When you dine at home...

Times are bad...the stock market crashed, people are contemplating suicides, losing jobs, higher rates of depression, and et cetera et cetera.
The radio has been sharing the concept of saving more and spending less

Don't waste water, Don't waste food, Don't waste energy, Don't Waste Anything
Buy what you need and not what you want
Go out less stay in more

Yeah, stay in more....with the crazy weather these days - first non-stop rain then hard-core sunshine and then dark skies looming near the sun as if waiting to pounce on the opportunity when the sun is not that strong anymore, and then the rhythmic rain...arrrrggggghhhh, what happened to nice weather?

Anyway, when you stay in for dinner, it may not be such a bad thing when you have all the hot and nice home-cooked food minus the MSG to greet you at the table, right?
So, I am definitely not an opponent to such an idea, in fact, I fall weak when I am offered a hot, just-cooked dinner instead of having to wait for hours at a restaurant or food stall:)

You wanna know whether they will tempt you?
Well, let's see, we have a healthy set meal (minus the candle lights) but you have an almost metre long of fluorescent tube forming the white line of light on your head and casting light on all your food.
And with such bright light making your pics look much more apparent and visible to your eyes and your camera's, why would I want candlelights right?

So, let's lay the napkin on your lap (or under your chin) and let's say our prayers:)

When you open your eyes after saying your grace and Amen, you will have a soup to start the meal with:
A Bowl of nice cabbage soup with fishballs...

I love this, the soup tasted just right - not too salty nor too bland, not to mention it was hot:)
If you think the combination of napa cabbage and fishballs look too bland for your 'viewing' pleasure, then be a rabbit for a while and profess your love for the carrots!~

I am okay with either style....I just love this dish (although I am never a fan of soups, but I could never ever say no to fishballs, cabbage and oh, yeah, I LOVE carrots:)


Now, I wonder where did those handful of carrots went? I bet there must be some rabbits in the house which ran loose or perhaps was recently adopted by auntie? Hmmmm...they should be taught not to mess with the dining table......*shakes head solemnly*


Oh, you know what's for the greens?
Some stir-fried version of salad will be:
a.) Crunchy Sawi/Choi Sum



b.)Brussel sprouts, crunchy and leafy...



c.)Bok Choy - yet another crunchy vegetables


Now on to to the mains...
Set A: Fish in Assam Soup Style

There's of course some lady fingers in the assam soup



Set B: Chicken...with ginger



Full?
Desserts will be some fresh, good-for-digestion fruit; papaya


And if there's any leftover, just do it the Penangite way
Put them all into one bowl, and voila, they become another dish - Chai Boey

This seems to be a favorite with Penangites whenever they cannot finish all the food and yet they do not want to waste the food, they throw them in together with some really thick vegetables and also some sourish soup.
Oh, Chai Boey literally translates to Leftover Vegetables in Hokkien anyway *winks*


Oh, don't put in leftover papayas though, even if you can't finish them...unless you want to create a new Fruits-Boey:p

So, tell me, would you turn down a nice dinner at home when you have these choices?