cheese and celebrations
I didn't really celebrate my birthday this year because I just didn't feel up to it. I didn't want to meet any friends, I didn't feel like eating with my family (although we'll be doing a family birthday meal together on Sunday) and I didn't want to do anything special. No excitement or anything; it was just a regular ordinary day. And so I spent it very ordinarily: taking The Bun to a playdate with his new best friend F, driving both kids to school and having a good time catching up with the other mothers, having lunch with The Bun at our regular after-school place, and then lazing the hot afternoon away at home.
Right till the last minute I couldn't even decide where I wanted to go for dinner with J and the kids. We just drove down Bukit Timah Road, waiting for inspiration to strike. I was even going to suggest going to Adam Road Hawker Centre (or our old Beauty World standby) when we approached Sixth Avenue and on a whim I told J to make a u-turn so that we could go eat at Little Diner, an American style bistro (is that a contradiction?) serving comfort food.
This turned out to be the best decision of the day. The place was quiet (which was good because Bao tends to act up if a restaurant is very noisy), the staff were friendly, and they served mac and cheese, one of my all time favourite foods. Everything must have been aligned for once that evening: The Bun was happily occupied with a small magnetic doodle board provided by the restaurant and Bao was in top form, sitting on our laps and smiling. When she got tired she took a quick nap in my arms without much fuss, a nice change from the times she screamed herself to sleep if I missed her sleepy cues when we were out.
The food was good, my mac and cheese was crisp on top and gooey in the middle, just the way I like it. J had fried chicken with maple syrup, served with great handcut fries. I wish they could serve it Southern style, with waffles, but they said they were still working on it. Really? Are waffles that hard to make? Anyway, food-strike Bun actually ate a decent portion of my mac and cheese, fries (of course) and some chicken. It was probably the largest dinner he had had in a week. We ended off with an apple crumble, which I allowed The Bun to polish off. If he's in the mood to eat, then oh boy, let the kid eat.
The meal lifted my mood for the day. I'm glad I didn't decide to wallow and just eat our usual hawker fare. It was a good meal and the kids behaved themselves and that was all I really wanted. That must be a sign of my age, right? I've been half-joking that my mid-life crisis has finally arrived, and along with it a swirl of conflicting emotions. This will be a year of reckoning, and it has only just begun.
Right till the last minute I couldn't even decide where I wanted to go for dinner with J and the kids. We just drove down Bukit Timah Road, waiting for inspiration to strike. I was even going to suggest going to Adam Road Hawker Centre (or our old Beauty World standby) when we approached Sixth Avenue and on a whim I told J to make a u-turn so that we could go eat at Little Diner, an American style bistro (is that a contradiction?) serving comfort food.
This turned out to be the best decision of the day. The place was quiet (which was good because Bao tends to act up if a restaurant is very noisy), the staff were friendly, and they served mac and cheese, one of my all time favourite foods. Everything must have been aligned for once that evening: The Bun was happily occupied with a small magnetic doodle board provided by the restaurant and Bao was in top form, sitting on our laps and smiling. When she got tired she took a quick nap in my arms without much fuss, a nice change from the times she screamed herself to sleep if I missed her sleepy cues when we were out.
The food was good, my mac and cheese was crisp on top and gooey in the middle, just the way I like it. J had fried chicken with maple syrup, served with great handcut fries. I wish they could serve it Southern style, with waffles, but they said they were still working on it. Really? Are waffles that hard to make? Anyway, food-strike Bun actually ate a decent portion of my mac and cheese, fries (of course) and some chicken. It was probably the largest dinner he had had in a week. We ended off with an apple crumble, which I allowed The Bun to polish off. If he's in the mood to eat, then oh boy, let the kid eat.
The meal lifted my mood for the day. I'm glad I didn't decide to wallow and just eat our usual hawker fare. It was a good meal and the kids behaved themselves and that was all I really wanted. That must be a sign of my age, right? I've been half-joking that my mid-life crisis has finally arrived, and along with it a swirl of conflicting emotions. This will be a year of reckoning, and it has only just begun.