beer-drinking women who resemble charsiu in San Francisco is shocking!

I've had beer, though. My friend the bookseller and I have a long-standing tradition of meeting each week for a quick bite after he's off work and has gotten back to North Beach, followed by a beer, followed by whiskey.
So I've had beer nearly fifty times a year.


Charsiu has been on the plate far less often than beer, seeing as my favourite roast Chinese meat is duck, followed by siu yiuk in combination with either mao gwa or taufu. It strikes me that, as charsiu is a metaphor for a healthy relationship, the least I can do is increase my intake.
In lieu of an actual relationship.

As sort of the symbolic approach to normalcy.

Charsiu, rice, soup, and tea.

Perfection!

.   .   .   .   .

Desperation too, but at least it's something.

There's also dim sum, but as a metaphor that's too much like bed-hopping.
One does not want one's snackipoos to recall flower power, pot-smoking, and indiscretions during the summer of love too much, don't you agree?
And fried noodles, well that's like a sleazy fling.
With a blonde alcoholic.



ESSENTIAL CULINARY NOTES

Charsiu: 叉燒 (barbecued pork). Roast duck: 燒鴨 ('siu ngaap').
Siu yiuk: 燒肉 (roast pork). Mao gwa: 毛瓜 (fuzzy melon); benincasa hispida, used in much the same way as summer squash, or zucchini.
Taufu: 豆腐 (bean curd).

Please note that as a meat substitute, taufu is far better than turkey, as it doesn't put you to sleep, and will acquire flavour if cooked properly.
Such as with actual meats.




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