So you know I'm living with Simon now. This means we have to settle our meals ourselves. Sometimes my husband cooks, but he does more western style cooking like soup and salad, or Japanese style cooking like sushi or soba. I myself have not cook for awhile because I am very busy and tired, plus, I am scared of my stove! I don't really wanna talk about this but yeah.
During the weekends we will either visit his parents or my grandma and we can be sure that there will always be home cook food sitting on the familiar dining table waiting for us. His mom's cooking is totally different from my Ah Ma. Ah Ma loves MSG and salt which is why her cooking is always so tasty and yummy. Whereas my mother in law promotes healthy eating so she usually uses only soy sauce. Even though sometimes it can be a little bland, I am still very grateful for it.
As I grow older, I have learnt to be happier and more grateful. Grateful for all the small little things that other people might not be able to enjoy. Home-cooked food means a lot to me because it shows how much our parents and grandparents care for us. They will always remember what kind of food we like and prepare them to our tastes, even if we were to eat the same ‘favourite’ dishes every time we go over, it's still a happy occasion nonetheless.
Just so you know, once upon a time, many years back, Simon stayed with me at my Ah Ma’s house for a few months. He paid rent, and Ah Ma cooked for him every day. All the rent he paid was all used on food to feed us. LOL. Because I told Ah Ma Simon loves dishes with fish, she bought the most expensive fish available in the market for Simon every day. Simon said even his mom doesn't do that. Simon is forever grateful for that.
Likewise, my mom-in-law (mil) too. Simon told her I liked chicken feet (yes, I really do, it's a legit food right?) and curry, and she will always try her best to cook what I like. There were also times when we were too busy or lazy to visit, she’ll drop by with my dad-in-law carrying all those home cooked food, all the way to our place. It was really really nice.
I’m saying all these to show how our elders express themselves. For example, my Ahma. She’s the typical stubborn old lady who has lots of pride and ego. She never shows her love with words, but you will still feel it from her actions. And the home cooked food she prepares for me, that must have been one of the most obvious indications of how she cares for me, even when her mouth sprout nasty things sometimes. We knew deep down that she doesn't actually mean it.
I love my Ah Ma.
And thank you, Simon, for cooking for me now. <3
