This Brat's Journey to Domestication
Reading EmmaGoodEgg's post I'm confronted once again by my own shortcomings. Like most families in Brunei we too had some form of domestic help. This, I blame, for my talents in the kitchen. I say talents because quite frankly I don't think many people can spend hours in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove preparing some pollo pomodoro or other running back and forth between the sink, recepie book and fridge deepening that circular tread in the floor like a dyslexic trying to create a twister and come out at the end with ayam masak merah (*thanks kiddo!). Ask my family.
When I was little Kaka used to do the cooking and cleaning. Meals were always prepared on time and everything worked like clockwork in the household. She single-handedly saw that I was ready for school, made sure I had a packed lunch - and not this string cheese and crisps business! A proper square meal was always ready for me, Prepared an afternoon snack for when we were all coming home, dinner, kept the house spic and span while she was doing it as well as find the time to listen to my ramblings and persuade me to take an afternoon nap.
Being able to do this with ease is, as they say, a full-time job. A few months before leaving for the survival game that is going to University I (or rather my concerned Mum) enrolled me on a cooking class. Held at the local school a couple of Mum's friend's and I laboured over Kek Lapis (Layer Cake), Kari Daging (Beef Curry) and old faithful - Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken in tomato sauce). Concerned more for the cleanliness of our surroundings and lack of light in this dingy kitchen - I left little better than when I came.
Faced with un-catered halls and the desire to spend as little on food as possible as clothes were a much more permanent solution to my homesickness, I tried my little uncallused hands in the kitchen. Though, it didn't start until after my first six months away where I ate nothing but chocolate bars and microwave meals. A diet I firmly believe in as I lost a phenomenal amount of weight. But that's beside the point. Eventually I plucked up the courage and unpacked my single saucepan and asked my flatmate how I should tackle this packet of quickcook pasta.
Numerous failed attempts later and enough bowls of (bad) pasta and pesto to feed the entire block divvied up, I finally managed to throw in a few spag bols and tuna sweetcorns. I was getting somewhere.
These days I'm a little more adventurous, though still not all that much better. However, I'm not against taking up the position of sous chef as I still can make a mean pavlova. Thankfully Kyle is a far better cook than me and makes sure I have my square meals- as opposed to having pavlova shaped ones.
I did however, learn one thing from those Sunday mornings at the Cookery for Aunties Club. How to CLEAN! Granted I don't use that particular gift as much as I should, it makes me feel that at least I'm not an entirely lost cause. And since my talents in the kitchen don't extend to being able to use one bowl and one spoon at least I get the ones I do use squeaky clean by the end of the day! xxw
When I was little Kaka used to do the cooking and cleaning. Meals were always prepared on time and everything worked like clockwork in the household. She single-handedly saw that I was ready for school, made sure I had a packed lunch - and not this string cheese and crisps business! A proper square meal was always ready for me, Prepared an afternoon snack for when we were all coming home, dinner, kept the house spic and span while she was doing it as well as find the time to listen to my ramblings and persuade me to take an afternoon nap.
Being able to do this with ease is, as they say, a full-time job. A few months before leaving for the survival game that is going to University I (or rather my concerned Mum) enrolled me on a cooking class. Held at the local school a couple of Mum's friend's and I laboured over Kek Lapis (Layer Cake), Kari Daging (Beef Curry) and old faithful - Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken in tomato sauce). Concerned more for the cleanliness of our surroundings and lack of light in this dingy kitchen - I left little better than when I came.
Faced with un-catered halls and the desire to spend as little on food as possible as clothes were a much more permanent solution to my homesickness, I tried my little uncallused hands in the kitchen. Though, it didn't start until after my first six months away where I ate nothing but chocolate bars and microwave meals. A diet I firmly believe in as I lost a phenomenal amount of weight. But that's beside the point. Eventually I plucked up the courage and unpacked my single saucepan and asked my flatmate how I should tackle this packet of quickcook pasta.
Numerous failed attempts later and enough bowls of (bad) pasta and pesto to feed the entire block divvied up, I finally managed to throw in a few spag bols and tuna sweetcorns. I was getting somewhere.
These days I'm a little more adventurous, though still not all that much better. However, I'm not against taking up the position of sous chef as I still can make a mean pavlova. Thankfully Kyle is a far better cook than me and makes sure I have my square meals- as opposed to having pavlova shaped ones.
I did however, learn one thing from those Sunday mornings at the Cookery for Aunties Club. How to CLEAN! Granted I don't use that particular gift as much as I should, it makes me feel that at least I'm not an entirely lost cause. And since my talents in the kitchen don't extend to being able to use one bowl and one spoon at least I get the ones I do use squeaky clean by the end of the day! xxw
posted by Widarchitect at 12:27 am
1 Comments:
Omg babe! the corned beef thing is another story altogether! I'll post that one up later...
So the microwave meal thing- Veg lasagna (and lots of it), breaded fishcakes-plain and on their own, carrots- raw, more veg and chocolates on the side. Sounds gross? I know. What I failed to mention in the post was this:
I ventured into the Halal butchers in my second week and was so horrified at how they handled the meat - in an old shopping trolly I saw chicken/beef/lamb entrails, dried blood etc etc, an image I try to forget- that I stopped eating (all) meat for ages.
SO yes, I had all those cheesy veg lasagnas and carbonaras and crappy microwave food and lost loads of weight. But it was probably down to the fact that I wasn't eating enough protein so my body was using up muscle and fat reserves- of which I have plenty! :) teamed with twice a week basketball training with the University team (which were fuelled probably on chocolate/sugar high alone).
Alternatively when I was in Singapore and ate out everyday (cheap food? expensive supermarket? easy choice) I put all the weight back on and then some. Can't win!
Now I can't touch the stuff (microwave meals) cos we all know just whats in them - cardboard! (or something that tastes the same) so don't try it! It's not worth it.. but hey - not eating chocolate is half the battle conquered, yes? xxw
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