"Why! I am thinking of mantou with blood all the time! Arthur told me that's a fantastic treatment." Sibella exclaims. Arthur von Blon is her fiance. He used to be a medical doctor in another country - or so he claims.
"Yes, I read about the remedy in the morning paper too," Julia nods, "It's not difficult to buy a mantou and find some blood. Let's go ahead."
"No, you do not comprehend," Ada shakes her head, "Mantou is easy, but it's a bit tricky with the blood. We need it fresh from someone who is beheaded."
"But there's no death penalty in this country! Oh, we cannot simply go around and chop off the head of whoever." Julia says, "Em... I think the critical issue is the blood must come from a prisoner. That could be arranged..."
"You are getting the wrong end of the stick!" Sibella finds she has to speak up, "What really matters is obviously fresh blood from the neck. I suppose we can get it from a surgeon. Arthur has several friends working in the hospital..."
"I don't think I can agree with either." Ada also raises her voice, "The remedy in the book is fresh blood from someone who is beheaded. We should not compromise a single word!"
"Em... Excuse me..." A voice comes from the entryway.
The three girls turn around - a middle age man is standing there.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Remedy
The difference in opinion is drastic. Tobias' daughters – Sibella, Julia, and Ada – all think that the old man is weak with his lungs and has some kind of mystic infection. On the other hand, his sons – Chester and Rex – believe their father has nothing wrong with his body, but just being depressed for his trouble-making daughters.
**********************
It is a warm Friday evening. Tobias retires to bed early. In fact, he has hardly eaten anything for dinner. Chester and Rex are both out for some “social function”. Sibella decides to take the opportunity and discuss the situation with her sisters.
“The old man must be having some kind of infection,” Sibella begins, “Tuberculosis or virus or whatever. But the doctor won’t listen to us. What should we do?”
“I’m just reading a monograph written by a Dr. Lu from China,” Ada says, “There is a good remedy for infections of this kind. We can give it to daddy.”
“That’s fantastic! What kind of remedy is it?” Sibella and Julia ask.
“Mantou (饅頭) soaked with blood,” the youngest sister says calmly.
PS. For the true story of mantou soaked with blood, go read Medicine (藥) of Lu Xun (魯迅).
**********************
It is a warm Friday evening. Tobias retires to bed early. In fact, he has hardly eaten anything for dinner. Chester and Rex are both out for some “social function”. Sibella decides to take the opportunity and discuss the situation with her sisters.
“The old man must be having some kind of infection,” Sibella begins, “Tuberculosis or virus or whatever. But the doctor won’t listen to us. What should we do?”
“I’m just reading a monograph written by a Dr. Lu from China,” Ada says, “There is a good remedy for infections of this kind. We can give it to daddy.”
“That’s fantastic! What kind of remedy is it?” Sibella and Julia ask.
“Mantou (饅頭) soaked with blood,” the youngest sister says calmly.
PS. For the true story of mantou soaked with blood, go read Medicine (藥) of Lu Xun (魯迅).
Friday, June 20, 2014
Ill
Tobias is ill.
The disease, if there is only one, comes so slowly that no one is really sure when it starts. Looking from another angle, his health gradually fades as twilight. The sun has gone below the horizon but the sky remains bright. Then it turns, shade after shade, from dim to gloomy. A moment later, it is completely dark. Yes, he is an old man. But, just a few years back, he was absolutely astute and fierce. Now? It looks as if he is about to take his last breath at any moment.
The problem of the old man is he has several children but none could get along well with another. True, they all appear caring. (To their father, or to the money? Who knows?) They send for a doctor, who could not make out what's wrong with the old man. They send for another. Same. And then they fed up. They form their own opinions about the disease of their father.
Yes, I said opinions. Plural. More than one. Each of them has a different view.
Or, to say the least, there are two major streams of opinion.
(To be continued.)
The disease, if there is only one, comes so slowly that no one is really sure when it starts. Looking from another angle, his health gradually fades as twilight. The sun has gone below the horizon but the sky remains bright. Then it turns, shade after shade, from dim to gloomy. A moment later, it is completely dark. Yes, he is an old man. But, just a few years back, he was absolutely astute and fierce. Now? It looks as if he is about to take his last breath at any moment.
The problem of the old man is he has several children but none could get along well with another. True, they all appear caring. (To their father, or to the money? Who knows?) They send for a doctor, who could not make out what's wrong with the old man. They send for another. Same. And then they fed up. They form their own opinions about the disease of their father.
