Rice, it's what's for dinner

And for breakfast and for lunch and any snacks in between. I wouldn't mind if there was some variety. I would love to find brown rice. I would be shocked to see wild rice. It would be nice to just come across jasmine, basmati, long grain or short grain rice. Instead, it is polished white rice all day every day. In addition to the bowl of steamed white rice, other forms of this basic staple include the fried variety, rice noodles, rice paper for use in spring rolls, fried or fresh, and rice wine, amongst others.

When I have overdosed on steamed rice, which is often, I do one of the following:

a) order noodles
b) order fried rice
c) go out for Indian or
d) use a lot of hot chili sauce.

One of those options usually does the trick and I am capable of eating it again in its barest form again the next day.

Last night, I decided to order fried rice in a coconut. It has been tempting me for a while and I thought I'd get it out of the way. The waiter asked, "One?" No, make that two, I sarcastically thought to myself. I decided to order another dish to complement the upcoming load of carbohydrates. I opted for the "yellow dal" and was drooling at the thought of lentils. Something different than vegetables and tofu. The waiter again asked, "One?" I stalled for a second to see if anybody in the empty chairs around me also wanted some. After no response, I enthusiastically nodded and replied, Yes, ONE.

When my meals arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see the enormity of my fried rice-filled cocount. After all, size does matter, despite what they might say to the contrary. I was also a bit surprised to find my "dal" looking a lot like a plateful of yellow fried rice. Since the communication barrier had me tongue-tied, I let it go, but only after making an attempt at stating This is not what I ordered. A fruitless attempt I might add.

I looked embarrassingly at the two imposing plates of rice and I knew I would not be finishing dinner. That is a rarity. Normally, there would be no problem. I don't like to waste. I also enjoy a food coma right before bed. But with my expanding waistline and shrinking body mass elsewhere, I have decided to be a more conscious eater. I have tried this before. And ultimately I end up forgetting what I was doing. This time, however, there are no vegan cookies getting in my way. I'll be sure to keep you posted.