Food for thought

Will-power. The lack of, actually. Now I know how difficult it is for fat people to diet. What brought this on? My love for a hearty breakfast. Call me traditional, call me old-fashioned. I'm one of those who love going to the coffee-shop for breakfast and read the newspaper at leisure.

(By the way, I also hate it when someone beats me to the papers in the morning, for I like the crisp, unopened feel. Many a time I have glared at my maid for reading the papers at the gate instead of bringing it straight to me.)

Anyway, my love for yummy food kinda hit a bump when the 30 sen hike in petrol price was announced. Suddenly, school bus fares shoot up, marketing becomes very difficult on a limited budget and going to the movies is suddenly such a treat (multiply everything -- tickets, snacks/lunch/dinner -- by four and you get the picture).

Everything's sooo expensive and my pay has been stagnant so long I should be calling up Indah Water.

My immediate reaction: Eat breakfast at home and only go to the coffeeshops during weekends. That should leave me with something extra at the end of the month, right?

It worked for a while but lately, I've been sneaking in a couple of weekdays. A man's gotta eat to work a full day, right?

But, frankly, if you think about it, I really shouldn't. Consider, for instance:

* roti canai -- unwashed hands kneading stuff into your food, yucks

* half-boiled eggs -- bird flu virus?

* beef noodles -- hand, foot and mouth diasease?

* wantan mee -- boric acid or whatever it is they put in to make the noodles look fresh?

* shredded chicken Ipoh-style noodles -- bird flu again?

* teh tarik -- cheap tea leaves with high concentration of colour and chemicals

So, I really shouldn't. Anymore. Have breakfast at the coffeeshops, that is. I should just eat bread and jam, day in, day out until the coast is clear. Plain Milo with bread. Biscuits and milk. Bread with bread. Bread with water. Maggi Mee. Plain. You get my drift.

Thoughts of yummy steaming hot wantan mee with thick gravy and succulent pieces of pork do have their moments. Or Ipoh hor fun with its prawns and shredded chicken slices. Crisp roti canai with its mouth-watering dhall. Beef noodles with that distinctive meaty aroma. All downed with a cup of kopi ice. Oh, I'm hungry...