sampling small delights
For me, there’s a real excitement about going to the mall and it’s the food sampling. Especially on the weekend, there’re lots of these little counters both in the shopping mall and the grocery stores (also housed within the shopping mall) where promoters are handing out little plates and cups of food for us to try.
It’s incredible the range of food we get to taste – from Californian pistachios to Korean noodles to Danish cookies. Because we’re a cosmopolitan city, we don’t have to go very far for food and drinks from all over the world.
Frankly it’s hard to resist when someone’s constantly shoving little cups and plates of goodies right under your nose. Seriously! Sometimes I get so stuffed from just sampling bits of this and that, I even have to skip lunch.
Today, I had two little cups of Japanese green tea poured hot from the little tea-pot by a kimono-clad promoter. One cup was brewed from sun-dried tea leaves, the other from roasted leaves. Both tasted incredibly fragrant and rich.
Then I walked past another counter and was handed cups of iced latte and Belgian chocolate milk to try. Mmm, those tasted heavenly, rich but not too sweet.
I have this soft spot for beverages (non-alcoholic ones, of course!). My pantry and fridge are always stocked with something exotic – fresh whole coconuts, sea coconuts, soy bean milk, green pea soup, ginger tea, …
So happens too my neighbor owns a tea factory so I benefit from a free supply of tea leaves. In my Chinese tea collection, I’ve got oolong, ti kuan yin, jasmine, and some others with names I can’t even pronounce 
.
Today, I was incredibly tempted by the Japanese green tea. I’ve heard it’s a health drink too. Well, maybe next time 
.
. Just chicken curry over rice.
