Socializing At Tao Yuan

6/17/2014

My plate of Tao Yuan's Hainanese Chicken

First there was a reunion. And then came another one. Next thing I knew, I was going out again. I was having a good time doing so not on my own anymore. I was loving moments with other people once again. After a long hiatus from socializing with friends, I was at Tao Yuan, a Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Greenbelt and ready to make conversations with real people and not via email or Facebook.

Interestingly, me and my friend decided to veer from anything that had fish in the selection. We tried to surprise ourselves that night. He was fed up with a common friend of ours who was being unreachable. I was fed up with being unreachable myself. We ordered from the meat selection instead. A big plate of Hainanese Chicken and Pork Liempo looked like a savory therapy for dinner.

Choice of sauces: soy, chilli or ginger

For more than a year, I stayed away from some favorite food of mine like the Hainanese Chicken. It seemed to be the right decision at that time because nothing was tasting flavorful no matter how pricey the meal became. A year ago, I remember to be all stressed out about myself, my career, and a lot of other small stuff.

Fast-forward to that night at the restaurant, I was no longer anticipating the worst in life. I've faced it or some representations of it I believe. I came close to death due to a case of chronic sinusitis which almost needed surgery. That night, I was not even trying to catch up on life matters. I was merely "present." I'd like to think that I was sincerely enjoying the sumptuous dinner and the company of a friend. I was simply giddy over the ginger sauce and that was the highlight of my meal.

Read more about my life reflections on my New Self blog under the series, Lifting The Veil.