Marketing & Cooking Expedition

Since I was young, I have made up my mind neither to enter the kitchen nor wash my own clothes. As time past by, I can see myself having fun cooking in the kitchen. I started cooking my own Maggi noodles using the microwave oven when I was 19. I tried frying bulls-eye eggs the next year but never succeeded in doing so. Suddenly I was cooking like a professional at the age of 21... went to market on my own in the middle of the year... how strange.

Having bad communication skill in the 'Hokkien' dialect proved to be a disadvantage. There were a few times I didn't know how to say what I wanted to buy. I hate eating vegetables but my mom wanted me to cook at least a dish of vege everyday. So here goes the 'malu' case. The vege auntie asked me whether I want to buy 'ang chai tau' to cook soup. I was staring and searching for 'ang' vege but I only found red chillies. So I was thinking to myself why would I need red chillies for my soup... yucks@! Therefore, I refused to buy. The second and third day she asked me the same thing.... so on the third day I gave up and asked her what is 'ang chai tau'. She took up the carrots and showed me... I was like a clown in the market... the rest of the customers starting laughing like nobody's business!! Damn 'paiseh'.

Went to the fish stall... I only know prawns, stingray and shark. The rest are alien fish to me. How come school didn't teach 'bout fishes huh? How do you know whether the fish are fresh or not?.... check the eyes! How do you know whether the prawns are fresh?.... feel the body... all these taught by aunties aunties o'er there.

Off I go to the butcher... wanted to buy some pork... but only know 'char siew' and 'sam chan'. Auntie asked me which body part of the pig... I stared at her blankly... and replied I dunno! Since then until now I don't buy pork coz' I don't know which part of the pork I wanted. Should buy the head and put up as wall decoration.

I don't like to repeat dishes so I'm thinking how did some of the housewives managed to cook for more than 50 years. I have to think for at least a day on what to cook for the next day. I even go to the market with a shopping list in hand...hhmmpphh... respect to the elders who are so wonderful!