Chinese rice bowls

Kung pao prawns last night! Recipe is up here at last. We've been serving chinese leftovers as part of a "rice bowl" (chinese equivalent of a bento box) - big bowl with fried rice, topped with a leftover dish and a side veg. The Boy got these pretty large chinese bowls from Target (which I call "tar-J" as a joke) too, which have proved very useful for our impromptu "rice bowls". I love them! The boy also takes a portable bento box to work for his afternoon snack, which he enjoys and I think our mums would approve of our leftovers maximization project.

In Texas

My apologies for being AWOL for so long. I've now completed The Big Move and my stuff - all 10 years' worth - is awaiting in storage in the UK for shipment to the USA. As you would have guessed, I've also completed The Thesis - all 5 years' worth. phew. It is now awaiting the go ahead from my advisor when he gets back from his summer vacation. Have now arrived in Houston, TX and am preparing to start on The Wedding and other fun stuff (like setting up wireless broadband - am currently "borrowing" my neighbour's to post this).

Am jetlagged, but have managed to do some cooking meanwhile. Found a fantastic Korean grocery store in Blalock, off the 610 loop (NW). haha. Looks like I'm finding my way around Houston. We did a mega food shop over the weekend - lots of leafy green vegetables and The Boy was especially thrilled to find a punnet of Driscoll strawberries for 99 cents! He also bought a rice cooker - hurrah! Will slowly check out the food scene here and report more. Already, am armed with a list of Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants to try out.

Sweet and sour pork is on the menu tonight - have posted the recipe here at last!

Asian mothers and the doomsday mentality

Asian mothers have a doomsday mentality. From the time of your birth till the day that you die, there is an ever dark cloud hovering over you:

'If you don't eat up all your rice, har, your future husband will have pockmarks all over his face.'

'If you don't study hard, you will have no future.'

'If you don't lose weight, you will never find a husband.'

'If you don't it now, you will never do it. Something will happen.'

'If you don't...'

And there is an excitement of feelings - part glee that they were right afterall, part sadness on your behalf - when their doomsday predictions come true:

'See? See? I told you that would happen.'

The irony is, they really love you. This is their language of love.

The Thesis...

You can't see it, but I'm actually grinning like a brain-dead banshee.