Truly wonderful. The Italians love cooking. (Yes.) And they love to serve you. They cook with love. Maybe that’s why. (Yes, that’s right.) Also, with the flour. Every time I’m in Italy, I enjoy so much their food. Elsewhere, it’s not the same. (Yes.) I have to confess, it’s truly like that.
So, good that you stick to your own roots, right there. Don’t go anywhere and then you become addicted to too many things. Alright. So that was Thursday. Vegan onion soup, it’s good for winter.
In winter, in Europe, they often eat onion soup. The onion, it just melts in your mouth. (Wow.) And the bouillon, the broth, they make is so delicious, with the crispy cheese on top. (Wow.) The cheese, they roast it or, I don’t know what, it’s crispy. It’s floating on top of the soup. (Wow.) Have you eaten them, ever? (No, Master.) Only the French people know this. Some English people also cook onion soup for winter. Because they believe it wards off the cold. (Yes, Master.) The cold sickness or the flu. It works, it works.
I forgot to mention Ratatouille. We can eat it in the French restaurant. Tastes delicious. All vegan. (Yes.) Wonderful. Ratatouille is good, really good. OK, we forget the French. And what did we eat again, already?
Thursday, what did we eat? Is that Thursday or Wednesday? (Thursday.) Ah, Italian. (Thursday, Italian.) The guy wanted Italian. Oh, yes, yes. We have to go to a real Italian restaurant, where they really import the wheat flour from Italy, because local wheat doesn’t taste the same. I tell you, I know that. (Oh.)
In Singapore, there was an Italian restaurant. Oh, they cooked perfect Vegan Margherita pizza. You can bring your own vegan cheese. And then, oh, so thin and crispy. No, not Margherita, sorry. The pizza, what is the name? Margherita, no? (Yes, Margherita. Yes, Master.) It’s not a drink, margarita? (Yes, it is. As well.) Oh, I see. That’s why I thought I’m wrong. And I asked, “Why is it that in other Italian shops it doesn’t taste as good?” They said, “Because the flour comes from Italy.” (Oh, wow.) I came often because I love that area.
I loved that restaurant when I was in Singapore, because there was nothing else much I could eat. And then after the spaghetti, we ate the pizza or vice versa. And then one day I went there, I wanted pizza. They didn’t have it. They said, “We cannot make it today.” I said, “Why?” He said, “Because the shipment did not come yet, and we are out of flour.” (Oh.) So, they truly are picky about it. (Yes.) They know the difference. I knew the difference. (Right.) And when you are in Italy, and you eat the pizza, it’s not the same as you eat the pizza elsewhere. Truly like that. (Wow. Yes, that’s right.) Oh, I enjoyed it all the time. Like if you eat it today, you want to eat it again tomorrow. (Yes, Master.) It’s not like when you’re just in some other country, you go to an Italian restaurant one time in a while, you don’t want to come back all the time.
But to that Italian restaurant, I went back all the time, almost every day. If I could not go, then I went to the shop, I bought some and brought it home. You ask for vegan Margherita, and they cook, I don’t know why, it’s just not the same. Even the salad they made in Italy is not the same as elsewhere. And then I go home, just buy some rocket, they call it rocket, right? Or what else? What’s the name of it? The vegetable? (Yes, it’s called rocket. Rucola.) Oh, rucola also. (Or arugula.) Arugula, both mean the same thing. And I bought a lot of it and I spread it all over, like a green field on top of the pizza. (Wow!) That’s how I like my pizza. (Yes.) Don’t you envy me? (Yes.)
Truly wonderful. The Italians love cooking. (Yes.) And they love to serve you. They cook with love. Maybe that’s why. (Yes, that’s right.) Also, with the flour. Every time I’m in Italy, I enjoy so much their food. Elsewhere, it’s not the same. (Yes.) I have to confess, it’s truly like that. Or maybe it’s always the same. It’s not just one time, two times that you say it’s a coincidence. Alright. So, Thursday, Italian restaurant. (Yes.)
Wow. Wow. What else? How else can we enjoy more? What a life we have? No? What a life! Everybody would envy us.
Friday, where would you want to take me? If you take me out, where would we go? (Thai restaurant.) Thai restaurant, bravo. My favorite. And we can eat this real vegan Tom Yum. (Yes.) And if you don’t really like sour too much, you can eat Tom Kha. Tom Kha is similar, just cooked with coconut milk. Real from Thailand, and all the herbs, they really imported from Thailand, with the airplane. (Wow.) They send it by airplane, with the cargo together. Every day they have it fresh, maybe once a week or something. True things, all from Thailand. (Wow.) Tom Yum. And what else do we eat? Red curry with fragrant Thai Jasmine rice. (Wow. Yes.) And then we drink Thai coffee, or Thai tea.
The Aulacese (Vietnamese), they make also beautiful iced coffee. (Oh.) The real iced coffee, I always liked it when I was a kid. And when I grew up, everywhere I go, I don’t like coffee anymore. I rarely drink any coffee. It doesn’t taste the same.
When I was younger, high school, we didn’t have a lot of money. So, we went to coffee shops, and we ordered one coffee. The coffee they make with these coffee filter cups. And they put water in it and it drops, and you sit there and wait and you smell it. The aroma wafts into your nose. You’re enjoying all the drops, and then you enjoy it again when all the drops stop. And they will put brown sugar in it, stir it well, and then they put tons of ice on it to fill the cup. (Wow.) And it tastes like Heaven. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we asked for some more hot water and we poured it back in. It’s free. We could bring a little sugar and sneakily put in there, and then that’s it.
