Just Amleth

Monday, October 27, 2003

Eating hamsters - Part II

This continues from the immediate aftermath of the events described in Eating hamsters - Part I.

After eating the dwarf hamster, I was hit by a pang of guilt. I had just taken the life of a cute little creature, albeit a carnivorous one who had tried to eat me. Did I really have to eat the hamster, delicious as it might be? Was that the only option available to me then? Even if I had to take the life of the cute little hamster to save myself, surely it deserved a proper burial and not in the depths of my tummy? Were there any hamster anthropologists in this world who would know the proper burial rites for hamsters? I pondered about these questions as I walked to my apartment.

To assuage my guilt, I thought it would be best if I started performing acts of kindness towards hamsters. Perhaps then, I would be forgiven of my transgressions against that one hamster who had tried to eat me. The next day, I went on my quest to find new hamsters. Responding to an advertisement on the Internet, I decided to buy two hamsters, a male and female. Why did I buy a male and a female? I thought that if I brought several new hamster lives into this world, I could atone for the sin of taking that one life away.

Hamsters are surprisingly productive creatures. Within a few weeks, they had given birth to a few young baby hamsters. I was comforted by these events. Once the baby hamsters grew up to become matured adults, I planned to either give them away, or release them to nature. By doing that, I would have more than atoned for my sin.

Alas, things were not to be. I have been told by my friends (hamster lovers, incidentally) that hamsters are gentle creatures who would never cause harm to any other creature. Apparently, this is not the case. The female became very aggressive and I had to put the male hamster in another cage. Perhaps it is not so strange that a hamster had tried to eat me after all. Then another shocking incident happened. The mother started to gnaw and bite on her young, not in a playful, teasing fashion, but in a most harmful manner. I am not quite sure if this was a common behaviour of hamsters, but it certainly happened to my hamsters!

I wagged my finger at the mother and reprimanded it for trying to cannibalize her young. The mother stared at the ground with downcast eyes, obviously feeling very sorry for what she had done. I tried to comfort the baby hamster, which snuggled into my palms, with pleading eyes begging me to keep it away from its mother. I examined the damage that had been done to it. There was a gaping hole in its stomach. It broke my heart to see the pain and suffering the poor little baby hamster had to endure. I tried to soothe it by licking the wounds the mother had created in its abdomen.

As I licked the wounds, I savoured the taste of the blood and flesh of the baby hamster. My mind began to conjure images of various seasoning and spices sprinkled onto the baby hamster. My taste buds were starting to become very sensitive, and I nibbled on its abdomen slowly. Before long, the whole hamster was in my mouth and I was munching on it. Baby hamsters, with their soft bone structure, taste like .... escargot with fur. The screeching of the baby hamster and the horrified squeals of its mother were blotted out of my mind.

What have I done again?!

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Eating hamsters - Part I

I do not quite know how to begin this, how I can relate this strange experience without creating a sense of disbelief among my friends. Yet, bizarre as it is, it had happened to me as surely as the sun rises from the east. Perhaps I should begin from the time I returned home. It was about 1:00am in the morning. I had just returned from work that night. As usual, I got off the cab, crossed the road, and strolled along the path that I usually took to get to my apartment. The streets were deserted -- most people had already retired to bed, although you could occasionally see a stray dog or two wandering about aimlessly. It was going to be just another normal night, and there was no hint at all that tonight was going to be any different.

I had walked for several moments, before I realized that something was different. There was the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind me. Turning my head back, I saw nothing but a dark emptiness. Out of concern for my safety, I picked up speed, but the sound of footsteps only became faster and louder. Finally, I came to a well-lit building. Turning into a corner, I hid and waited to see who my stalker was. Within moments, he appeared before me. It wasn't quite what I expected. Here I was, staring eye-to-eye with a cute little dwarf hamster.

