Rice, rice, and more rice

Over the last 6 days, I have eaten more rice than in the last 6 months combined. Possibly, the last 6 years. In the Philippians, rice is eaten at every meal and in vast quantities. The rice is generally sticky rice and usually quite palatable. I'm still not sold on the "rice for breakfast" thing and so I've stuck to cereal and toast - with Cheez Whiz! - as much as possible. This morning we had hotcakes; the kids had fish and rice. We are routinely thankful for the staff looking after us and ensuring we are not subjected to food we detest and cannot stomach (literally).

My portions of rice have gradually grown smaller and smaller with each passing meal. The reason for this is two-fold: 1) I'm getting tired of rice and 2) I'm generally not very hungry due to the heat. I eat at every meal but nothing compared to what I would eat at home. Hopefully this will pay off waistline-wise but it's tough to tell now because my body is so swollen from the heat; my feet ache even when I'm not putting any weight on them. But, I digress.

On Sunday, we went to the mall to shop and enjoy the A/C. While we were there, we stopped at the food court. I decided to try out Jollibee's, a fast food chain that is more popular than McDonald's. I know. Who knew? It's the Philippines #1 fast food chain so I decided to check it out. What I really wanted was a hamburger and fries. Sadly, they didn't have any hamburgers. I then went with a hotdog and fries. No hotdogs. I settled for chicken and fries. Sadly, that option didn't exist; I was not allowed to order a piece of chicken and fries. I was forced to accept that which was offered to me: chicken and rice. I was so desperate to have a rice-free meal. Clearly, that was not in the cards. Thankfully, it came with gravy which was delicious.

Kristen