FOOD THAT LEADS TO QUESTIONS

If you are East Asian or Guamanian, you naturally prefer your luncheon meat ('Spam®') with a mound of rice and a fried egg or two. Or, for Hong Kong people, in a bowl of instant ramen, add one or two spears of yauchoi or some bokchoi. Classic. Could be lunch, could be a late night snack in front of the teevee. Or possibly eaten on the fire escape or out in the concrete paved courtyard of your auntie's house in a densely built-up village in the New Territories near Gin Drinkers line. Perhaps your uncle's old house just off Route Twisk.

Late at night. The heat has gone down ten degrees or so, so it's mid seventies instead of mid to high eighties. Later in the year that corrugated overhang will be useful, it will shield you from rain while you eat.

You are wearing flip-flops, pajama pants, and an A-shirt.


Uncle Tung hollers from across the fence "wai, Pok Jai, yau mow yin aaaaah?" He's run out of smokes, and the nearest store is a mile down. You wave a cigarette over the top edge and a ghost hand takes it. It's imperceptable, yet you sense the flame, the deep inhale, and the radiant satisfaction from the other side.

Life stays good.

CRYPTOTYMPANA AQUILA

蟬 ['sim'] Cicadas

Sometimes people sweep their outside areas obsessively. Poisonous creepy crawlies, large centipedes, giant spiders. Sometimes there are harmless creatures, that may simply be observing you. Yes, big eyes, but not glowing malevolently. They're just curious.


Caucasians of the North American type have entirely different ideas about food and luncheon meat. Here's a recipe recommended one time by Family Circle that in any climate would clog your arteries, but in the sub-tropics might lead to gout, acid indigestion, acid reflux, perhaps apoplexy, and definitely a prolonged spell of existential angst.
Did you make the right decisions in life?

It looks like a delicious heart-stopping overload. Surely that's a serving for a dozen people?
It sounds great, should I cook this? Will my doctor want to talk to me afterwards?

It would probably go great with sambal.



Cautionary note from the internet: Vincent Price was a trained chef. Don't try this at home.



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