Yes, I said opinions. Plural. More than one. Each of them has a different view.
Or, to say the least, there are two major streams of opinion.
(To be continued.)
Thursday, June 19, 2014
D
(My discussion with L continued.)
"You know, my landlady is weired, but the really inexplicable tenant of my house is D," my friend said.
"Oh, I know him - and who doesn't?" I raised my eyebrow, "He is not a public figure. Well, not yet. But quite well known within his, that is, your, circle. He is outspoken and seems to know a lot about democracy. Alas, isn't it right that he is running for the representative of all you tenants? What's wrong with him?"
"You know, he speaks with the same frequency with our landlady, and consider himself not a tenant, but the godson of the old woman," L explained, "Well, that's his own view and not really the problem. What really touches me is, on one hand he keeps saying how his parents, before moving to this house, were badly treated by their previous landlady, but, on the other, he deliberately turns a blind eye to all the wrongdoings of his so called godmother!"
I could see the frustration of my friend.
"You know, my landlady is weired, but the really inexplicable tenant of my house is D," my friend said.
"Oh, I know him - and who doesn't?" I raised my eyebrow, "He is not a public figure. Well, not yet. But quite well known within his, that is, your, circle. He is outspoken and seems to know a lot about democracy. Alas, isn't it right that he is running for the representative of all you tenants? What's wrong with him?"
"You know, he speaks with the same frequency with our landlady, and consider himself not a tenant, but the godson of the old woman," L explained, "Well, that's his own view and not really the problem. What really touches me is, on one hand he keeps saying how his parents, before moving to this house, were badly treated by their previous landlady, but, on the other, he deliberately turns a blind eye to all the wrongdoings of his so called godmother!"
I could see the frustration of my friend.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Mental
Met my friend L during weekend. It has been quite a while since I last had the chance of chatting with him.
“My friend, I hear that your landlady has fallen sick again recently. How’re things getting on?” I asked.
“Do you mean, in your medical jargon, she has a flare up of her mental illness?” My friend said calmly. He was obviously not amused, “You are quite wrong there. I mean, my landlady is always a mad folie. Many a time she appears calm and content because no one touches her nerve and we don’t really pay much attention to her grumble.”
“My friend, I hear that your landlady has fallen sick again recently. How’re things getting on?” I asked.
