2015.11.09 | 麥記納塊

[Volume 10 Issue 11, #2072]

The Nanoblock That Made Many Had McDonald's Every Thursday..

如果唔係新加坡一位朋友告之, 我其實都唔會知道麥當勞翌日開始發售呢啲Nanoblock嘅.. 好啦, 見自己已經有咗兩個(左邊嘅漢堡包同薯條), 係幾個月前一位香港朋友送嘅生日禮物, 唔爭在買埋其餘嘅湊夠一套啦.. 好喇, 於是就踏上征途, 每個星期四早上就去大排長龍嘅麥當勞考驗自己嘅耐性.. 以為自己好早啦, 誰不知自己面前永遠都有條長龍!! 點都好, 最後都可以喺「重重壓力」嘅情況之下, 買齊一全套, 哈哈!! 真係難明突然由邊度嚟嘅咁多人, 為呢啲Nanoblock掀起熱潮.. 所以今日拎出呢條可能你自己都不停咁問嘅問題: 點解啲人會咁瘋狂於買麥當勞玩具?? 我呢, 其實好簡單地視佢哋為「私人珍藏品」囉, 每個人都有自己十分喜歡嘅嘢㗎啦, 就好似河馬媽媽永遠唔會覺得自己夠晒鑽戒同名牌手袋.. 唔係錯㗎, 因為我認為每個人都會為自己喜歡嘅嘢而咁做, 最重要嘅底線係, 應該量其能力去得到自己應得嘅, 而唔係佔他人便宜去滿足自己嘅慾望.. 大家又點睇呢?? :)

i wasn't aware about this Nanoblock thing until a friend in Singapore messaged me just one day before its launching day.. okay, i actually already have two (the Big Mac and Fries on the left) which my friend in HK sent to me as birthday gift months ago, i thought since i already have two then might as well get the rest to make a complete collection.. as such i hopped on the journey, exercising my patience at McD outlets which were packed with people every Thursday morning.. i thought i was early, yet there were always a long line before me!! anyway, i still managed to get mine and have a complete set of collection, after a couple of weeks of "peer pressure" from the other collectors, hahaha!! where did all these people come from and why a sudden flux of fever about this Nanoblock?? so here's the topic for discussion today, which i supposed you have always been asking: why are people so crazy about McD's toys?? i simply see them as purely "collector's items", everyone has got what they most fancy about, just like Hippomama can never have enough of diamond rings and Airmess handbags.. it's not wrong because i guess everyone does this for what they fancy, if and only if we do what we can afford and deserve but never take advantage of others for the sake of our own pleasure.. what would you say?? :)

2015.11.05 | 油醬麵包

[Volume 10 Issue 11, #2071]

How You Spread Jam and Eat Your Bread

仲記唔記得一個月前, 我哋傾過啲十分微不足道嘅話題, 例如你點去食塊麵包?? 對半折, 一片食, 打孖上甚至三塊一齊嚟, 我知道你知我又要再講更加微不足道嘅嘢, 哈哈.. 我從來都冇去留意自己一向嚟會搽幾多牛油果醬喺我塊麵包上, 直至最近嘅曼谷之旅, 喺酒店食早餐嗰一日.. 其中一位友人將兩塊牛油同一塊果醬(酒店俾開嗰啲一塊塊嘅方便裝呢), 一滴不漏全部拍喺佢塊麵包上, 面不改容就咁食落肚!! 天呀, 我即刻呆咗喺度無話可說, 因為之後發覺原來自已只係用咗半塊牛油同四份一塊果醬.. 其實呢, 我自己就覺得薄薄一層有啲味道就夠喇, 厚厚一層油同糖喺塊麵包上面查实有點恐怖囉.. 就好似我平時食薯條咁, 只會點一丁點醬(甚至唔點都冇問題).. 唔似好多人咁, 幾碟幾碟(任拎唔嬲嘅)辣椒醬灌落肚, 似係飲醬配薯條多過食薯條點醬.. 可能人老咗, 我已經食得比以前清淡, 而且開始減少食重口味嘅嘢.. 之不過我又始終覺得, 喜歡食乜就食乜唔係咩大問題, 健康嘢又好垃圾嘢又好, 最重要係食得中庸及理智.. 過於乾淨或會造成不堪一擊, 盡情享受但不能過咗火, 講到底就係一個中肯加平衡, 就好似我哋生活上好多事情一樣.. :)

