The Scale Never Lies

I still receive many questions about food.  With four growing young lads.  One taller than me and the other only a 1/4 of an inch away from such status, much food is consumed in our household.  There is vast unlimited supply of fresh fruit and veggies.  Many I have never seen before and will rarely if ever use (for some are very bitter or strong or have no taste).  Most of it is relatively inexpensive or comparative to US prices.  The pineapples and papayas are outstanding.  It is hard for us to find fresh lettuce, so that is a treat when it is available.  Also grapes are extremely expensive, I have not bought them yet.

There is much less imported food in Papua then in Bandung.  So olives are over $3.00 a can.  1 Kg of oats is over $3.00, along with whole wheat flour.  Anything canned you really have to think twice before buying because it is no bargain.  We can get butter, tofu, peanuts, olive/canola oil, etc.  I still pay at least as much for groceries as I did in America which really has surprised me.

The other thing that has really caught me off my guard several times is that the grocery stores run out of things.  So lately there was no flour and mayonnaise or olives.  Another thing that has surprised me is the local big grocery store does not throw away their rotting produce for a long long time.  The aroma and shelf appeal is hard to ignore.

Even though in Bandung we managed with the rice cooker to make all kinds of treats….the oven grants much tastier results.  So now we can make four plus loaves of bread at a time, crunchy granola, croutons, and our latest recipe we are trying to perfect is cinnamon crunch bagels.  The two older boys are always trying to help me tweak the recipe.  There has been much less gripping about food since we have moved to Papua.  I think because I have much more time to cook, the oven offers better results and more variety, and thanks to the handy powerful converter that Uncle Bob and Aubrey rigged up for me, we can now use the griddle, mixer, and fajita press. 

A typical week breakfast menu is: hot cereal, toast and fruit + tofu eggs, pancakes, waffles, biscuits and gravy, granola.  Lunch menu: pasta’s, rice and beans or different kinds of beans or patties or veggies, potpie, pizza, some kind of veggie loaf and mashed potatoes, etc. etc.  I’ve learned how to make different sandwich spreads with local available products.  No suffering in this household.

So as our menu expands, so does the temptation to eat.  Until the crate came I had not stepped on a scale in 6 months.  I like to weigh daily (I know I have some daily weighing fans out there….I’ll refrain from any names).  I was delighted to pull the scale out of a box and add it to my household items needed now.  Unfortunately, the scale never lies.  I was hoping it would tell me I was at my dream weight and I could eat on.  But no…… hee hee !!!!  The self control must continue.  Just know there are no gaunt faces in our household.  Though somehow Darron has shed his love handles, no fair….is all I have to say.

Darron get’s his fill of Indonesian food as he is out and about so much.  The children are not adventurous at all when it comes to trying the food.  Darron has more than his fill of spicy hot.  I try to sample as much as possible when at church fellowship meals.  However, we eat almost 100% improvised American food.

I love my motor cycle veggie man.  I can send him a text the night before and he will bring me whatever I request from the market.  His prices are fair.  I always am surprised at what he can tuck away on his “cart”.  Last week we had heavy rains and 2 meters of water entered his house.  I gave him $5.00 to “help” his family in their troubles.  What was that?  Probably close to a day’s wage for him.  He was teary as he reluctantly but gratefully accepted the money.

 

 

Happy to be back in the daily weigh in.  Glad I can count on the scale to always tell the truth, even if I don’t like it.  I find when I read the Bible it also acts as a scale in my life….never lying, but helping me to know truth and great principles.  Now that is true bread and food!