A saucy tale

When I read through recipes for western food, and see that the seasonings used are usually salt and pepper, with maybe some herbs thrown in, my lips kind of curl and I think, "So boring!" Sure, a good steak only needs salt and pepper to bring out the beefy flavor. But I figure that food can be so much more flavorful with the addition of a sauce or two. Yes,  you can have a tomato sauce, or douse your food with ketchup or mustard, but really, nothing beats Asian sauces for packing in a whole lot more oomph into your cooking. And for me, there's really no substitute for my sauce of choice - fish sauce.

Success - grit or luck?

For the past five years, I’ve been tutoring three girls in a children’s home once a week. In English only, of course, because I’m not much good at teaching any other subject. I’ve seen them mature from gawky 13 year olds into young ladies. Two of them did well enough in their high school examinations to gain full scholarships into college, while the third has started work as a clerk. I am inordinately proud of them, that they have managed to surmount their abusive backgrounds and disadvantages to start a new phase in their lives with bright futures ahead of them. They worked hard, of course, but  they were also given a break.