At the food centre

Do you normally eat at a food centre? Why (or Why not?)
Yes. My mum works long hours so we normally settle our meals at a food centre. She doesn’t cook on weekends either so we usually eat at a food centre during weekends.

No. I am rather fortunate as I have a stay-home mum who serves delicious home-cooked food every day. The food sold at the food centre is not as healthy as those cooked at home. The food offered at the food centre is usually just more of the same thing. Every food centre will sell chicken rice, laksa, nasi lemak, etc. Anyway, my mum is a great cook and I prefer her cooking to food served at the food centre.

When do you normally eat at a food centre?
When my mum decides to declare a day off from cooking, my family will have to eat at a food centre. But that is usually once in a blue moon.

Tell me about the food you like to order at the food centre.
Ban Mian. I prefer noodles to rice. I like noodles with soup. Moreover, Ban Mian is served with a lot of vegetables which is a healthier choice compared to fried noodles. My favourite is the crispy anchovies served on top of the noodles.

Chicken rice. I can’t take spicy food so I stick with chicken rice each time I eat out. Anyway, rice is more filling than noodles. It is easy to order and can be served quickly. I don’t like to wait a long time for the food to be served. I usually order breast meat as it is the most tender part of the chicken. I normally get a dish of black sauce to dip the chicken in and I will skip the chilli sauce and garlic sauce.

Besides the food centre, where else do you go for your meals? Why?
I would go to a fast food restaurant. It is air-conditioned which is a major pull factor compared to the hot and stuffy food centre. The price of the food in a fast food restaurant is comparable to that of a food centre. More importantly, I like the toy that comes along with the kids’ meal.

I spend long hours in school so I have my lunch in the school canteen on most days. The food sold there is the same all year round. But beggars can’t be choosers, so I just buy something from the stall with the shortest queue. That is usually the noodles stall because the stall-holder prepares the noodles in advance instead of cooking it on the spot. Although it is usually cold and bland, I eat it just to fill my stomach. If my mum has the time, she will pack a sandwich for me to have during lunch.