Self Reprimand

Basket... so long never blog already...

CBTL's Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

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.

Biriyani

Since I got to Bahrain, biriyani has become a common sight on my dinner plate. And sometimes in my lunch box. When I first got here, and tried it for the first time, it was heavenly. It came in a huge container, probably about 1kg of it. My roommate and I had no problem of finishing it. It was delicious! For a while we have been eating it a lot, and we were enjoying it. Convenient, delicious, and reasonably priced. Then one day I suddenly had this feeling that I didn't like what I was eating. I found it boring. I felt I had too much. Repetition breeds boredom. The chicken shawarma suddenly looked more enticing. Once when I thought that I could have eaten biriyani everyday, now I looked forward to try new dishes. Human nature you might say. And human we all are. So how did I get bored of such a wonderful dish? Maybe I should feel ashamed of myself. When I first got here and didn't know what to eat, and not used to the more expensive things here, biriyani served to fill my stomach well. Now that I am happily settled, I slapped it with "BORING" label and looked for other more exotic food. Today I ordered biriyani again, partly because I began to miss it. Maybe the novelty of the shawarma worn off. And with the biriyani I ordered some mutton curry, and some kebab. The biriyani will always be biriyani, and its only up to me to make it more exciting for my appetite. Some say you are what you eat. Today I see it in a totally different light.