Friday Five 7-May-2021 Double

First, questions from thefridayfive

1) What is your favourite food?
I'm not sure if the question is asking more as the food ITEM or the food DISH. But if it's food ITEM, I can easily claim the apple as my favorite.

2) What is your favourite food preparation method?
I actually like things tangy and sweet. Sweet and Sour anything and I'm sure to like it. Though I've learnt now that a good balsamic vinegar makes ANYTHING taste good too!

3) What is your favourite cuisine or style of cooking?
I'm very easy going with food, anything makes me happy. But I actually like plain and easy - steamed stuff is nice. Baked stuff is nice. Heck, some things I like them raw too.

4) Do you have any dietary restrictions and if so what are they?
I'm known to have an iron stomach, in that I don't usually get sick by anything (usually), though I've noticed, lately with my advancing age, I'm not as invincible as I once was. I need to take care not to over-eat (yeah sometimes over-eating causes the runs). Oh and spicy hot stuff. I never could stomach them, and while in recent yeas I've learnt to take a little more heat, I still can't really. You put too much white pepper and I already consider it too spicy.

5) If you could introduce the whole world to one ingredient to improve their culinary experience, what would that be and why?
Hm.... I like ladies fingers or okras... or bhindi? I especially like it when they release that slimy mucus thing when you cook curry. And now, note: according to point #4 above, I don't eat spicy. Correct. I don't eat spicy, meaning I don't eat much curry, but I love ladies finger curry. It's too spicy, but it's good, but it's too spicy, but really, it's good. But it's spicy. LOL. My friends hate me for that.

Next, these questions are from F.riday5.com

1) What have you done lately for improving or maintaining your mental health? What more would you like to do?
I haven't been doing anything in particular. Nor have I been consciously trying. It's just, I guess, I've adopted a "let it be~~~~" mentality sort of thing.

2) When did you last eat something specifically because it was good for you?
Thursday lunch, I decided to order something from the healthy menu.

3) These days, what are you learning about, and what would you like to learn about next?
Again, I haven't been purposefully or consciously learning about stuff, but since I've picked up this planting hobby thing, I read around and try to learn more about taking care of plants.

4) What’s positive about your physical appearance lately?
Ah, I know for a fact I've gained a lot of weight (didn't go on the scale to confirm, because I don't want to face the hard reality LOL) but I don't know why, I think my arms have got a little firmer, but I don't know what I've been doing. Maybe wrangling the dog really helps. But seriously, I need to start controlling my food intake, or at least, up my exercise regime.

5) What will you do this weekend to bring joy into your life and a smile to someone else?
I'm always enjoying life. I have a long post brewing in my brain, so I will mull on that for tonight. Later today I'll take the dog and cat to the vet (Menina the dog has Syncope, her blood isn't carrying enough oxygen around her body and she has fainted once already, so she's going to the vet for her weekly B12 shot, and Nutmeg the kitten is getting her second vaccination), and after the vet I have a facial and head/neck massage. So, I'm sure to enjoy the weekend.

Who am I?

So I read amw's post about their family and how they wouldn't have an answer as to their culture or ethnicity, and that got me to thinking about how nowadays it is so common to see "interracial" marriages/relationships and whatnot. I myself am the product of such, and I can say I can't identify to any one culture nor ethnicity that has a somewhat relation to me.

My Dad is from Steiermark (Styria) Austria. I have never lived in Austria. I have maybe spent a few summers. Back then, when my Mom was working, since she was a government employee (teacher at government schools), her benefits package included overseas holidays every 3rd year for the entire family. So I have been to Austria a few times as a kid. I never got to learn German from my Dad as he was working as an expat in China.

Quick story of how he came to Macau to start with: he used to work on freight ships as a cook. So he got to see the world. He liked Brazil very much, and when he returned back to Europe, he decided to find an expat job in Brazil. The employment agency guy said "huh, Brazil, it's hard, you need to know Portuguese. Hey! I have an opening in Macau, it's a Portuguese colony, go there, work some years, learn some Portuguese, then you can go to Brazil!" Then he met my Mom. And he never went back to Brazil. LOL.

Anyway, I never got to learn German from him because, he was always working, and there was no one else that spoke German in Macau at that time. And, there was no internet to look for such people. *shrugs* I suppose there are more Austrians and Germans in Macau nowadays, maybe a few less than 20, but still more than the then 3: My Dad, my Sis and me.... LOL.

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