Dry spell

With daytime temperatures hovering around 35 degree celcius, I return home every evening feeling lethargic and sticky. And I wake up in the morning feeling sweaty. Today a burning smell lingers in the air. When will the dry spell end?

The kids think I am joking when I tell them about the outbreak of bushfires in Singapore. They've heard of bush fires in Australia, California and Greece, but here in our little urban city? The fields have all turned brown from the lack of rain and the plants in my patio wither at the end of each day. At least they are lucky I give them two showers a day.

The heat has been getting to Rusty too. His tongue hangs out after a short stroll and he prefers the cool comfort of the home. He gravitates towards the air-conditioned rooms for his naps. When the heat gets too much for him to bear, he retreats to the toilet and lies on the cold floor until he hears the sound of aircon being turned on.

Yesterday I replenished the fridge with a bag full of oranges and juicy pears. When it was time for dinner, I craved for simple and light food. For the first time in years, I cooked the notoriously bland winter melon soup and was surprised that everyone liked it.

They didn't like the tangy cucumber salad as much as I did. I drenched the thinly sliced cucumber in a light vinegar/sugar dressing and topped with toasted sesame seeds. To me, it was really refreshing.

All the other dishes were bland and light. We had panfried Norwegian mackerel, cold tofu with savoury toppings and a dish of stir fried silk squash. The only spicy dish I cooked was sambal string bean. To my surprise, all the dishes were very well received.

When it comes to tackling the heat, eating light is the best thing to do.