Is mothering a thankless task?

The other day, I had lunch with some old friends, one of whom brought her daughter. G, a remarkably smart, mature and engaging 24 year old, asked us if we thought motherhood was really all that it was cut out to be. Those of us who are mothers nodded sagely while S who's single just smiled. That got me wondering about whether we're the only ones in the animal kingdom who really have a choice about parenthood.

What does age-appropriate dressing mean, really?

I told myself a long time ago that when I got older and didn't feel the urge to wear figure-hugging clothes anymore, mostly because I would happily let it all hang out, I would get myself relaxed-fit jeans. Now that I've reached the age of relaxed-fit everything, I'm so happy that there are gym clothes and casuals in soft cottons that have drawstring waists. They're not only relaxed-fit but can also be let loose to accommodate huge meals!

Making light work of leftover duck

In the aftermath of Chinese New Year feasts, my fridge is filled to the brim with food. It's really a sin to waste anything and I'm loathe to just toss food away. I do freeze some of it, to be savored at a later date when I'm not feeling so stuffed with New Year goodies. A comfort soup made with the carcasses of various meats. A simple pasta with leftovers. For now, though, especially in the hot weather, I'm craving something light and citrusy, to counter all the rich food I've been enjoying.

Making pineapple tarts from scratch

There I am, standing at the stove with sweat dripping down my legs, and stirring, stirring the pot of pineapple jam for hours, asking myself, "Why do I bother?" It's not as if I'm a huge fan of sweet stuff, and I could easily just go pick up some store-bought pineapple tarts that magically appear everywhere in the run-up to Chinese New Year. But then again, I don't really prepare anything else for the celebration, and my son, B, is a fan of the tarts. So I am attempting, yet again, to make pineapple tarts, from scratch.