The hamster stared into my eyes with a hungry look. It gnashed its teeth before me, as if spoiling for a fight. I stared back at it, refusing to be intimidated by the cute-looking rodent. This lasted for about half a minute. It was grueling thirty seconds, trying to stare down a creature as tall as your foot. Then, it attacked! It jumped onto my feet, climbed up my pants in one swift movement. I was taken by surprise. My survival instincts took over, and I tried to shake it off my pants, but to no avail. This was one strong little bugger! I tried to grab hold of it, but it was too fast for me.

It ran up my pants, onto my shirt, and then to my shoulder. Within moments, it was gnawing my chin, and then sticking its furry little head into my mouth where it bit my tongue. It was then that I realized what the hamster was trying to do. The evil little rodent was trying have me for dinner! I must have looked like one big meal that would have lasted it several lifetimes. This was no time to cajole cute furry little rodents. I snapped my jaws shut. The hamster struggled for several moments, digging its tiny little claws into my gums, refusing to release its teeth from my tongue. The rusted-iron taste of blood filled my mouth, some from the hamster and some from the area where it bit me. Well, I do realize how ridiculous this might sound -- but here I was, fighting to save my life from the clutches of the evil little hamster. I clenched my teeth, for fear that if I had released my jaws, the hamster would eat my tongue.

The struggle lasted for about a minute, before the hamster finally stopped struggling. Its blood trickled out of my mouth and dripped onto my shirt -- my favourite white shirt. I had planned to wear this shirt for a very important presentation the following week, but now it was irreparably ruined. There is a Chinese phrase that goes, "I hate him so much I cannot wait to eat his flesh". It was at this point in time that I have finally come to understand the meaning of this phrase, at least literally. I was so furious that I chewed on the hamster, tasting its soft and juicy flesh. It tasted like a mixture of salmon sashimi and iron. Hamster bones are remarkably soft, like a slightly crunchier form of biscuit. I must have acquired a taste for hamster blood too, for I thought it tasted like red wine of a most exquisite quality. Once I had reduced the hamster into a lump of chewed flesh mixed with fur, I swallowed it.

Most major discoveries are accidental. In 1895, Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays by accident when he saw the bones of his own hand on film during the course of one of his experiments. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin when a dish of bacteria he had cultured was destroyed by a mold that had probably drifted in from an open window in his laboratory. So was the discovery that hamsters make for fine cuisine. Who would have known? I would never have discovered it if the hamster had never attacked me. I am now resolved to conduct experiments on how to make the best-tasting hamsters. Perhaps I might even start my own hamster restaurant one day, to introduce this delicious cuisine to the world. Till then, wish me luck in my experiments.

Wednesday, October 15, 2003

Conversations with a Cabby II - Never underestimate the cabby

Since we are on the topic of cabbies, perhaps I should record another incident, while it is still fresh on my mind. This incident occured on yet another late night, at approximately 1:00am, while I was taking a cab on my way home.

"Holland Village. Take the AYE and exit at Clementi Road."

"Ok."

I laid back and stretched my arms. Then I closed my eyes.

"Wah, how come you have to work so late?" asked the cabby. I wonder if there is some kind of Cabby Code that dictates that a cabby should always enquire about a customer's well being, even though it is quite apparent that all the customer wants to do is to get some sleep? Perhaps this is a new form of customer service -- if the customer's eyes are drooping, it is a sign that he is bored; keep him entertained.

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to do," was my generic reply.

"Yeah lor. Now different already. Last time was so much better."

"True, true," I mumbled sleepily.

"Last time when I was young, I also did not have to work for so long. I was working as a xxxxx (I cannot remember what xxxxx was, but it's not really important) then."

"Uh huh," I replied.

"After that, I did not want to work for people, so I started my own business. I was still quite young at that time."

"Oh? What business did you start?"

"I lend people money. It was in the 1960s."

"Really? So you were in the money lending business? How did it work?" At this point, my interested was perked.

"After working for many years, I had saved about $14,000. Whenever I lend people $1000, everyday they must pay me back $40, and that is only in interest."

"Wah! So it is 4% interest a day? That means your money will double in 18 days!" This was getting interesting. I knew that this was no ordinary, frustrated cabby that I was talking to. My tired mind was working furiously. Theoretically, if he was able to lend all his money (including money he has earned from interest) without any interruption, it would have become a million times the original value by the end of the year!

