Yesterday was simply amazing.
I leaped out of bed at 11:30 a.m. which is incredibly early for me, especially once you consider I didn't go to sleep until 5 a.m.
I was so excited I couldn't sleep. All I could think was: "Today, I'm making a Tex-Mex feast."
I received a package full of Tex-Mex essentials from my mother the other day: A 30-count package of corn tortillas which I've been whining for since I got here; a block of Velveeta (I won't even attempt to call it cheese now that it made the 7-day journey from Texas without harm.); and six cans of El Pato sauce — the best jalapeno sauce ever and the base ingredient to my dad's enchilada sauce.
Since it was my week to cook, I decided it was Tex-Mex time.
All from scratch, I made refried beans, Spanish fried rice, salsa, and tostadas. I also made queso, but you can't really call that from scratch. Although I did make the "rotel" to put in the velveeta from scratch.
All I could think about all day was that it was Tex-Mex day and by the end of the day I would be eating some of my favorite foods that I grew up with my whole life.
In my class, I was super bored because my kids were taking forever to do anything and I was just thinking, "I want to go home and eat my food."
It's 12:30 p.m. the next day and I'm still full.
Of course the Girl Scout cookies didn't hurt.
My friend Terena sent me four boxes of girl scout cookies — two Thin Mints and two Samoas, my favorites! Now I just have to savor them.
Even if my supply is limited, having all these foods back in my life is probably less of a blessing than I would like it to be. Last week one of my classes asked me if I was pregnant.
Well, first they asked if I had a boyfriend. Then they asked if I had a husband. Then they asked if I was pregnant.
Now in my defense, I can still fit into every piece of clothing that I brought with me. Everything fits me just fine. And I am perfectly content with these sizes.
I honestly think it was just the dress I was wearing last week, but the whole experience has left me a little body conscious.
I mean, I'm used to my kids saying I'm fat (even the pudgy one's call me fat), but I honestly can't blame them. The average Taiwanese woman is a size 2 and a size 2 in Taiwan is equivalent to a girls' size 16 in the States. It's programmed into them to believe that all women are stick thin.
My curves seriously throw them off.
Either way, though, pregnant is a whole new level of insult and I'm not quite shaking it off the way I normally would.
I had better get into a better routine before it gets hot outside otherwise I'll just have one more excuse to add to the pile of reasons not to exercise.
In the meantime, I love Tex-Mex far too much and having it back in my life — even temporarily — has put me in the best mood ever. I don't think I'm capable of any level of restraint here.
They're not used to seeing women with breasts nor butts over here. So foreign women, for the most part, throw them for a loop. I used to get asked if I was pregnant too. Now I just get told my butt is big or get asked WHY it's so big. Sometimes my kids call me fat to be mean...but I just ignore them. I get back at them in other ways ;).
ReplyDeleteMost of the Taiwanese women here would be borderline anorexic back in North America. I think their BMIs are less than 18. Seriously...the average weight here I think is 50 kg.
i don't have boobs or a butt and i constantly got asked if i was pregnant. i dooo have a thing for empire waist shirts though. little jerks!
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of the whole house when El Pato sauce is simmering. Kinda get's you in the mood for what's coming next.
ReplyDeleteGOOD EATS!!!