Quay Po Cooks: April 2013

Monday, April 29, 2013

Bad things come in clusters all at once

We had a wonderful time in Vegas three weeks ago

Who knows when we returned to LA, everybody were down with a bad flu. Then, two days later, I tripped and fell while getting out of the long bath. I landed on my overturned left foot and my 5th metatarsal into two and displaced it. OUCH!!! Few days later my Quay Lo's feet got an infection and now admitted into the hospital. HAIYAH! So that's why I titled this post "bad things come in clusters all at once". So true right? At least for me, it is.

Actually when bad things happen to us, what choice do we have other than to accept it and be strong to face the adversity? Although this time, it is too much for me to handle, I have accepted it and wait for it to pass. For I believe that after every dark night is a brighter day.

Wouldn't you start to wonder if all these happened for a reason? If you do, read this interesting article. Then, you will understand why Aristotle said everything happens for a reason.

Right now, moving around with my foot in cast and on crutches is the only choice for me. It is frustrating to have to depend on others to do almost everything. In spite of that, I still feel blessed because I know that even if I fall a million times and broken into pieces, my family will still be there to pick me up and mend me. I agree with Michael J. Fox. He said "Family is not an important thing. It's EVERYTHING."

My step daughter, my step son in law and my Quay Lo have been taking care of me since the accident occurred. Big bear hugs!! Big thanks to my son, my BFF and my step brother, my SIL, my niece and nephews for sending me encouraging messages to keep me positive. Many of my friends who knew what happened to me on facebook also send their well wishes. You know who you are. Thank you! I am very grateful for all the love and support.

However, what happens happened. I believe I am doing the right thing to stop feeling bad and self pity. I just need to get better at moving around with my crutches. Hey! I am pretty good now after using them for two weeks. I managed to cook my own meals and did laundry. I could stand on one foot to eat my meals. Quay Po "BOLEH"! (CAN). Are you proud of me? If yes, clap hands please. LOL!

The doctor estimated that it will take six to eight weeks for the bones to heal. He was concerned that the bones may not union properly. In that case, he said surgery is necessary. Wish me luck that I don't need that. I hope to be on my feet sooner than normal. I am eager to start cooking and blogging again. I miss you guys! Till I return, you all take good care. Don't be like clumsy Aunty Lucy, look before you leap! LOL!

Lots of love from Quay Po

A LITTLE ABOUT THIS QUAY PO

Before I was married to my "Quay Lo" (Guaylo) husband, I did not know how to bake or cook. Subsequently I learned some baking and cooking Western cuisine from him, and providing his food for him launched an interest in cooking in general. Many of my Chinese friends and family told me that "Quay" is the wrong spelling for devil in Cantonese. The right spelling should be "Kwai" or "Guay". Well, somehow I like the spelling "Quay" better although I have to agree that it does not sound very Cantonese. Try asking a Westerner to pronounce "Kwai" and you will probably hear "Quay" haha. Whether is "Quay" or "Kwai" or "Guay, just know the devil woman is me when you see Quay Po Cooks. My hubby said if people pronounce "Quay" as "Key" is even better because I am the key to his heart. LOL!

Only now, have I started to learn the traditional Cantonese cuisine of my Mum. She cooks fabulously and all her specialties are divine. These two interests, my husband's Western food, and my mother's traditional food, prompted me to document them so they will not be lost.

Here, I wish to share my cooking and baking experience with my readers. I also hope to inspire those who do not know how to cook or bake to do so because, trust me, if I can, you can too.

Something I'd like to mention is that I find that many people are rather unwilling to share their recipes. However, for me, I think differently. I think good recipes should be shared thus allowing as many people to enjoy it as possible. Unless those recipes are for doing business, I don't see why we want to keep them all to ourselves. So if you are generous in sharing your recipes, you are welcome to share on my blog. Send the recipes to me and better still with pictures of the final products and I will be very happy to post them them with credits to you of course.

Our cuisine is a deeply embedded part of our culture. When two cultures come together under the same roof the results in the kitchen can sometimes be comedic, sometimes confrontational, but more often it is a journey full of surprises and discovery. There is joy in our food. If we think upon this, it is intuitively obvious. This blog is a journey of joy and sharing, reflecting what the French like to call "joie de vivre" (joy of living). No one could be more different from one another then my husband and my mother. Yet one thing they share in common is knowing intuitively that food, cooking, and sharing can be avenues of joy in life itself. So herein, help yourself, to a little joy and , if you like it, share it with your own family and friends. Joy is something that should be shared.