A Thousand Island and a Spoon

No, I did not miss a plural there, FYI.

Living on the edge ...of your bank account (I don't even have one), tends to make one creative. Very creative, especially in matters related to food.

I am willing to bet that most of us poor freelancers have at least been tempted to try the whole instant noodle shelf in supermarkets. Instant noodles are cheap and come in colourful packets that are able to fool you into thinking each of them will taste wonderfully unique.

(At least here in Malaysia) you will be able to find instant noodles with varying nationalities. Nissin, a Japanese brand is one of my favourites. I'm not a fan of the Korean noodles, tho. Actually, I am not a fan of any Korean food, except for Bulgogi, and that's because it is meat. Just meat heated in a pan. Yum. I am a pig.

The Indonesian instant noodles are amazing. However, for some unknown reason (to me) the imported ones in the supermarkets here taste really odd and different from their local counterparts. I remember living in Yogyakarta (and being dirt poor) and still able to buy a basketful of one months supply of different flavoured  noodles. Vegetarian, satay, tomato, corn, beef, even anchovy flavours! I was in instant noodle heaven.

My favourite was the hot and spicy ones, especially ABC's Spicy Hot Tomato. My palate, however, is sensitive to heaty foods. And sometimes you get bored of the same old shit. Do you experience the same problems?

Fret no more. Let me introduce to you:

The MESSIAH!!!

The amazing Thousand Island dressing. For salads.

Of course, mayonnaise will work just fine, and is more flexible in it's use. But lemme finish, alright?

Mayo is a much healthier option and you can even use it to condition your hair, use as a facial mask and for polishing piano keys, but it still lacks that tangy taste of a thousand island. AAAAANNNNNDDDD... here's the buy it or leave it deal: Mayo rarely comes in nifty flip top, squeezable bottles like the Thousand Island. I don't know why they don't, but they really should think about repackaging mayo.

For more mayo beauty tips:  http://www.rd.com/home/11-home-and-beauty-uses-for-mayonnaise/

Somehow, a spoonful of thousand island will help take off the HOT bite out of the instant noodles, and lend it a delightful soft texture. I like it. I prefer this to adding cheese.

So far I have tried eating this with:

• fried foods (nuggets, sausages, popiah, etc)
• rice (yes, plain rice. When you're really really really really broke)
• bread
• some body parts (but let's no go there)

It is cheap and holds well. So why the hell not?