Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth, that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning.
Emerson

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Waterloo Part Deux

Okay so this morning, like the little pompous French general I am (actually only half French, and actually taller than most everyone here- another major self esteem booster), I arrived early to school (I think it is the new bike- cuts a 10 minute ride to 5) went straight to my morning battle with the covered dish fully expecting to win, as always (even the chicken foot did go down...mostly), but alas. I was ignobly out maneuvered and outflanked by these lovely pig's feet. And Caitlin Hynes thinks med school is demanding! It wasn't enough that they were cold. It wasn't just that the odd, brown-colored sauce looked like it would be much more at home in a yellowing jar labeled "Varnish-purchased 1965".  I might even have been able to somehow push aside the rather, ahem, hairier bits and find some nice smoked ham hock to nibble on. No, the kicker was the cloyingly smell of the sweet soup, reeking of sugar and cinnamon. Thank god I was alone at the table. I didn't even manage a single bite. I almost gagged on the smell alone. I snuck a few pieces, by flicking them with the spoon you see there, to a wandering bitch whose dugs were practically dragging in the dirt. I ate my rice up (mmm plain white rice with nothing), recovered the dish (which turned up again at lunch, mercifully accompanied by several other dishes), and slid it into the kitchen. I had been revealed, at least to myself, as the poseur my critics suspected. I am not making excuses, but maybe, maybe if they had the decency to give me a shot or two of the 120 proof rice whiskey to go with it I would have gotten some down. But I doubt it. It finally met its match at the eager chops (in the eager chops?) of 4 of my ten year old female students, who, all weighed together might equal my 170 lbs. Where is the culinary equivalent of Elba anyway?

3 comments:

  1. My wife dragged me over to meet an ex-villager who is living in England, was visiting her Mom and wanted to say hello.

    We spoke English, which is a rare treat, for me.

    My wife spoke Thai with her. Part of what she shared was that I was very good about eating "everything".

    I clarified in English, which Ponra could not understand, "Yeh! I eat whatever she cooks because when I first came here we made a list of all the stuff I wouldn't eat."

    That dish looks listable for sure.

    I use primarily three excuses for turning down food, which is offered wherever I go: 1) Im leo - I ate already. 2) Can't handle a lot of sugar - my chohp wahn mak mak! 3) NO MSG - MSG my dee mak mak.

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  2. .....Try eating cadaver pieces. They make us do it in med school. They say it will make us become one with the human body.

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  3. Dang! I guess you win that round...

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