There is a magical regenerative power to being sick at home. Especially for those of us who live abroad, when we’re down and out and all rugged up feeling acutely sorry for our lonesome selves, all we want is for our mums to be there, to tsk away at how we’ve not kept warm enough, but at the same time, caressing our feverish foreheads and lovingly nursing us back to health. And somehow, we get better so much quicker.
I’ve been so lucky as to have had all this happen while I’m in Brisbane. Because there is no where in the world I’d rather be right now.
It’s now been a week. One whole week since I was wheeled out of hospital following my “extended hemicolectomy” surgery and I’m on the mend. Recuperating at home has no doubt accelerated this because not only do I have my parents clamouring over each other to smother with me extreme TLC, they’re also my own two personal chefs, cooking up special meals for me everyday which abide by my current requirement to have a soft, soupy, easily digestible and low-fibre diet.
I wonder if my appendix was smarter than I gave it credit for. It bided its time in New York, Vegas and LA… it was even patient enough to outwait Sydney and as soon as I arrived home in Brisbane, it completely lost the plot.
Precision timing, little guy.
Knowing the me that I am, I think the bulk of my recuperation has been in the food my parents have been preparing. And they can cook some amazing food. I mean, they made me have crab congee (above) for dinner on Saturday night. There’s certainly far worse recuperation food out there!
Here are some of the things that have gotten me through the past week:
Chicken soup with carrots, onion and tomato
Chicken and mee sua soup
Pork ribs with winter melon soup
Fish congee with cabbage & ginger
Pork ribs with shredded cucumber soup
Pork rib soup with radish (yes yes I like pork ribs in soup)
And ok they didn’t cook this one but they did go out one day and came home with a little bit of pho for me
Beef pho
And the TLC doesn’t stop there. Because my dad just loves to spoil me, I’ve also been having some sweetness to round up my meals, mainly mango ice cream or custard with my dad’s home grown persimmons and plums.
Mango ice cream with sliced plums
Persimmons from my dad’s garden
I am a little bit spoilt rotten, aren’t I? But you know what, I’ve got to eat. This whole ordeal has seen me lose over 10% of my bodyweight (which wasn’t all that much to start off with). I haven’t been this skin-and-bones since university (and of course back then I thought I was fat) and honestly? I don’t like it. So feed me more and give me my meat back!