"Yeah. In those times, it was so easy. Everyday you knock at people's doors, they will immediately come out and pay you the money already. Not like nowadays, they always go and hide or give a lot of excuses. It's very hard to run this kind of business today."

"I see. I suppose you would encounter some legal problems running this kind of business."

"Oh no, it is legal. You can lend money if you have a license. However, in the 60s and 70s, it is not difficult to get a license to be a money lender. A lot of those money lenders in Golden Mile received their licenses during those times. Nowadays, the laws have changed, very different already." He sighed wistfully, as his mind wandered back to his youth.

"I see. That's interesting." I had wanted to press further to see if an interest of 4% a day could indeed be considered legal, even in those days, but decided not to push my luck.

"Yeah, in the good times, I earned about $300,000 in a very short time from doing just that. At that time, I had 5 people working under me, helping me to collect money." Incidentally, $300,000 may not seem like that much today, but it meant a lot more in the 70s.

"Wah!! Then how is it that you're driving a cab today? You should be driving a mercedes!" I said.

"I lost it by gambling it away."

"Gambled it away? What a pity!"

"Yeah lor. Some of my runners got angry with my gambling habits, so they took their share and left. After that things became worse, and in the end I had no more money."

He was remarkably honest in how he revealed the details of his somewhat unsavoury past to a stranger like myself. It was quite difficult to envisage the old gentleman at the driver's seat having such a past. This was one of the rare occasions where talking to a cabby can be quite an entertaining experience. When we finally reached the destination, I was almost sorry that our conversation had to end.

P.S. If you are inspired by my article to start a money-lending business, you should study the Moneylenders Act first before starting your venture. Suffice to say, even if an interest of 4% a day was legal 30-40 years ago, it is quite unlikely to be legal in today's context, so do your research first. If you are from one of the law enforcement agencies, sorry, this incident happened quite a while back, and I really have no idea who the taxi driver was. :P

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Conversations with a Cabby

As some of you might know, I often work late nights. Thankfully, it is quite easy to get a cab at my customer's office, so whenever I leave the office after a certain time, I will often hop on a cab home. On the cab, the first thing I want to do is to close my eyes and rest after a long day at work. Unfortunately, it appears that many cabbies I encounter do not quite appreciate this fact. I do not deny however, that some of them have rather interesting ways of looking at things. Here is an excerpt of one of the conversations I had with a cabby.

"Holland Village. Please take the AYE and exit at Clementi Road."

"Ok.", said the cabbie.

I laid back and stretched my arms, then I closed my eyes.

"Wow, you have to work so late ah?", queried the cabby.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

"Hai, must be because of all the foreign workers. The other day at 4am in the morning, I picked up one Bangladeshi engineer who was going back to work!", he sighed.

"Oh, is it?" I was hoping that he would notice my lack of interest, so that I could catch some sleep.

"Yeah, I then asked him if it is because his boss called him back, but he said no, he's going there on his own initiative to maintain some of the equipment!"

"I see." I mumbled sleepily.

"They come here, get a lower salary than us and then work very late hours. That's why nowadays bosses like to hire foreign workers because they are cheap and they can work long hours."

"True, true."

"They come here without a family, of course they can work long hours! Not like us Singaporeans, we have a family to care for as well, how can we be like them?" he continued.

"Uh huh." By now, I was resigned to the fact that I was not going to be getting the rest that I so craved.

"Because of all these foreign workers, Singaporeans like you and I have to work longer hours for lesser pay as well!"

I did not think it would be wise to tell him that I wasn't a Singaporean. Deciding that it was a good time to change the topic, I asked him about what he did before he became a cabbie. The conversation that followed was far more pleasant. Apparently, he worked as a technician for a non-local mining company and he often had to support their operations in the South East Asian region. A recent joke that someone told me about miners came unbidden to my mind (What musical note do you get when an elephant falls into a mine? A flat miner), but something tells me that this wasn't the best time and place to be telling miner jokes.

