I have no idea how many of my previous posts started with how long I have not posted any posts due to being busy at work. Disregard the fact that it might bore you, my friends, the way I started each post for the last 3 months, I actually have been quite busy.
Recently I just moved to a new house (I told you, didn't I?). There are at least a box or two that I haven't unpacked yet. And at work, we just have this new management which I'm still adjusting to. I just feel bad to not be able to check on my friends, to not meet them as often as I wish I could.
Anyway, for almost a couple of weeks now, there are two very important family friends who stay with us, a man and his wife. I'm absolutely fine with it since mostly I was alone at home. Although sometimes I feel some portion of my privacy has been taken away.
They're actually from mainland China and they barely speak Bahasa. And since I hardly speak Mandarin (don't let my Chinese eyes fool you!), our conversations always involve miming. I once literally was sounding Moo and Oink to ask / answer questions regarding what a dish made of. Even after my two weeks vacation in Hong Kong, the only mandarin I know is: xie xie and ni hao. As for them, the only Bahasa words they seem to know are bir and mabuk. So you can only imagine how the dinner time went for the last two weeks. HAHAHAHA.
Beside the free dinner for the last two weeks, I also enjoy learning new habits from them. Our dining utensils include chopsticks and bowl instead of spoon, fork and plate. I have been remastering my skill using chopstick. Not bad, I must say. From the blog I found online, I learned that chopstick has been used for at least five thousands years ago. There was an idea that they used chopstick to avoid burning their hands when they tried to get the food out of a pot.
There's even a belief from Confucius, that men should avoid using sharp and pointed utensils (such as knives and fork), which represent violence. One should be in a happy and good mood when they're at the dining table. This is a very interesting, isn't it?
I personally also believe, using a tiny bowl and chopstick also teach us to only take the food in a moderate way due to limited space. A few years back, my brother started this diet, eating only using a tiny bowl and chopstick so he only dined in small portions. Too bad, it didn't go for long.
Although I couldn't find it anywhere, but somehow I believe to take a piece of dish from our dinner companions reflects honoring the recipient.
There's even a belief from Confucius, that men should avoid using sharp and pointed utensils (such as knives and fork), which represent violence. One should be in a happy and good mood when they're at the dining table. This is a very interesting, isn't it?
I personally also believe, using a tiny bowl and chopstick also teach us to only take the food in a moderate way due to limited space. A few years back, my brother started this diet, eating only using a tiny bowl and chopstick so he only dined in small portions. Too bad, it didn't go for long.
Although I couldn't find it anywhere, but somehow I believe to take a piece of dish from our dinner companions reflects honoring the recipient.
