Chinese Takeaway

I'm really hungry - starving in fact. It's that feeling when you know you shouldn't snack, because dinner will be in just half an hour, and you're going to enjoy eating it so much on an empty stomach... When the food finally arrives, in plastic pots and silver foil trays, there's nothing quite like wrenching them open and unleashing the oily tasty goodness inside.

There's confusion amongst the numbers as me and my family or friends guess which food item is which by deciphering the numbers on the lids. But it doesn't really matter. The dishes were only really selected on a "Ooh we haven't had a Wondering Dragon before. I wonder what that is?!?!" basis.

The taste itself, combined with the hunger, the warmth and the family, makes the meal. Chinese food carries huge spectrums of sweet, salty and sour, and an even greater range of textures. My general technique is to pile a little of everything onto my plate then circle with my fork, jabbing and tasting a bit of everything like a sock circling in a tumble dryer.

Too soon you're mopping up the sauce and finishing the prawn crackers and only the memory lingers. Still, it was a good memory. Cheer yourself up with some wholesome Chinese goodness today!