I had been eyeing the Chicken and Mushroom Pasta served in the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf next to Al-Jazeera for quite sometime. There were always have other plans for dinner, so it wasn't until today, I finally walked in and ordered it.
I remember the last time I had it was with Freida at the outlet in Scotts. I remembered the pasta to be served piping hot, and I could see the steam coming out. Hmmm, I think I even remembered the previous time I had it. It was at the Suntec Outlet, with Say Eng I think. Wow, I am beginning to amaze myself. I remembered the first time I tried it. It was at the Takashimaya outlet, with Father Hans, the kind and friendly priest I met on the train from Bandung to Jakarta. I must have really like the pasta a lot. It was the most delicious the first time I tried it, but subsequent orders weren't that different. Wet, creamy, hot fusili interlaced with chicken slices and mushrooms and the occasional red paprika. Fine Parmesan cheese enhanced not only the taste, but also the texture.
Back to Bahrain. I sat down in the token non-smoking area of the cafe. Flanked on either side by smoking areas, without partition, the best I could do was to choose the centre table, and hope that any smoke that comes my way gets diluted enough before it reaches me. When the pasta finally arrived, I was shocked. Starchy, moist, naked fusili are seen on the plate! Wasn't the cook supposed to have mixed everything thoroughly before serving? I forked the contents in the plate, trying to spread the sauce collected in the centre of the pasta pile outwards. The waiter must have seen the incredulous look on my face and he tried to orientate me by telling me that "it is shitake mushroom" and "the chicken slices are 'in there'". I managed to conjure up a "Thanks" before I started to set things right. So the tossing and mixing begun, looking for the same pasta dish that I have enjoyed many times before back in Singapore. The waiter later explained that it is "presentation". There are many things that look good naked, but pasta is hardly one of them.
So was I being frigid? Being unadventurous? What is wrong with a new way to eat the same thing? Was there a need to think so much about it? What was it?
Expectations. Without expectations there would be no disappointments. I thought that no matter which Coffee Bean outlet I went to, I would get the same food. I was disappointed that my pasta did not come out the way I wanted it to. It simply did not meet my expectations.
Inertia. I knew the old way was good, so when the new way was used, I got uncomfortable, even though it is essentially the same thing. I was too inert to welcome change. I clinged onto the past. Learn to let go and accept what I have in front of me, that is what I should do.
Learn to eat. Eat to learn.