“Do you mean, in your medical jargon, she has a flare up of her mental illness?” My friend said calmly. He was obviously not amused, “You are quite wrong there. I mean, my landlady is always a mad folie. Many a time she appears calm and content because no one touches her nerve and we don’t really pay much attention to her grumble.”
"Em... you may be right, but I suppose she's lost her nerve when she changes the tenancy agreement by her own will?"
"Alas, to her, there's no agreement as such," L signed, "To her, we are not her tenants, but children, and we give her money every month because we are doing our responsibility. For that reason, in addition to money, we should all love her - not the house, but her, the person - and she says repeatedly that she will run the house, including our rooms, in her own way."
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
生意
飯也轉眼便到。這裡的與其說是雞油飯，其實更似是雞湯炊飯，色水深，有些鮮味而不過鹹，也不似下了師傅。米身略腍，應是煮熟後焗得太久。整體而論，是有水準，倒没有什麼驚喜。
餐湯有一大碗。試一口，是椰菜加雞骨，還下了大量芫荽。夠熱，湯頭甚清，卻似乎另加了師傅。呷了幾口便放棄。
這時牛肉炒芥蘭也到。上桌時心下一沉，怎麼炒得水汪汪的？翻動看看，上面還有一條半吋長的菜虫。然而自己有下厨經驗，心想這不過代表這菜少有農藥，倒也不以為忤。姑且下箸，芥蘭並非如香港吃到的品種，而是葉多莖少，也没有平常芥蘭的甘味。是以這裡的糖、薑、酒一應不用，只下蒜茸和少許醬油，已炒得清嫩鮮甜，倒是出乎意料的好吃。這裡牛肉也下得慷慨，厚厚的有許多片。有肉味，炒得卻不算嫩滑，這大概是没有化學處理的效果。
碟頭不小，結果當然是菜吃完而牛肉剩下一半。看看錶，是六點半。店已全滿，門外還有一條短短的人龍。急急起身結帳，埋單十六大洋，相當合理。臨走前用半鹹淡的國語對收銀伯伯說：「老闆，好生意啊！」他望望我，沒有說話，一副啋你都傻的表情，兀自低頭繼續數錢。
餐湯有一大碗。試一口，是椰菜加雞骨，還下了大量芫荽。夠熱，湯頭甚清，卻似乎另加了師傅。呷了幾口便放棄。
這時牛肉炒芥蘭也到。上桌時心下一沉，怎麼炒得水汪汪的？翻動看看，上面還有一條半吋長的菜虫。然而自己有下厨經驗，心想這不過代表這菜少有農藥，倒也不以為忤。姑且下箸，芥蘭並非如香港吃到的品種，而是葉多莖少，也没有平常芥蘭的甘味。是以這裡的糖、薑、酒一應不用，只下蒜茸和少許醬油，已炒得清嫩鮮甜，倒是出乎意料的好吃。這裡牛肉也下得慷慨，厚厚的有許多片。有肉味，炒得卻不算嫩滑，這大概是没有化學處理的效果。
碟頭不小，結果當然是菜吃完而牛肉剩下一半。看看錶，是六點半。店已全滿，門外還有一條短短的人龍。急急起身結帳，埋單十六大洋，相當合理。臨走前用半鹹淡的國語對收銀伯伯說：「老闆，好生意啊！」他望望我，沒有說話，一副啋你都傻的表情，兀自低頭繼續數錢。
Monday, June 16, 2014
逸群
最近往星加坡一行，留了三日兩夜。週日下午是空閒時間。黄昏時在殖民區散步，順道在逸群晚飯。
此店有數十年歷史，以海南雞飯在當地甚為有名。初於店外駐足，門面已頗陳舊。進店時是下午六時，店子卻已半滿。自行選了一角坐下，良久，嬷嬤才遞上餐牌。其實也沒有甚麼好看，順手便點了一人的海南雞飯，再加牛肉炒芥蘭。有趣的是餐牌是没有價錢的，點菜時嬷嬤卻提醒炒芥蘭要十個大洋，倒是非常均真。
雞立刻奉上。一人餐有差不多半個雞胸。斬得皮肉分離，上碟更有點不修邊幅，除了幾片青瓜，也没有其他配菜。再看，雞肉已去了大骨，卻仍有一些小軟骨，處理略嫌粗疏。然細啖之下，皮爽而不肥，雞浸得剛熟，有肉味亦不靱，倒是有真功夫。
蔡瀾常說正統海南雞飯調味品有薑茸、辣椒醬、珠油(即濃老抽)各一。這裡的卻一應俱無。雞上桌時倒附有一隻豉油碟。原來檯面便有這三樽調味，要加那種就悉隨尊便。自己下了醬油，卻竟然是日本製的生抽，不禁失笑。用雞肉點了一些試味，也没有什麼分別。這時鄰桌一位也是獨坐的老先生的雞飯亦到。只見他二話不說，起身走到老闆模樣的收銀伯伯身旁，拿起一個小瓶返回座位。原來那就是聞名已久的珠油。看來這裡只有熟客才有此優待矣。
此店有數十年歷史，以海南雞飯在當地甚為有名。初於店外駐足，門面已頗陳舊。進店時是下午六時，店子卻已半滿。自行選了一角坐下，良久，嬷嬤才遞上餐牌。其實也沒有甚麼好看，順手便點了一人的海南雞飯，再加牛肉炒芥蘭。有趣的是餐牌是没有價錢的，點菜時嬷嬤卻提醒炒芥蘭要十個大洋，倒是非常均真。
雞立刻奉上。一人餐有差不多半個雞胸。斬得皮肉分離，上碟更有點不修邊幅，除了幾片青瓜，也没有其他配菜。再看，雞肉已去了大骨，卻仍有一些小軟骨，處理略嫌粗疏。然細啖之下，皮爽而不肥，雞浸得剛熟，有肉味亦不靱，倒是有真功夫。
蔡瀾常說正統海南雞飯調味品有薑茸、辣椒醬、珠油(即濃老抽)各一。這裡的卻一應俱無。雞上桌時倒附有一隻豉油碟。原來檯面便有這三樽調味，要加那種就悉隨尊便。自己下了醬油，卻竟然是日本製的生抽，不禁失笑。用雞肉點了一些試味，也没有什麼分別。這時鄰桌一位也是獨坐的老先生的雞飯亦到。只見他二話不說，起身走到老闆模樣的收銀伯伯身旁，拿起一個小瓶返回座位。原來那就是聞名已久的珠油。看來這裡只有熟客才有此優待矣。
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