My mistake, I should've phrased it "Singapore noodles didn't originate from Singapore" =p

Pardon my sounding like a food snob, but I just had to say this: no such thing as Singaporean noodles! It's something someone came up with. I've never even tried it myself!

Bee Cheng hiang is awesome! Guessing you've been to Singapore =p

The burnt bits of anything roasted that's stuck to the pan! Meat, vegetables and potatoes included!

Wow that one action spoke volumes about that stranger. When people are mean my friend would just reply "..and this is coming from you?" Shuts them up almost instantly.

21 years old, just took all 4 out today under general anaethesia. Woke up groggy and slightly nauseous, felt like my bottom lip was HELLA swollen when it actually wasn't - was just numb due to pain meds. Bottom half of tongue was numb while top half was normal, that felt quite.. interesting.
Went home around 1pm, popped a tramadol and went to sleep. Woke up and had jook, an orange cut up into slices without the sides, just the pulp (if you get what I mean) and a thinly sliced mango since I can't open my mouth much at all. Was given antibiotics and mouthwash as well, used those afterwards.

Had another orange and mango cut in the same way around 9pm.
Just had a stitch come out but I don't think it's anything serious. Bleeding stopped already.

Also I haven't taken any more painkillers because I've this masochistic urge to see how painful it can get. It's still okay now, I'm assuming it's because I'm chugging ice cold water. Probably going to regret this in the morning but.. meh.

Going to avoid dairy, looking very forward to my soup with tofu and noodles tomorrow. VERY. I WANT SOME SOLID FOOD. Also planning to have some scrambled eggs and avocado.

Also craving a nice big juicy steak now! I think most people are craving protein because that's what our body needs to heal =p

ANY cheese. I went to Las Vegas for about a week and after just a day of normal eating I was reduced to eating one meal a day. I don't think it's just the cheese, it's the portions as well. Till this day I think of the portions and it literally makes me nauseous.

I agree! I love food but then again I'm VAIN so I don't want to look fat, nor be unhealthy as well. I think if you work out most days a week, and as long as you're not have Macs everyday, I'd say it's fine.

I much prefer the cucumber version! Although prepared the same way, find it less... rotten.

I LOOOOVE Stacy's Pita Chips, the Simply Naked ones. I went to buy some, got into a little bit of a frenzy when I couldn't find it and went to about 6 supemarkets to look for it and for some reason, THEY'RE NOT THERE. I've never looked so hard for 1 product before I swear. I sound nuts.

Ahhh that sucks, about the durian I mean. The fact that it smeels even remotely sweet, with no pungency at all means that it's a bad one. It's just like any other fruit, the smell of it indicates how good that particular piece is. I do hope you give it another try!

Haha durian is one of my favourite foods. It is my favourite fruit actually! And there are actually 2 kinds: sweet and bittersweet. Loooooove the latter. Oh and the smell heh.

I'm having an absolute ball googling all the unfamiliar pasta shapes and checking them out!

And I'm craving pasta now.....

My new one's Stacy's Simple Naked Pita Chips. Just finished 2 bags in about 5 days.

Thanks for the recipe! So sweet of you =]

I used a recipe I found online for Gingersnaps and they turned out soft and chewy.. Ugh. A bite into the meaty crystallized ginger does NOT go with a soft and warm texture.

I hope I haven't worded the title TOO weirdly, because I don't know of any other way to express myself!

But recently I cooked a version of Linguine alle Vongole, and I love, love LOVE the sight of the clams opening up in the steam! I know it's nothing new or exciting but as a fellow CH (can I call myself that?) I have a few quirky kitchen habits myself. I just loved seeing the clams open and to paraphrase, "yield their meaty juices" as I'm sure I've heard Nigella say that before.

Any of you have any favourite 'sights' in the kitchen? Other than seeing other people chow down on your food of course =p

Ah it all depends on location then.. Over here it's unheard of to have free bottled water!

Thank you! I don't know much about cast iron cookware, going to slowly read through them now!

If it bothers you this much to make a post about it, I'd say decline. Personally, I really wouldn't give a damn. I know I didn't do anything wrong, why bother about the person behind me?

(Of course if the person is making remarks, that's a different story.. I would really hope I could have Veggo's powers of wit.)

I imagine only the cleaner would be pissed off at that! Otherwise if I were there I'd laugh my ass off!

But they do ask, they do ask if you want bottled water. If you assume it's free and say yes, why is it totally the restaurant's fault? Why are they the unethical and scrupulous ones? You assumed it was free as well.

The way I look at it, asking someone if they want bottled water as opposed to tap water, is like asking someone if they want a salad as opposed to NO salad. Why assume the water is free and assume the salad isn't? If you aren't sure, ask. If you assumed wrongly, don't completely blame the restaurant and say they're unethical.

Well over here I've not yet heard of one restaurant that serves free still or sparkling water, so it depends on where you stay too. You can either say that the restaurant is unethical, or that the customer assumed the wrong thing, it goes both ways.

I ask if they would like still or sparkling. Yes if I were to be perfectly honest, it's 'cheating', I can see it in their expressions when they're not familiar with the question. But that's the way most restaurants work.

To ease my conscience a little, the restaurant I work at isn't some fast food joint and the water is not that ridiculously overpriced, so people who come in generally can afford it, even unwittingly so. If it helps at all...

Okay but if you don't wash cast iron pans with soap, don't they feel all oily and greasy and dirty? I don't have one so I don't know how it works.. Isn't it all dirty from the slivers of garlic and all oily!? I can't imagine storing it away with my other nice CLEAN, non-sticky pans =s

Seems like you have 3 options:
1) Go for the dinner, let your aunt pay and thank your aunt later by cooking a meal for her or something to that effect.
2) Don't go for the dinner, and have a nice meal with your stepmom alone instead. If she (your stepmom) is considerate enough I'm sure she'll understand.
3) Explain it to your sister and have a couple suggestions for other restaurants handy. If she still insists, bitchslap her with a lightsaber and say "I.. have no sister" in a Darth Vader voice (okay that sounded much funnier in my head).
Number 1 seems like it'll satisfy everyone, although personally I'd prefer 3.

Although in all seriousness, if you really are thinking of changing the restaurant, I feel that you should be the one who asks all other guests personally if they would be alright with the change, since you're the one changing it. Especially your stepmom, since she's the "Guest of Honor". Also, consider Niblet's point. Are you just frustrated that your sister is making you go to this particular restaurant? If it were the same amount of money spent somewhere else which you suggested, would you mind?

I'm thinking it's the whole "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" idea.

LOVE that book!

I'm pretty curious.. What makes you want to go back there? Is the food so good that you can stand constant mistakes? (I hope I don't sound too aggressive, hard to decipher tone over the net)

Alrighty I'd like to offer my POV, seeing that I'm a waitress.

Over here, we're instructed to upsell still and sparkling water. It's our job, so as a customer that feels cheated, please don't take it personally. Before I became a waitress I did just that, thinking the waiter was out to rip me off. Now I just smile and say tap. I don't really know how to explain it. It's like you have to sell it, it's fine if they reject but you have to ask no matter what. Pretty much caught between a rock and hard place. I work in a somewhat fine dining atmosphere too so people in big groups probably wouldn't want to ask if water was included in dinner service, for the same reasons as you.

I wouldn't say you're naive, just choke it up to a learning experience and bear it in mind next time =s $24 for a mini life lesson, it ain't half bad.