By the time the cab reached my home, I was glad to get out of the cab and back to my home. Finally, I could take a nice warm shower and retire to bed.

Wednesday, October 08, 2003

We live in a day and age where cancer has become very prevalent in our lives. In the last one year alone, I have heard of no less than ten friends, relatives of friends or friends of friends who have either passed away or have been diagnosed with cancer. Some of these people are only in their 30s! It is quite a tragedy when one meets an untimely end due to the ravages of cancer. In these days, I rarely hear of anyone dying of old age anymore -- it is always due to some form of illness like high blood pressure, heart disease, and the greatest killer of them all being cancer.

Why is cancer so prevalent today? I'm not a medical practitioner so I do not profess to know the actual reasons -- I can only speculate on the causes. Perhaps it is the air we breathe, polluted with chemical waste that spews forth from the bowels of our industrial parks. Perhaps it is the vegetables we eat -- our greens have been treated with large amounts of insecticide (just rub the surface of an apple with your fingers and you will know what I mean) to make them _appear_ fresh and healthy. Perhaps It is the electrical devices that emit forth radiation that our bodies so readily absorb. Perhaps it is our lifestyles. Perhaps it is the diet that is rich in proteins and fatty foods. Perhaps it is due to the day and age where fastfoods like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are considered reasonable alternatives to traditional food. When greens are neglected, our livers have to work overtime to expel the toxins that are contained within these foods. As for those toxins that our liver cannot expel, it accumulates. Perhaps these toxins will come back to haunt us one day in the form of cancer. Yet another possibility is that our ancestors did not live long enough to experience cancer (but I highly doubt that, seeing that cancer can strike people in their 20s and 30s).

Well, there are certain things we have no control of, like the air we breathe, the insecticides, the absorption of radiation etc, but we certainly can control our intake of food! For the last two and a half years, I have been keeping a very close watch on my diet. I am still not at the point where I am leading a totally ascetic existence, but at least I've done my best to minimize my intake of the most harmful substances, e.g. meat and fatty foods. I'm currently on a diet that is mostly fish, fruits, greens, wholemeal bread, unsweetened soy milk and oats. I still eat meat every now and then, but I try to keep it to at most one helping every two days (life is meaningless if you cannot enjoy your food once in a while :)). As a side benefit, I've discovered that keeping away from meat really helps you lose weight or keep your weight steady at the very least. So, if you would like to stay in shape, please take some pity on poor Mr Porky Pig as he walks around the mud without half his bottom.

Someone sent me the article below several days ago, which I found summarizes most of the important points concerning the prevention of cancer (at least for a layman like myself). Except for the formatting of the text, I have not modified the document in any way. I would encourage all my friends out there to at least take the time to read it, as it might save yourselves or your loved ones one day. Cancer is no longer something we can feel complacent about.

CANCER - INVALUABLE FACTS
Compiled by www.ximnet.com.my

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's
lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumour size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumour destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it need to multiply.

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses - but only in very small amounts.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved. Milo, Ovaltine, Horlicks are made with milk and best avoided.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones, parasites etc which are all harmful to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits helps put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 104 degrees F (40 degreesC).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-Essence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements (Maitake e.g.) are known to cause cancer cells apoptosis, that is induce cancer cells to commit suicide.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax,
henjoy and trust God for healing.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

17. Cancer can be reversed with nutrition, supplements and clinically proven complementary and alternative therapies.

18. Cancer can be healed by divine intervention of God the Healer.



SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT INFO:

1. Sugar is a cancer feeder. Avoid sugar. Sugar substitutes like Equal, Spoonful, NutraSweet are made with Aspartame, a chemical that is harmful to the body. A better natural alternative is Manuka honey in small amounts.

2. Milk causes the body to produce mucus. Cancer thrives on mucus. A better calcium alternative is unsweetened soya milk. Milo, Horlicks, Ovaltine are all milk-based, so it is best to avoid.

