My loved bowl of Bak Chor Mee..

Old habits die hard.

I absolutely love the bak chor mee (BCM) at the Bedok Market Blk 511 near my house. The couple who operates the stall has seen me grown up since I was a young girl. When I was young, every Sunday morning was bak chor mee time. My parents would bring me down and I would gobble my bowl of BCM down with soya bean milk.

Even now, when our family breakfast ritual has died off many years ago, I still troop to the market most weekends, sometimes alone, just to have my BCM. Nothing can separate me from my BCM.

The uncle at the stall takes the orders while his wife cooks. After so many years of eating there, all I have to do is walk up to the uncle and say in chinese "Uncle, BCM yi wan" (I want one bowl) and automatically Uncle would say "hao, qu zhou" (Okay, go and sit) and then he will tell his wife "Xiaomei yao yi wan" (Little girl wants one bowl).

My requirements has always been simple and the same all these years - Mee Pok, dun want Wantan. Only today, did I realised that Uncle kindda got my order wrong all these years. Today when I ordered my BCM, he shouted out the order to his wife "Xiaomei yao yi wan, bu yao wantan (no wantan), bu yao cai (no vegetables), Mian Sao (Noodle less)". And then uncle turned and grinned at me like a small boy who just got full marks for his test.

Wait a minute! Where did the extra requirements for my BCM come from? Thinking back, no wonder I always had no vegetables and lesser noodles in my BCM. Btw, I love vegetables, so I have no idea how that came about.

But then I decided not to correct the uncle. Since he cooks me the best BCM that always makes me happy, I'll just let him think he got my order right all these years. :) It's an exchange of happiness.