FREAKY COMFORT

Today could have been better. I seem to have caught my apartment mate's cold. That is to say, the same cold that she has, but who was first infected is just guesswork. Symptoms manifest at different speeds in different people. And she does not own it, it is not her possession. Everybody can enjoy it.

As you would expect I did not have pastry and milk tea in Chinatown today after shopping. Partly because I simply wanted to get home, partly because after avoiding the old gentlemen for several weeks I have gotten out of the habit and rather enjoy not being on a crowded bus at rush hour after long dawdling. So no tea time à l'anglaise, as if it were Hong Kong in the nineteen thirties.


Ginger milk tea at home, with a serving of Panda Pudding Cake.
The latter is a product Hello Kitty would love.
Despite which it's rather good.


As I usually do I bought some fresh stuff for the Indonesian Chinese woman downstairs, which is a way of regularly ascertaining that everything is all right with her, making sure she has something good to eat, and checking to see if she's still alive and kicking.
Without being pushy or getting too involved.

Hari ini, beberapa mangga hidjau segar.

The place where I bought them also has a fresh meat counter with some absolutely lovely pork belly (腩肉 'naam yiuk'), which is more and more tempting me every time I'm there. It winks at me, and whispers 'come here big boy, you know you want it'.
Once I start hearing it call my name I will give in.

Hot-gilded on the skin side, briefly cooked all around, then slow-simmered with a garlic clove or two, ginger, dash of soy and a splash of sherry or rice wine (紹興酒 'siu hing jau').
Then chunked green mango and spicy pickled mustard root added.
That latter (榨菜 'jaa choi') is widely available.
Serve with rice and pleny of sambal.


Think of it as Dutch-Indo-Southern Chinese comfort food.



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