still remember a month ago we talked about some trivial topics like how you eat your bread?? fold, flat, one on top another or even a triple-decker.. okay now you know i am going to talk about something even more trivial, hehehe.. i never pay attention to how much butter and jam and whatnot i spread on my bread, until what i witnessed the day we had breakfast in our hotel during my recent Bangkok trip.. one of my friends splatted two blocks of butter and one block of jam (those small convenient packet of butter and jam, you know??) onto one slice of toast and then just eat it as it was!! OMG, i was speechless i was shocked as i was watching him, because i realised i actually only used half butter and quarter jam for my toast.. i personally think a thin spread would do to bring taste to the toast, a thick layer of fats and sugars on top looks rather scary to me.. just like i would only use little to no sauce for my fries, unlike many who would eat plates of (free and bottomless) chili sauce for a packet of fries, like they are eating the sauce with fries (and not the other way round).. maybe as i get older, i started to appreciate lightly flavored food more, for instance i cut down oily and spicy food now.. but i still think it is perfectly fine to happily eat whatEVER we like healthy or junk, but always hold on to the principle that modesty is the key.. too clean and we end up vulnerable, enjoy but don't go over the board, it's all about a modest balance, just like many other things we would do in life.. :)

2015.11.03 | 唔係咁大

[Volume 10 Issue 11, #2070]

The (Not That Big As I Thought It Would Be) Triple Cheeseburger

呢個就係我幾日前喺麥當當所食嘅三層芝士漢堡包(请數芝士後再數牛肉餅).. 係呀, 當我話要個雙層但我係朋友幫我買咗個三層, 我第一個反應係碌大眼+擘大咀+飆冷汗!! 我戰戰兢兢地打開個盒, 拎出個包再360度仔細望佢幾眼, 喂, 其實都唔係餐牌上所見我所想像中咁大啫~~ 食完個包之後再調整下思绪, 查實都唔需要大驚小怪啦.. 我哋何尚唔係已經默許, 喺保持價錢競爭力嘅大前提之下, 今時今日啲肉餅其實已經剩下當年嘅一半厚度啦.. 所以今日嘅三層其實等同當年嘅雙層, 依家我卒之明白點解我每次食完一個雙層芝士漢堡包後, 始終都唔覺有嘢落肚, 哈哈!! 之不過又冇能力去買多份餐, 事關啲嘢真係越嚟越貴, 連喺街邊食一餐分分鐘RM10都冇得找.. 以前唔係咁㗎記唔記得?? 當年係有錢學生先可以去麥當當, 家下我去麥當當係因為個「雜饭Auntie」郁下都收我RM7一碟飯.. 百的價漲錢縮水, 但依舊更多的「捐獻」!! 教我如何不愛我的國家??

this was the Triple Cheeseburger (count the cheese then the beef patties) i had some days ago in Donald McRonald's.. yes, petrified was my reaction when i asked for a double but my friend bought me a triple instead!! i gingerly opened the box, took out the burger and gave it a close scrutiny.. that was my extra virgin Triple Cheeseburger experience really, but hey, it was actually not that big as what i saw on the menu and imagined it would be~~ i finished my burger and reorganise my thoughts, what's there to be surprised about?? we have kind of "consented" that while keeping price competitive, the patties are now just half the thickness of what they used to be.. so this triple is probably the double we used to have, and now i know why i would always feel "tarak rasa" even after gobbling a double cheeseburger, hahaha!! but can't afford to get another set because things are getting more expensive, even eating at roadside stalls can cost us RM10 a meal, sometimes i think having fast food are more economical.. it wasn't like this remember?? back then only the rich students could afford Donald McRonald's but now i go to Donald McRonald's because the chap fan auntie easily charges me RM7 for a plate of rice.. price up and money shrinks further, and yet even more "donations"!! tell me how i not love my country??