Chopsticks

I don't really remember when I learned to use chopsticks. I'm pretty sure that I'd tried before we moved to Hong Kong when I was eight, at least to the point where I'd sussed out that the top stick was the one that moved, which, for some reason, seemed counterintuitive to me.

Certainly I can remember being very adept with them once we were living out there. Not that we used them with every meal but I guess we ate out often enough at Chinese restaurants that I had plenty of practice. The bank that my dad worked for had a junk that you could book to take you out into the South China Seas and sometimes, when we got back - sunburned and tired but usually after a sleep on the return journey to the harbour - we'd all go to a restaurant called 'The American'.

I remember that it had huge round tables with white table cloths and you could comfortably sit a dozen people around them. There would be so much food and I clearly remember the prawn balls, which I loved. I used to try pretty much everything except I was never brave to try one of the 'thousand year old eggs', which were like hard boiled eggs with a green-black yolk. I feel a bit queasy thinking about it now.

Anyway, today I was travelling down to London and I stopped off for some food. I knew I'd be having curry later on and so I was lazy about my carbs and decided to have noodles with red Thai beef, which I assumed would be spicy but wasn't. I am one of those people who has watched too much American TV and gets excited about eating Chinese (or Thai) food out of a white, cardboard carton. To be honest, the beef made me think of school meals at infant school but I still enjoyed sitting there, using the chopsticks, eating out of the box, and reminiscing about those evenings at 'The American'.