祝你过个大肥年！(not literally of course)

20th January 2012. Written by Vinleon.

It's the festive season (yet again. When was 2011's Chrismas and New Year?), and yes, it's the perfect excuse to be eating to your heart's content and drinking to your liver's content. But, after it all, would your eyes be contented to see your tummy's content (well, in both sense of the word)?

So being the (relatively) health-conscious amongst the mooses (meese? moose? yeah we always argue on the plural of "moose") and one who dishes out tough love as freely as his satires and sarcasms, I'm here in an attempt to make you KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT (and only open them for proper meals. And conversations of course).

Don't become as cute-looking as them.

1. Bak Kwa

Oh how we love Bak Kwa. It's almost always the first goodie to run out. Most of us would cut it into smaller pieces so that our guests could take small convenient nibbles off the waxy, lustrous morsel of sweet, savoury barbeque pork while waxing lyrical about who looks fatter. 

The Excuse: "Ay ya, I eat one piece (or maybe 2) won't die one, right?"

The Truth: WRONG. 'Cause before you know it, you almost emptied half the container (c'mon, put your Bak Kwa stained hands up). One slice of that devil-red meat is 370 kcal, that's close to a plate of $1.50 Chai Tow Kuay (no XO sauce, no air-con variant)! And that half that you polished off is maybe 2-3 plates worth. But would you be satisfied? No, 'cause after that you reach for...

2. Pineapple Tarts

Mmmm... These innocent looking, almost welcoming orbs of gold sitting on a round mat of crumbly pastry. Looks auspiciously luscious, but can be atrociously vicious. 

The Excuse: "Ay ya, this one healthier choice! Got fruit! Some more so small piece only, I'll just run it off. In February."

The Truth: Not quite sure about the second part, but WRONG, again. 5 pieces of this and you would have finished one big square of Bak Kwa and about three quarters of a plate of Chai Tow Kuay (maybe halfway to nirvana too), not forgetting the diabetes-inducing sugar content per pop. Oh but Pineapple Tarts are drying, you need some sort of liquid to wash the food down, so you guzzle...

3. Soft Drinks

Ahh... Nothing more satisfying than to lounge on the sofa (ahem, just to bring you back from nirvana, you're in someone else's home) and gulp some ice-cold cola, green tea, whatever. It helps to lubricate your throat in preparation for the next round of swallowing.

The Excuse: "Wa lao, the weather so hot, cannot have cold drinks ah?"

The Truth: Ice + plain water = cold drink! Plus, don't you get sick eating all the sweet stuff and still washing it down with candied liquid? Calorie intake aside, once the sugar high wears off, you'd be "nua" as a slob by late noon.

These are only 3 of the typical things most of us would put in our tummies during CNY, with more unaccounted for. Then comes meal time.

Oh you better pray for good luck this Chinese New Year.


Find out more here: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/foodforhealth/article.aspx?id=6888

Image Credits:
http://www.sheffieldkungfu.com/6576/sheffield-chinese-new-year-celebrations-monday-january-2012/
http://ieatishootipost.sg/2011/12/fragrance-berkshire-pork-bak-kwa-bak.html
http://www.madbaker.net/2008/02/mad-about-pineapple-tarts-2/
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/lobbying-in-action-pepsico-fights-guidelines-for-marketing-to-kids/250572/