So, we could sit there almost all morning, or all afternoon, listening to the music of Trịnh Công Sơn or Thái Thanh, at that time. (Wow.) And listened to the rain drops outside. (Wow.) Outside the door and the windows were all open, were not closed. (Oh. Sounds so nice. Yes, sounds so good.) And that is next to the beach. (Wow.) On the beach. (Wow.) That was my high school time. And you can see the wavering branches of these like pine trees. (Weeping willow.) No, not weeping willow. They look like pine trees, but they have longer leaves, longer branches. And also weeping. And they go “oooh oooh” like that. (Wow.) Even after the coffee money’s gone, you go out and sit under there. You have also this kind of music and the waves. (Wow.)
That was my high school time. (What a life.) What a life. I know you envy me. That was some of the years of the carefree time when you were a school student. (Yes.)
The tree that grows next to the coffee shop is called casuarina. They also call it cassowary, because their branches look like twigs, falling down, like drooping down like a weeping willow. (Yes, Master.) Similar. It looks like the feather of the cassowary. A kind of tree that is chiefly found in Australia. They don’t have leaves, but they have drooping reed-like branches. (Yes, Master.) Also some furnished heavy, hard timber, known as beefwood or sheoak. What a tree, so many names. And they don’t always grow everywhere. Maybe they planted them only on that beach. I don’t see them everywhere.
I also saw them one time in the Cayman Islands. Casuarina. (Ah, yes, I see casuarina.) Yeah, you know it, right? (I just looked it up and I see it.) OK. That’s it. That is the one. So, that’s the tree that we sat under or nearby my coffee shop. (Oh, yes.)
The golden youth time passes so quickly, now we are so gray-haired and don’t know much about anything romantic like that. (Yes, Master.) Just go with a little pocket money in a coffee shop and sit almost all day long. One dollar, cheap. (Nice.) And listen to free music, and then if it’s too embarrassing, a long time already, we went out on the beach and sat under the casuarina. (Ah, yes, very nice.) Listened to the tree’s music instead and the waves. Woah, man. (Oh, sounds amazing.)
I wish to grow backward into my youthful time again. (Yes.) But when we were young, we did not appreciate it that much. And when we are older, we regret, it’s too late. (Yes, Master.)
Now, so, what else? Thai already, what else? Are we short of food now? No. Friday is Thai, right? (Yes, Master.)
OK, Saturday, where do we go? Saturday night fever where do we go? (Maybe Japanese noodles.) Japanese? (Japanese noodles and sushi.) Japanese noodles and sushi? What a good idea! They make very good soup also, miso soup. (Yes.) Lovely, lovely. They have to make it right there for you. And they also put some spring onions on it. (Wow.) That really tastes good together. And at that time, I will allow you to eat that spring onion. They chop it very fine, and sprinkle it on the soup. (Yes.) The soup is hot, the onion is fresh. And, the miso, it’s been aged a long time. So that’s how you eat it. (Right.)
And that’s how I would allow you to eat the onions. The Buddha will not say anything, I’m sure not. I would ask, “Buddha, can we eat some onion today?” He probably would say, “Yes, yes. Never mind, once in a while. You’re not killing anybody.” And they also fry tofu and they also give you some of these soya beans, but fresh. (Yes.) The green one and you break it open and eat it right there. (Edamame.) Edamame. OK. Good, good. That’s what it is.
And you can drink some vegan sake. Wow! Non-alcoholic. And look out at the beautiful Japanese garden outside. (Oh.) Stone and sand garden. (Yes. Wonderful.) Wow, what a life, hey? (Yes.) We all will become Japanese voluntarily after that. If they accept us. It’s very difficult to become Japanese. (Oh.) You have to marry one. There’s no other way. Or maybe you’re refugees or something. Japanese it is. What else? That’s Saturday, right? (Yes.)
How about Sunday? (Sunday go to the Greek Islands, Master?) To where, love? (Greek Islands.) Greek Islands. (Yes.) Ah. They make very nice, eggplant. (Oh, yes.) Eggplant cooked in oil. (Baba ghanoush? Like pâté? Could be?) You want coffee also? Is that a coffee, you said? (It’s like eggplant pâté?) That also. Oh, but they also cook it, soaking, full of olive oil. (Spanakopita?) I don’t know the name, but I know how it tastes. It’s a long time here since I was with my ex-husband on vacation there.
Wow! Normally, I don’t really like oily food, but the way they cook, I drank all the oil together. I don’t mind. It tastes so good. Wonderful.
And the Greeks also make very nice salads. (Yes.) And we ask them for vegan feta cheese on top of our salad. (Yes.) And olive oil. And some of the special salt that they make there. Wow.
Oh, ah. How can you complain about life when you have all this stuff? (Yes.) I don’t want to hear you complain anymore. You should be happy with what you have already. Alright. And then Monday we start anew. OK? (OK.) Every week.
Actually, I wish we didn’t have the pandemic. I could also fly you somewhere, eat something and come back the same day. Nearby, yeah? (Wow.) (Sounds very good.) Yeah, I know. You got all excited for nothing. Poor guys. (Maybe You meant inside flying, Master.) Yeah, I know. But you cannot eat this inside food, it has to be outside, man. That’s a pity. (Yes.)
I’m sorry. What kind of Master am I? Cheating you like this, making you feel all excited, mouthwatering, and then give you nothing. I’m so sorry. That’s what I wanted to treat you to, truly. It is doable. It’s just we are not in a position right now. That’s all. (Yes, Master. Understand, Master.)
