Just a little meme thingy which entertained me in a gap between classes this morning. Usually I use this time to prepare lessons, study Korean, or write emails, but I’m too tired today. This was a nice relaxing way to pass the time without thinking too much and overtaxing my brain!
A. Attached or single? Single. And – at last! – relieved and happy to be so. That took a while, eh?! ;)
B. Best friend? I don’t think I have one. I have a best friend I’ve known most of my life, a best friend for drinking with, a best friend for laughing with (and getting no-nonsense advice from), a best friend for debating with (and then laughing with when we realise once again how completely opposite and unsuited we are as friends), a best friend for writing to, a best friend for language exchange… you get the picture. I have no one best friend. I just have friends who are the best in their own special ways.
C. Cake or pie? What does pie mean here, exactly? I suspect it’s a sweet thing, in which case I prefer cake. But if it happens to be pie in a steak-and-kidney, mince-and-onion, or shepherd’s/cottage kind of way, then definitely pie. I don’t particularly like cakes and sweet stuff. Just Cadbury’s chocolate for when the occasional cravings hit! Normally I choose savoury over sweet.
D. Day of choice? Bizarrely, it’s Monday at the moment. My best schedule at school, a free evening to go for dinner or drinks, and nicely rested after the weekend. Or Wednesday, another decent schedule at school followed by language exchange and a homecooked meal with a Korean friend. Or Sunday, when I hang out with Awma, Abba, and Nam-dong-seng. Hmm… maybe I like most days, actually…
E. Essential item? Laptop. ‘Nuff said.
F. Favorite color? I have a feeling I always give a different answer to this question, and suspect that that’s because I don’t actually have one.
G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears, if I have to choose, but both are good. Out of all sweets, these are some that I really do like.
H. Hometown? Ballymena. After which was Glasgow. Then Ballymena. Then Tallinn. Then Ballymena. Then Daejeon. Hmm, I wonder what’ll come after Daejeon?(!)
I. Favorite indulgence? Coming home from work on my first free night after a frantic few weeks, changing into my pyjamas, switching off my phone, cooking a nice meal (or getting take-out), and either playing vintage computer games from my childhood or watching back-to-back episodes of my current favourite TV show, whilst having a few beers. Sad but true. It’s my favourite way to relax, and I need some totally alone me time after so much constant social interaction!
J. January or July? January. Cold weather, snow, frost – perfect. July means heat and humidity and sunburn and dehydration and heatstroke and much more sweat than I care to think about.
K. Kids? Have never, ever wanted my own, and doubt that I ever will. However, I have discovered that I don’t actually hate them – and in some cases, even love them. Teaching has been a voyage of self-discovery. Kids are great, as long as I can walk quickly away from them at 5pm.
L. Life isn’t complete without? Love and laughter.
M. Marriage date? Nope!
N. Number of brothers and sisters? One sister. Known as The Sister. One of my favourite people.
O. Oranges or apples? Oranges. Especially the ones grown here. I wasn’t a big fan of fruit until I moved to Korea, and now I’m becoming rather fond of it – it tastes so fresh and juicy and gorgeous here!
P. Phobias? Cotton Wool. I still don’t want to talk about it, thanks.
Q. Quotes? At the moment, I’m a little bit addicted to The Big Bang Theory, and love pretty much anything Sheldon says. e.g.: Sheldon: I’ll have a diet Coke. Penny: Can you please order a cocktail? I need to practice mixing drinks. Sheldon: Fine… I’ll have a virgin Cuba Libre. Penny: That’s… rum and Coke without the rum. Sheldon: Yes, and would you make it diet?
R. Reasons to smile? Sheldon. :) Also my family, my friends, my job, my own lil’ apartment… oh, and the fact that I’m living in Asia this year, lived all over Europe last year, and have no idea where I’ll be living after another year!
S. Season of choice? Autumn or Winter. Usually winter, but only if it’s not so icy that I can’t walk.
T. Tag 5 people. No.
U. Unknown fact about me? I don’t have any secrets. You probably know everything. No, wait. Although a very tolerant person, I no longer have any patience for grown adults who complain like children about the inclusion of vegetables in their meal, and pick out onions or mushrooms or whatever, or refuse to even try a dish because it includes a particular ingredient. Unless you have serious allergy problems, just enjoy the complete dish, savour the meal as a whole, appreciate how the flavours and textures work together, and GROW UP!
V. Vegetable? Hmm. Mushrooms. No, asparagus. No, onions. Actually, pass. It all depends on the meal. I love most vegetables, cooked properly and in the right dish/sauce.
