Forbidden Food

I went to see my Buddhist friends at Dhammikarama Burmese Temple today. I've been quite disconnected with them as it's been long since I went there, but it's good to see them doing well. KJ's mother even baked brownies for us! I had 3 pieces of the strong and thick cake. Now, for those who know me well will be shocked (and I mean SHOCKED) that I ate chocolate cake. This is because I'm very succeptible to sore throats, so I usually avoid the Three C's. And what are they?

Zemien's 3 C's:

1. Curry


2. Chocolate


3. Coffee

It's quite difficult to avoid those foods, so I keep myself in check by establishing a weekly quota. In a single week, I can only have three instances of the 3 C's. I'll be inviting trouble if I exceed. I usually extend this quota to deep fried food as well, like KFC or other spicy food.

I still have curry now and then, but I cannot, and I *swear*, I cannot remember the last time I had chocolate and coffee. I think the last time I had Milo, which is only a mild chocolate, was over 8 months ago! And don't even get me started on coffee. I used to love iced coffee but my sore throats changed all that. Now I get my caffeine from tea.

Anyway, after that I went with Dad and some of his friends to the Tzu Chi Merit Society's food fair. Tzu Chi is a freakingly huge Buddhist association from Taiwan, and they organize a lot of programmes that help people. One of their commendable projects is the dialysis centre that provides free or subsidized treatments to diabetics. Plus, they have a lot of spirited and dedicated supporters who pour in money and time. Unlike most fund-raisers that donate the proceeds of the event, Tzu Chi fund-raisers usually donate every cent collected. That means the cost of preparing the food is borne entirely by supporters. That's just impressive.