3. Green tea has anti-cancer properties. It is a better substitute for coffee and tea, which have caffeine, bad for people with cancer. 4. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

4. Meat like pork, beef, chicken contain livestock antibiotics, growth hormones, parasites, etc which are all harmful for people with cancer. It is better to eat fish, or eat a little free-range chicken. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefied and leads to more toxic
buildup.

5. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

6. Water - best to drink purified water, filtered or distilled, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water.

7. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).



REFERENCES:

1. A Cancer Battle Plan by Anne & David Frahm
2. A Cancer Battle Plan Sourcebook by David Frahm (N.D.)
4. Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Dr Patrick Quillin
5. Immunopower by Dr Patrick Quillin, PhD, RD, CNS
6. Alive and Well by Dr Philip Binzel, Jr., M.D.
6. Stop the Medicine by Dr Cynthia Foster, M.D.
7. The Bible Cure by Dr Reginald Cherry, M.D.
8. The Doctor and The Word by Dr Reginald Cherry, M.D.
9. Prescription for Nutritional Healing by J Balch, M.D.
10. Alternatives in Cancer Therapy by R Pelton, PhD & L Overholser
11. God's Way to Ultimate Health by Rev George Malkmus
12. You Don't Have to be Sick by Rev George Malkmus
13. Why Christians Get Sick by Rev George Malkmus
14. How I Conquered Cancer Naturally by Eydie Mae
15. Healed of Cancer by Dodie Osteen
16. Fit for Life by Harvey & Marilyn Diamond
17. Fit for Life II : Living Health by Harvey & Marilyn Diamond
18. Green Leaves of Barley by Dr Mary Ruth Swope
19. Dr Jensen's Juicing Therapy by Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D.
20. Nature's Cancer-Fighting Foods by Verne Verona
21. The Hippocrates Diet and Health Program by Ann Wigmore
22. An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer by John Diamond,
M.D., Lee Cowden, M.D. with Burton Goldberg
23. The Cure for all Cancers by Hulda Clark, Ph.D., N.D.
24. The Cure for all Advanced Cancers by H. Clark, Ph.D., N.D.
25. Cancer Therapy - The Independent Consumer's Guide to Non-Toxic
Treatment & Prevention by Ralph Moss, Ph.D.
26. The Cancer Industry by Ralph Moss, Ph.D.
27. Questioning Chemotherapy by Ralph Moss, Ph.D.
28. Cancer-Why We're Still Dying to know the Truth by Phillip Day
29. The Safe Shopper's Bible by D. Steinman & S. Epstein, M.D.
30. How to fight Prostate Cancer and Win by Ron Gellatley, N.D.
31. Miracle Cures by Jean Carper
32. Healthy Habits by David & Anne Frahm
33. How to Longer and Feel Better by Dr. Linus Pauling
34. The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford
35. Health & Wellness by Dr. Ted Morter, Jr., M.A.
36. Cleansing the Body and the Colon for a Happier and Healthier You using
Herbal Fiberblend by Teresa Schumacher
37. The Choice is Clear by Dr. Allen Banik
38. The New SuperNutrition by Richard Passwater, Ph.D.
39. Liver Detox Plan by Xandria Williams, MSc, DIC, ARCS, ND
40. Super Power Breathing by Paul & Patricia Bragg, N.D., PhD.
41. Walking in Divine Health by Don Colbert, M.D.
42. World Without Cancer by G. Edward Griffin
43. Information from Dr Lorraine Day's website: www.drday.com
44. Information from Rev George Malkmus' website: www.hacres.com
45. Information from David Frahm's website: www.healthquarters.org
46. Information from Dr Joseph Mercola's website: www.mercola.com
47. Information from Matiake's website: www.maitake.com
48. Information from Essiac's website: www.essiacinfo.org
49. Information from Flor-Essence's website: www.florahealth.com
50. Information from Ralph Moss' website: www.ralphmoss.com

