Last night, I got in and pondered what to cook. In the fridge we had a few chicken breasts, peppers, onions, spring onions, pak choi and a few tomatoes, a pretty dull mix really. You can make wondrous Chinese dishes with any of these, you just need a cupboard stocked full of the basics and you can create a plethora of different and delicious dishes. I decided on Gan Bian Ji or dry fried chicken, a Sichuanese dish which I hadn't tried before, before Luke came in looking for the Sherpa's menu- Sherpas is a takeaway service here in Shanghai- because Trish wanted hummus. My eyes lit up and within minutes my kitchen was transformed and I was on a mish to create a Middle Eastern food feast. With my limited resources it would have to be a simple spicy stew, cumin and garlic flatbread, hummus and plain boiled rice. The dinner worked a treat, and I was especially pleased with the flatbread, which took only seconds to make and tasted pretty damn good if I do say so myself.
The pictures I've taken so far of my kitchen efforts have been mediocre to say the least, so given my satisfaction with the meal and the way it looked, I spent a few minutes arranging everything neatly so I'd get a good photo or two, while an impatient Luke stalked the table ready to snatch a bite from my picture perfect spread if my back was turned. Alas, it wasn't to be. I had a slight technical malfunction with not only mine but all the cameras in the house- the batteries had run out. I didn't want to make the guinea pigs (Trish and Luke) wait any longer, so I carefully plated up my meal and let everyone tuck in, while I sat patiently and waited for my battery to charge.
I contemplated whether I would let my food get cold for the sake of a few pictures for a blog which next to no-one reads. I tend to devour all food put in front of me with gusto, and never thought I would become of those blog people, the ones spend hours masterfully creating insightful and exciting blogs with beautiful pictures to boot (the ones who I envy) for the sake of their readers. I'm usually to hungry to do any of this, and prefer to concentrate on eating my food rather than perfecting it for the camera. But last night I demonstr ated excellent self control and waited half an hour while my food became cold in front of me. Sacrilege. It seems I've sacrificed my love of eating for the love of blog.
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