The Chicken

raw pink chicken lay along the bottom shelf of aisle 4.
i usually notice the chicken fillets immediately and mindlessly dump a pack in my basket.
but this time, i looked at the different body parts of chicken.
i found legs that were half the price and twice the weight of the fillets i usually buy.
i felt so senseless being well trained by my hakka blooded mother and never noticing such a bargain before.

i carried 1kg of chicken home absolutely delighted.
planning my chicken rice dish for lunch the next day, i decided to be smart and prepare the chicken the night before.

11:10pm
i unleashed the legs, piercing round the outline of the packet.
i picked the one closest to me, and held the leg like a gun.
observing the skin closely, i decided to get rid of it seeing some hair and what reminded me of my dad's stubbled skin.
but i had to seperate drumstick from, erh, thigh? first.
so in a total cannible fashion, the joints cracked and i felt strangely inhumane.
the more i twisted, the worst it sounded so i reached for my knife to 'ease the chicken's pain'
as i sawed at the joint, a little bone exploded out, at the force i applied.
i was feeling pretty uneasy all in all.
finally, cutting enough, i tore the 2 apart by sheer force, the loose skin flapping everywhere.
the only thought that got me through the ordeal was knowing that i couldn't eat chicken without being able to "dahan" the killing.

i proceeded with my de-skinning plan.
i knew that if i began cutting, i'd get pieces of skin patched over the meat.
so i thought tearing it off at one go would do the trick.
as famously put, easier said than done.
i used much skill, nail and strength to get the main piece of skin off, but couldn't help thinking whether my skin was similar, although smoother.
that was enhanced even more when i held the cold piece of meat, one in each hand, squeezing slightly to feel the bounciness of the chicken.
with blood dribbling down my right hand, i felt like a squirmish cold hearted killer.

this didn't stop me from having my chicken rice the next day.
voila!


using the wrong rice was the downfall of the beautifully cooked dish.
instead of your usual thai fragrant white rice, i used easy cook american brown rice.
yes, not quite the same yah?
the rice was chewy, got wedged between my teeth and was just plain brown!
imagining it was coloured by soya sauce was the only help.
but when you're hungry and haven't eaten rice in months, none of the above matters.

*pats herself on back for surviving very maternal ordeal*