Hong Asian Grocery Shop

I thought it was time to give the local guy a plug. We moved to Barooga NSW about 8 months ago, after living in the bustling megalopolis that is KL, in Malaysia (for my wife, for her entire life, for me, for the last 8 years).

For both of us (her being Chinese it is ingrained, and me being a Brown, well all the more so too!) good food, and access to a good variety of food, is an essential part of life. A big part of that is Asian food. We are not all that specific about which cuisine we go for: in fact we go for them all! Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Japanese, you name it really!

So moving to a small Australian country town of only 5,500 people, one would think that having access to Asian groceries - both fresh and spices/sauces etc, would be challenging. Well think again! Enter - Hong Asian Grocery Shop (http://www.bigozdirectory.com/hong-asian-grocery-shop-cobram)

The web page isn't much, but gives the address and phone number at least. These guys are open 7 days, and will also bring stuff back from Melbourne for you - even freshly roasted duck, which is simply fabulous!

The array of sauces and spices is largely SE Asian influenced, so not a lot of Indian options, but they are still there. Anyway, what is there is magnificent, including all the pork, fish balls, frozen dim sum (superb quality) and Asian snacks we loved living in KL. I love this shop and am SO glad we have it close to us!

Mum's Birthday Dinner

Mum turns 79 today. She's doing so well for her age. Physically she has had her share of ailments, even crises once or twice, but she looks a lot younger than 79. We put it down to her calm and loving disposition. Mum is simply the nicest person I know.

So I decided to do something special for her birthday, although perhaps I should have waited until the big 8-0. Not to worry, I can always try to top it next year.

We've had a few family issues throughout 2016, largely health-related and largely to do with my two brothers. They're both in an ok place at the moment though, and will be joining us tonight, along with my sister, so Mum will be thrilled to have us all together. Here's a look at what I'm putting together...

A little ambitious perhaps? Well not really, I did the BKT yesterday and my wife prepared the chicken and Hakka Mee, while my brother is doing the prawn dish. The duck is bought cooked, so I really only have three dishes - all stir-fried - to do today.

OK, so that was yesterday. Chilling out this morning, feeling the effects of a late night and too much booze/smokes. Had a good one though, the meal was fantastic. Far too much food, particularly as not everyone ate. Not mentioning names, but won't be inviting certain people back to my table again in a hurry. But everyone else thoroughly enjoyed it, and there was enough leftover to feed us for a good few days.

My personal favourite was the bah kut teh. Rich and fatty, but utterly delicious. Beautiful blend of pork, garlic, dark soy, Chinese herbs and veggies. God it was good. All the other dishes were too, but that one was a stand-out. Thanks to everyone who contributed, family get-togethers are precious.

Pissed Post

Ok, so here's one for me.

Sitting here, a little later than normal. Been a crazy few weeks, with Xmas and NY being insane for the business, which means little time off. But tonight I sit here on the eve of 3 days off! Woohoo!

Life is good to me, I must admit. But at the same time it is tough. Never before have I had to watch my pennies like this. Never before have I had to pay one bill this week in favour of another, with only the potential prospect of coming good on the other bill the next week. WTF. This is tough. We play a bit of Lotto each week, in the hope of easing our burden. But life is here to tell me that it ain't gonna be that simple.

Maybe one day. But not just yet.

But. I am loving my family life. I love my wife more and more each day, and I absolutely adore my kids. The rest may be tough, but I am home each day, and being a dad and husband each day, and I love it.

Screw the problems. I deal with them, but in my own time.