LITTLE INEDIBLE BITS

The back airwell stairs which lead to to the garbage bins are enclosed, but there are open windows to let in breezes and light. Like many men who have access to such an architectural feature who are smokers, I have placed a little tin on the upper steps to function as an ashtray, when my non-smoking Cantonese American female apartment mate is, exceptionally, at home during my days off.

[Clarification: She's a very nice person, but there is nothing going on between us. We get along culinarily, and we have a bunch of small creatures. Because she is on the spectrum, she speaks, often, by voicing for them. They disapprove of many of my habits. Such as smoking. Bad stinky white man!]

Yesterday -- one of my off days -- she stayed at home. Normally when she leaves for her work in the morning I firmly shut her bedroom door, open a few windows, and head into the teevee room to read and light up. Which of course was out of the question, even though she spent a lot of time in her quarters dozing with several of the small creatures.

So at one point I headed into the back stairwell. And discovered little bits of moth near my empty tin. Wings and antennae. Plus a leg. I think what must have happened is that a nocturnal insect was sleeping there, and a bird happily discovered breakfast.

Not my chosen snack. I don't want anyone to get the wrong ideas.
Yes, ripping apart helpless animal protein is very masculine.
But that wasn't me. Too much fuzz and crunchy.


My apartment mate does not share my affection for certain foods, but she does occasionally use some of the bawang goreng (crispy fried shallot bits) and bottled fish sauce I've stocked. Sometimes a little sambal -- a typical Dutch American male will have a sufficiency of that, you can be sure -- and, very rarely, preserved streaky pork (臘肉 'lap yiuk').
Seldom if ever salt fish (鹹魚 'haahm yü').

I am sure, quite sure, that she wasn't snarfing down moths in the stairwell.
Despite her voracious ("bird like") appetite.



NOTE: the proper larder should have several or all of the following: salt fish (鹹魚 'haahm yü'), dried shrimp (蝦米 'haai mai'), dried scallops (乾貝、江瑤柱 'gon pui', 'gong yiu chyu'), dried oysters (蠔豉 'hou si'). Plus chilipaste or sambal ulek (辣椒醬 'laat chiu jeung'), oyster sauce (蠔油 'hou yau'), soy sauce (醬油 'jeung yau'; 豉油 'si yau'), shrimp paste (鹹蝦醬 'haam haa jeung'), sesame oil (麻油 'maa yau'), and Chinese sausage (臘腸 'laap cheung').

Plus pickled mustard root (榨菜 'jaa choi'), dried pine mushrooms (冬菇 'dong gu'), and salted plum vegetable (梅菜 'mui choi'). And a block of trassi (belatjan kering).

Tins of sardines, anchovies, and fried dace with dausi for a rainy day would not be amiss.


All of this in addition to the marmalade, jam, and Balkan mixtures or fine Virginia flakes.
Plus a bottle of siu hing (紹興) rice wine or decent cooking sherry.
As well as a sufficiency of coffee and tea.




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