HEALTHILY EATING

If I am up at this hour and it's already light outside, it is time to take medications. So, dutifully, I pop my pills. And wonder how they interact with coffee. Mornings are coffee. The birds are probably also awake this early -- one usually hears them in the morning -- but probably just staring around bleakly wondering wether the early worm is the point, or is there more to life.

There is. It's Chinese sausage and preserved meats claypot rice (臘味煲仔飯 'laap mei pou jai faan'). Which is what the two young fellows at the table next to me were having for supper. Two non-Chinese. I commend them for exploratory sensibilities. But two identical orders. Dudes, share the food and have one order something else! Experiment! Discover!

The other people there were largely accompanied by their cell-phones, which are the modern equivalent of both a newspaper and an unfriendly scowl.

As an old-fashioned dude (old enough for blood pressure meds) that's something I don't need. My social skills are still good enough that an unfriendly scowl comes naturally.

In addition to observing my fellow diners I concentrated on my own food. Each spoonful accompanied by a dollop of Sriracha. Creamy cheesy ricy seafoody goodness!

And milk tea, of course. It's essential.

One of those goofy comfort food dishes that Hong Kong does so well. Baked seafood rice (焗海鮮飯 'guk hoi sin faan') in which béchamel, fish chunks, shrimp, and squidly bits, come together with egg fried rice and cheese under a broiler. Not the most visually appealing of things, even with the addition of peas for spots of colour. But it can be very satisfying.

Probably qualifies as heart attack on a plate, like almost everything good to eat. Fine for one, but good enough for two. If there had been two of me there would have also been something else so that we could pretend to eat virtuously and healthily. By the way, Sriracha hot sauce is a vegetable, so it's beneficial. Good for the arteries. Part of a balanced diet. Yeah.

Far be it from me to enjoy fried tofu and a salad.
That's far too white Berkeleyite for me.
What's the point of that?



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