RECIPES - CANCER FIGHTING FOODS

SOUPS - It is not necessary to add sauce as there is natural sweetness And flavour from the ingredients. Most of these involve cutting the ingredients into bite-sized portions before adding to boiling water. Measure water filtered or purified) to use with small soup
bowls, depending on how many persons are eating. (Pots - use glassware, stainless steel, ceramic or clay)

1. Watercress and carrot soup
2. Radish and carrot soup
3. Lotus root and red dates soup
4. Hipprocrates soup ? leek, celery, big onion, potato, tomato
5. Fresh corn and soya beans soup (presoak the soya beans for 3 hours. Discard water. Boil beans in hot water. Fresh corn can be added when the beans are softer)
6. Black beans, white beans and small onions (shallots) soup Presoak black beans about an hour. Discard water. Boil the black beans first. Cut small onions into thick slices. Then add small onions and white beans.
7. Potato, carrot and onion soup
8. Winter melon, carrot and red dates soup



VEGETABLES - Vegetable dishes - most of these taste nice with just garlic and Bragg's aminos or organic miso. Avoid using non-stick pan as the chemical coating can come off into the food. Instead of heating the pan and adding oil first, we use water to fry the vegetables. This is to avoid letting the oil reach high temperatures, which can be
carcinogenic.

Method: Heat pan with a little water. Add minced garlic and cook a while. Add vegetables and a little oil and more water as needed. Cover and let it Steam cook. Turn off fire and add Bragg's aminos or organic miso.

1. Bean sprouts with carrot strips. Cook the carrot first before adding the bean sprouts.
2. Bean sprouts with tau gua. Cut tau gua into small pieces. Cook in water. Remove tau gua. Add some water to pan and add minced garlic. Add bean sprouts. When almost done, add in tau gua, and Bragg's aminos. You may add spring onions or parsley for more flavour.
3. French beans with tau gau (same as for 2)
4. French beans with garlic
5. French beans with carrot
6. Bitter gourd with garlic
7. Long beans with garlic
8. Chye Sim with garlic, or with fresh fish cake cut into slices
9. Spinach with garlic (not to often as it has oxalates)
10. Spinach (puay leng) with garlic and mushrooms
11. Xiao bai chai with garlic
12. Jie Lan with garlic, or with garlic and carrot
13. Angled loofah - cooked with garlic and an egg
14. Tau gua and tau pok in black sauce and garlic
15. Tau gua, gau gee (bean curd sheet) in black sauce and garlic
16. Tau hu with garlic and seaweed
17. Many vegetables can be eaten raw without salad dressing - cabbage, cauliflower, green pepper, celery, cucumber, carrot, asparagus spears, corn on cob, etc or a little olive, and Braggs



FISH (twice a week is sufficient) - steamed or cooked with water, garlic, ginger, spring onions, tomatoes, parsley and a little Bragg's aminos.

PORRIDGE - Use brown rice, unpolished rice or mixed with some white rice.

1. Sweet potato, unpolished and white rice
2. Shredded carrot with unpolished and white rice
3. White bait (fresh or dried), shredded carrot, ginger, unpolished and white rice 3

RICE - use brown rice or unpolished rice or mixed with some white rice. Unpolished rice takes longer to cook, so cook unpolished rice first before adding white rice.

RAW FOODS - Almonds (presoak 10 almonds in some water and keep in the fridge for 24 hours. Peel and discard skin before eating.) Walnuts, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, nori seaweed (tear into small pieces to eat with some raw vegetables)

FRUITS - require different digestive enzymes from other foods. It is best to eat fruits either one hour before any meal or two hours after a meal. If fruits are eaten after a meal they will ferment in the stomach together with the other food and the nutrients would not be fully absorbed. It is good to eat papayas and pineapples for the enzymes papain and bromelain to digest protein. Apples and apple juice are also good. It is helpful to drink half a glass of warm water with some lemon juice first thing in the morning on waking.

BREAKFAST - rolled oats, wholemeal bread, miso vegetable soul, porridge etc. Bread spreads - almond butter or organic fruit jam are preferred to margarine. Margarine is hydrogenated fat, which is harmful. Avoid all hydrogenated fats.