Relishing Food

Relishing Food ©

By

Michael Casey

Well it’s been an eventful day, but the best has been saved till last. I’ve just come back from my Polish Deli on the corner, I got a load of ham plus some slim sausages, my daughter loves these. I also got still hot buns from the oven as well as some Polish apple and red currant juice. I am celebrating Chinese New Year after all.  I also asked the girl at the ham counter did she feel the Earthquake we had in UK. Sadly Earthquake was not in her English vocabulary, so I asked the other girl in the food section when I paid for my hot buns. She told me the Polish word but I could not pronounce it. The other customers just wonder who is this old English guy blocking the aisles as they smile indulgently, But they are always happy in my local Polish store.

Getting back to our house my daughters descend like wolves, hot buns with Polish ham inside is a must. Totoro our cat springs to life too, there’s great food to be had, and she wants some too. The eight buns I got are soon eaten, Totoro looks on hoping for a share. As we devour the buns with the Polish ham in Totoro does indeed get a share, we are very Democratic in our house after all.

My wife arrives from M&S laden with snacks for her and the girls, plus a new jacket for herself. She has to look business professional after all, and even as she puts the jacket half on the Gay Dad in me knows its perfect for her. 20 years with a Shanghai girl does that for you, not forgetting 2 bilingual 1/2 Shanghai daughters. I should have been that bald guy in The Devil Wears Prada, only I had Polish ham and Polish mayo down the front of my bright red paint spattered zip up jumper fleece. But otherwise, despite looking like Santa with his beard shaved off post-Christmas, and wearing red granddad pants, I really could have been in The Devil Wears Prada, such is my Fashion sense, but only for women, not for myself.

As for Totoro our cat, knowing there were no more snacks for her she just climbs into the M&S carrier and sits there majestically. Meanwhile I put the kettle on for a coffee and a mint I discovered down the back of the settee, the leftover mint from some meal my wife had. But a mint is as mint, so I’m glad of it. Now as I return from the kitchen I have a 2^nd coffee and my mint. What more do I want?

Later they’ll be egg fried rice with some of the Polish ham diced into it, made of course with Polish eggs, the rice won’t be Polish, probably Thai from the African food store up the road. Yes Chinese New Year is here, remember it is bigger than Christmas or Eid for the Chinese. And it’s food galore. Chinese friends lay tables of food ready for family to come and share, they also take photos and selfies with the food and share those by the billion. Trust me I know, I have a Shanghai wife. And what is the difference between a normal Chinese wife and a Shanghai wife. 10 to the power of 17 probably.

But I was talking about food, it really is the thing that brings families together, the breaking of bread goes back a very long way. We all know our Bible after all. And as he broke the bread etc. Food is not just the stuff we stuff down our throats. As I talk to you I can hear Barry saying, slow down Michael it’s yours don’t eat so fast, don’t choke. Not so much because he was concerned about me, but rather he wasn’t going to give me the kiss of life if I did choke. Come on think about it, you have all seen my photo with these talks, which one of you my readers would give me the kiss of life? SILENCE. Not even a beautiful North Korean Army Cheerleader from the Olympics would bother. They would just clap hands rhythmically as I choked.

But back to food, why do we love food. Because of the tastes and memories. After that North Korean Army Cheerleader DID save my life, she spoon fed me noodles and made me soup and held the cup close to my lips and controlled just how much I sipped. I smiled and wondered at her beauty. Only then Barry really slapped my face hard as Lech, Boris and Gregorgi took turns to slap my back to dislodge peanut that had ended lodged up my nose after I had choked, but only because of something Lech told me about Boris and Gregorgi. So I had had a near death experience involving seeing the North Korean Army Cheerleaders. What was real what was a dream I’ll never know.

If you have too much to drink you can have strange experiences. Like waking up in the night looking for the bathroom, only you get into the wardrobe and pee inside the wardrobe. Yes that was the story Lech told me about. Though a Cambridge undergraduate did pee on my mother’s settee once, once was enough, he did not get to the WC in time, and WC were half his initials.

I could go on with more tales of food, but as it really is Chinese New Year 2018 this dog has had its day. So I’ll hunt the cat off the settee and we’ll settle down to watch a film. There will be snacks too, M&S does do great snacks, not that I’ll be allowed any, I’ve had my ration for this week. My wife says DO look at M&S Fashion too ladies, and that’s her recommendation, and speaking as a Man not just as Gay Dad, I’d say M&S Fashion makes me want to EAT.