W. Worst habits? On-again, off-again smoker. Love my food too much. Tend to trust/believe people too easily and end up being embarrassed or completely crushed. Serious overuse of garlic when cooking.
X. X-ray or ultrasound? That sounds like a question from someone who couldn’t be bothered being more imaginative with the letter X, and I don’t really understand what I’m being asked.
Y. Your favorite food? At the moment, Dak Galbi from the restaurant down the road, or spicy chicken stew made by one of my colleagues, or the school cooking lady’s bulgogi, or samgyeopsal with all the veggies and dips. Korean food FTW!
Z. Zodiac sign? Libra. I don’t know anything about starsigns, so I’ve just looked it up to see what Libra people are supposed to be like:
– Libras avoid conflict at all costs, and would rather give in than have an unnecessary argument (or in some cases, a necessary one).
– Libras are reasonable, nonjudgmental and able to see both sides of an issue. Arguments make Libras miserable. They crave peace and much of their lives are spent in the pursuit of harmony.
– Most Libras have a strong romantic streak. Sometimes they may fall in love more with the idea of being in love than with the actual partner, and they have a tendency to put their partners on pedestals from which they inevitably fall. As a result, Libras are frequently disillusioned. Still, they keep trying because Libra is a sign that needs to be in a partnership to feel complete, and Libras are willing to put up with a lot in order to achieve this.
Coffee Helps: The Decaf Years 
I may have to steal this :-)
What if you try something first, decide you don’t like it then pick out the horrible bits? ;-)
Seriously, If someone has cooked for me I’ll eat almost anything to be polite. There are two things I absolutely cannot stand to put in my mouth: sprouts and parsnip. And believe me, seeing me pick them out and put them on the side is the lesser of two evils (the alternative being throwing up all over the plate…)
Hmm. Longgggg comment coming up!
I was thinking more of people who won’t even consider ordering something in a great restaurant if there’s a chance the sauce contains vegetables. It’s different if you’re served a plateful of separate foods and don’t touch one of them because you don’t like it. I doubt that I would eat a portion of liver or a pile of cauliflower on its own, for example. But I’d certainly try a few bites along with the other ingredients on the plate to see how they worked together before I decided to leave it. And if it’s an ingredient in some kind of sauce, casserole, stew or whatever, I’d never refuse it, because that’s completely different from eating it on its own, and most often the flavour of a dish actually *depends* on the combination of tastes that comes from the variety of ingredients. It really annoys me to see people not even trying something and just declaring that they hate it simply because one of the ingredients is something that they wouldn’t enjoy eating on its own! You wouldn’t snack on a raw garlic bulb in your coffee break, but so many meals would be incomplete without it.
Sorry, it seems that I have irrationally strong feelings about this. ;) But I do understand the concept of people just not liking something. I don’t particularly like fish – but I know that there are many, many different flavours and textures in the world of seafood, so I will always try one I haven’t tasted before. That’s how I fell in love with sushi, even though the squishy fishy plate of horror I had at a seafood restaurant here came very close to making me throw up!
I’m very passionate about good food, and it annoys me when people miss out on so many excellent dishes for no sensible reason!
The brussel sprouts one is understandable, I suppose, although I’d like to think that you’d try one if it was in a fancy restaurant with a fabulous new recipe or something. And you may be the only person I know who has told me they don’t like parsnips!! Clearly you’ve only had them badly cooked, like soggy from having the life boiled out of them or something. Parsnips are a great ingredient. I used to make a lovely, simple pasta dish involving shaved parsnip, pancetta and rosemary – the flavours were gorgeous together. And roast parsnips are fab too.
Who knew I had this much to say about this topic? I could go on all day, but I doubt that anyone’s still reading!
B. Which one am I???
H. Ballymena!!!!
I. Have you caught the new season of Greys?
Q. I LOVE the Big Bang Theory too ;-)
U. McLovely is a picker, but will eat around the offending item.
Z. I also am a Libra but the total opposite of what that says. Good job I consider it all to be rubbish!
Must Skype soon :-)
B: Oh, right, so the “no-nonsense advice” didn’t sound at all like you?! ;)
I: Yes, I’ve been watching. Still love McDreamy…
Z: We really are opposites, as I thought it described me quite well! But I tend to agree with your views on horoscopes, so that’s something we have in common!
What is someone is actually physically afraid of a vegetable…or a fungi…I’m heaving just thinking about its rubbery skin and squishy texture. Ew ew ew!