"Hey i need some help in the kitchen.",she chirped. I was in the midst of a very intense battle. Peeling my eyes momentarily from the flickering screen, i turned my head only to find myself looking directly into her innocently green eyes. she dropped her gaze, gave me a sheepish grin and continued, "We dunno how to prepare dinner."
Dinner was pizza. The hardest step involved in preparing a ready-made frozen pizza for dinner is the turning of the knob on the oven. I paused my game and followed my russian housemate to the kitchen. Clinically, i warmed the oven, tore open the wrapping of the pizza, wrapped the tray in aluminum; shove the pizza into the oven. Being the only one who knows how to operate the oven, i'm probably the best cook in the house.
Since dinner would be served shortly, i hurriedly ended my game and make my way back to the kitchen. Wielding a knife and standing square to the pizza, my japanese housemate looked totally like a samurai. The way i see her handle the knives makes me worried about my own safety. The defenseless pizza seemed in a safer where it was lying motionless on the table than me who was standing just outside the door. i inched cautiously towards the cabinet as she continued to frighten the pizza with her stare. I pulled open the drawer and found what i was looking for..
"Here. Use the pizza roller.", i said.
She took hold of it and rolled the roller over the pizza. The pizza was sliced cleanly into two and a smile broke out of her face. she must have felt like a surgeon.
Over dinner, the american was a one man talk show. Beside the inconspicuous mexican ate silently and left without anyone noticing. I looked up from my food to notice that the russian was munching on an apple. "Is that enough for you?" "Yup. I dun want to grow fat in France."The brazilian girl beside me seems to share the same sentiments, as she focus on picking up the green peas and munching the salad. Seemed like dieting is a worldwide female problem. The spread of turkey and pizza seems to be invisible to them. This fact sink in well with me as I each for my third helping of pizza feeling happy that their dieting decision actually complements my weight gain program.
Today, the dinner conversation topic was tongue twister. We each gave a version of a tongue twister in our native language...
四是四,
十是十,
十四是十四,
四十是四十,
四十四是四十四,
四十四隻石獅子是死的
This was a piece of cake, but it sent everyone rolling in laughter. I was mildly irritated and not sure if I should be amused too. why do people laugh at things that they do not understand? They think that chinese language is incredible - incredibly funny. This seems to act as a catalyst instigating the american to launch a conversation which makes fun of chinese inability to speak fluent french. In his heavy boston accent, he blamed them for everything form global warming to his sore throat. The other students happily gave their two cents worth. Pausing for a drink, he turned to me and said,"It's alright for me to say all these if front of you right? since you are Singaporean..."
imbecile.
"Of cos it is not alright. I have family and friends who are chinese. You don't see me laughing at people who can't speak english without an accent, do you?", I replied. I had indirectly issued a myenglishisbetterthanyours challenge.
"Sorry", he muttered. Immediately, the dining table was enveloped by an awkward silenced like as if some unspoken death sentence had been passed. He was not the criminal; instead it was I who was condemned.
Too bad the dinner had to end this way.
Dinner was pizza. The hardest step involved in preparing a ready-made frozen pizza for dinner is the turning of the knob on the oven. I paused my game and followed my russian housemate to the kitchen. Clinically, i warmed the oven, tore open the wrapping of the pizza, wrapped the tray in aluminum; shove the pizza into the oven. Being the only one who knows how to operate the oven, i'm probably the best cook in the house.
Since dinner would be served shortly, i hurriedly ended my game and make my way back to the kitchen. Wielding a knife and standing square to the pizza, my japanese housemate looked totally like a samurai. The way i see her handle the knives makes me worried about my own safety. The defenseless pizza seemed in a safer where it was lying motionless on the table than me who was standing just outside the door. i inched cautiously towards the cabinet as she continued to frighten the pizza with her stare. I pulled open the drawer and found what i was looking for..
"Here. Use the pizza roller.", i said.
She took hold of it and rolled the roller over the pizza. The pizza was sliced cleanly into two and a smile broke out of her face. she must have felt like a surgeon.
Over dinner, the american was a one man talk show. Beside the inconspicuous mexican ate silently and left without anyone noticing. I looked up from my food to notice that the russian was munching on an apple. "Is that enough for you?" "Yup. I dun want to grow fat in France."The brazilian girl beside me seems to share the same sentiments, as she focus on picking up the green peas and munching the salad. Seemed like dieting is a worldwide female problem. The spread of turkey and pizza seems to be invisible to them. This fact sink in well with me as I each for my third helping of pizza feeling happy that their dieting decision actually complements my weight gain program.
Today, the dinner conversation topic was tongue twister. We each gave a version of a tongue twister in our native language...
四是四,
十是十,
十四是十四,
四十是四十,
四十四是四十四,
四十四隻石獅子是死的
This was a piece of cake, but it sent everyone rolling in laughter. I was mildly irritated and not sure if I should be amused too. why do people laugh at things that they do not understand? They think that chinese language is incredible - incredibly funny. This seems to act as a catalyst instigating the american to launch a conversation which makes fun of chinese inability to speak fluent french. In his heavy boston accent, he blamed them for everything form global warming to his sore throat. The other students happily gave their two cents worth. Pausing for a drink, he turned to me and said,"It's alright for me to say all these if front of you right? since you are Singaporean..."
imbecile.
"Of cos it is not alright. I have family and friends who are chinese. You don't see me laughing at people who can't speak english without an accent, do you?", I replied. I had indirectly issued a myenglishisbetterthanyours challenge.
"Sorry", he muttered. Immediately, the dining table was enveloped by an awkward silenced like as if some unspoken death sentence had been passed. He was not the criminal; instead it was I who was condemned.
Too bad the dinner had to end this way.
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