Food and Memories.. The P-S-M-B.
Different people have different things that bring back their memories. For some, it is music, a familiar song, others it is when they pass by a familiar place, or a familiar smell. For me, food always brings back memories. Some of you guys have read my previous kueh entries. Sometimes, I really think food has so much meaning in it, it's really much more than filling our tummies.
And so this morning, because my parents went out early, I had to settle my Saturday morning breakfast on my own. Which happens a lot nowadays anyway, I don't think I've eaten so many meals alone for quite a while. And so I strolled down the row of coffesshops downstairs, thinking of how i'd love to eat 'the-perfect-Saturday-morning-breakfast' today. Somehow, bak chor mee or the usual fried bee hoon with luncheon meat didn't occur to me as 'the-perfect-Saturday-morning-breakfast'. Hmm. And so I strolled some more. Until I passed by a stall that sells.. LOR MEE!!
Immediately, without a shadow of a doubt, I knew that was going to be my 'PSMB' (Perfect Saturday Morning Breakfast). I continued walking to the other coffeeshops only because I wanted to see how many Lor Mee stalls there were in the area. I had already set my mind.
And so I settled down at one of the coffeeshops, had my Lor Mee, no garlic, no vinegar, and a little bit of chilli. And now I'm fully satisfied. Damn shiok.
The thing I couldn't understand is, how on earth did Lor Mee come into my mind and fit so perfectly into my image of PSMB?? I couldn't understand.
And so, I went on one of my usual reflection sessions. And I'm happy to have the answer. :)
You see, my parents, when they first got married, lived in a small rental flat that they rented for about $140 per month. They had me only after 5 years of marriage and by then they had already moved out of that small rental flat. But you know what? There was a small coffeeshop downstairs at their place (which is still there btw), selling the best... LOR MEE!
And so as I grew up, once in a while when my parents decided they wanted a good Saturday morning breakfast to kickstart their weekend, they would bring us to this Lor Mee stall. And I would be really happy, because I always had this image that going out for breakfast on a weekend morning was a 'Happy Family' kind of thing. We still go there once in a long while for breakfast on Saturday mornings. :)
Lor Mee, now I know, smells of heritage to me. It reminds me of my parent's impoverished past, it reminds me of their love for me, it reminds me of what it means to be family, it reminds me of simple pleasures.
So Lor Mee, is my 'Perfect-Saturday-Morning-Breakfast'.
And so this morning, because my parents went out early, I had to settle my Saturday morning breakfast on my own. Which happens a lot nowadays anyway, I don't think I've eaten so many meals alone for quite a while. And so I strolled down the row of coffesshops downstairs, thinking of how i'd love to eat 'the-perfect-Saturday-morning-breakfast' today. Somehow, bak chor mee or the usual fried bee hoon with luncheon meat didn't occur to me as 'the-perfect-Saturday-morning-breakfast'. Hmm. And so I strolled some more. Until I passed by a stall that sells.. LOR MEE!!
Immediately, without a shadow of a doubt, I knew that was going to be my 'PSMB' (Perfect Saturday Morning Breakfast). I continued walking to the other coffeeshops only because I wanted to see how many Lor Mee stalls there were in the area. I had already set my mind.
And so I settled down at one of the coffeeshops, had my Lor Mee, no garlic, no vinegar, and a little bit of chilli. And now I'm fully satisfied. Damn shiok.
The thing I couldn't understand is, how on earth did Lor Mee come into my mind and fit so perfectly into my image of PSMB?? I couldn't understand.
And so, I went on one of my usual reflection sessions. And I'm happy to have the answer. :)
You see, my parents, when they first got married, lived in a small rental flat that they rented for about $140 per month. They had me only after 5 years of marriage and by then they had already moved out of that small rental flat. But you know what? There was a small coffeeshop downstairs at their place (which is still there btw), selling the best... LOR MEE!
And so as I grew up, once in a while when my parents decided they wanted a good Saturday morning breakfast to kickstart their weekend, they would bring us to this Lor Mee stall. And I would be really happy, because I always had this image that going out for breakfast on a weekend morning was a 'Happy Family' kind of thing. We still go there once in a long while for breakfast on Saturday mornings. :)
Lor Mee, now I know, smells of heritage to me. It reminds me of my parent's impoverished past, it reminds me of their love for me, it reminds me of what it means to be family, it reminds me of simple pleasures.
So Lor Mee, is my 'Perfect-Saturday-Morning-Breakfast'.
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