Big on condiments

The first article I purchased as a poor struggling LL.M. student in New York was a bottle of ketchup. Why I remember this inane tidbit, I don't know. But I do remember standing in line in a grocery store along 125th Street (together with the other poor and struggling citizens of Harlem) with a bottle of ketchup. I couldn't wait to get home and make hotdog sandwhiches (which I ate almost exclusively for one month and accounted for severe weight loss).

As on overpaid attorney in Hong Kong, one of the first things I did was stock up on my favorite condiments (ketchup (of course), garlic chili sauce, hoi sin sauce, and the all time favorite toyo).

Why I am writing about condiments? (Apart from indulging in my preoccupation with the inane,) I'm writing about condiments because once again I've discovered something about myself. You get these random moments of clarity more frequently if you live alone in a foreign country where you don't speak the language.

Since moving to HK, I've spent inordinate amounts of time by myself. Sure I'm probably working or reading or watching a movie, but the key thing here is that I'm by myself. I'd like to think I'm not lonely since well, I'm not lonesome.

And during these solitary moments, you recognize certain traits you've always had, but never really notice. For instance, I only realized yesterday that I am big on condiments.