Cherish every moment in life: buffet

Last Sunday, Uncle Bill and Aunty Rebecca took us to a fellowship session hosted by the Sathorn Church (Cantonese Church). It was held in the Liquid Bar and Cafe at the Siri Sathorn, where we listened to the testimonial from Mary, a full time church worker from Kunming, China, followed by a lunch buffet and Karaoke.

We were introduced to Elder Chan, who is a skilled practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). He is retired and has moved from Hong Kong to Bangkok permanently. Mommy placed her arm on a cushion, and he pressed down with his fingers on her wrist; he also checked her fingers and toes. After a few minutes, he diagnosed that she was recovering from flu and was not getting enough sleep at night. Spot on! In fact, I am the culprit who kicks up a fuss after 2am every day to have Mommy breastfeed me. Imagine 18 months without uninterrupted sleep... Mommy and Daddy are now seriously trying to stop the night feeds and maybe wean me completely. I suppose I will have to comply, sooner or later.... Elder Chan wrote up a prescription of Chinese herbs and instructed Mommy and Daddy to brew Black Chicken Herbal Soup to boost her health.

Aunty Macy, who organized the event, volunteered to help get our prescriptions filled at a trusted Chinese medicine hall. We bought a black chicken (Chinese Silkie) from Carrefour that evening, and the herbs arrived soon thereafter. The herbs were quite inexpensive, 140 Baht for 2 portions, although the black chicken turned out to be almost double the price of its regular cousin.

Here is the finished product, after stewing with "slow fire" for a few hours, to reduce from the original 8 bowls of water to 6. Black Chicken Herbal Soup is suitable for men and women who have weak constitution and those who are suffering from “qi” and blood deficiencies. Elder Chan's prescription for Mommy turned out to be rich and sweet, without the usual bitter and medicinal taste of similar soups; I liked the meat, which was soft and tender, and went well with rice.