Five-Spice Beancurd Skin

"Go for it! It's free!" the HR director said.

The give-and-take 'free' reverberated through my head. If I were a cartoon figure, my eyes would lead keep popped out. The HR director was giving me the ultimatum for the medical check-up nether fellowship expense: utilisation it or lose it, past times year-end. So I used it, the root e'er medical examination inwards my life.

I did the check-up towards the cease of the year, when I was habitation for the festive flavour whilst working overseas. Amidst the endless rounds of eating, drinking in addition to shopping, I managed to divulge fourth dimension to come across my doctor. The diverse tests took one-half a 24-hour interval or so, in addition to I simply gritted my teeth in addition to went through all of them.

On Christmas eve, I woke upwards simply earlier noon – exhausted from the eating, drinking, shopping summation jet lag – to divulge v missed calls from my doctor. I called the clinic in addition to caught the doctor's assistant simply earlier she went habitation for Christmas. "There are shadows inwards your lung x-rays!" She sounded panic-stricken, which I idea was quite strange. Wasn't she used to delivering bad intelligence since she was working inwards a clinic?

PLEASE DON'T SCARE ME!

When I saw my medico later Christmas, she calmly but gravely told me I had to consult a specialist. So I trotted off to the specialist she picked, who sent me trotting off to create a CT-scan. With the scan inwards paw on New Year's Eve, he said, "You lead keep alone 1 kidney."

HUH? WHAT?

I wasn't expecting anything incorrect alongside my kidneys! "What create you lot hateful I lead keep alone 1 kidney? Where's the other one?" Obviously, "one kidney" meant 1 kidney but I was inwards a dry soil of shock, jet lagged in addition to hung over from Christmas.

The medico confirmed that "one" meant one, hence moved on to the to a greater extent than of import stuff. The kidney I was born without was simply a by-the-way digression. What worried him were the lungs, which had 3 possible diagnoses: sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, in addition to lymphoma.

He explained that sarcoidosis, an infection of the lungs which commonly had no symptoms in addition to required no treatment, was unlikely because it by in addition to large affected darker skinned people similar Indians in addition to Africans. He also ruled out tuberculosis.

I felt similar someone had simply kicked me inwards the stomach. "How create you lot know it's non TB?" I asked later taking a deep breath.

"Experience. It doesn't facial expression similar TB," said the practiced inwards cardiothoracic stuff, who was also an associate professor. Of the 3 lovely possibilities, he reckoned I had lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes.

LYMPHOMA – GULP!

Wasn't that what Lee Hsien Loong had? CANCER?! Oh sh¡t! Sh¡t!! Sh¡t!!!

The adjacent measuring was to confirm the diagnosis alongside a biopsy. So I trotted off to the appointments counter, which told me the root working 24-hour interval inwards the novel twelvemonth was available. Wow, 2 January!

The whole thing was hurtling along agency also fast! Between Christmas in addition to New Year, I saw my GP, did a CT scan, got the results, consulted a specialist, who said he was damn certain I had cancer . . . Followed past times a biopsy on 2 January, the level of my birthday? My other options were 3 Jan or 7 January.

"Ok, I'll accept 2 January." I wanted to know, asap. It was goodness I took the root appointment available because later I walked out of the hospital, my entire basis reason to a halt.

I was inwards a stupor whilst I waited for the surgeon's knife. I went to all the year-end get-togethers but they were meaningless. It would lead keep been easier if I had told everyone I was having a biopsy later the holidays but I didn't desire to spoil the political party mood.

On 2 January, I checked into the infirmary for my root e'er surgery, all past times my footling self. Just earlier I passed out inwards the operating theatre, the surgeon popped circular in addition to said, "Happy New Year!" Great sense of humour, eh? What could hold upwards happier than starting the novel twelvemonth alongside an operation? Well, if anything happened to me on the operating table, at to the lowest degree I was inwards the hands of a surgeon who was funny!

After the surgery, I was crying every bit I came out of the anaesthesia. It was a funny feeling, crying earlier I was fully conscious. I didn't fifty-fifty know that was possible. I estimate I was to a greater extent than scared than I was willing to admit. The relaxation of the 24-hour interval was spent resting, begging the nurse for a cream cracker, in addition to rehearsing how I was going to drib the bombshell on everyone.

I roughshod asleep that black practising "I lead keep cancer/lymphoma!" inwards diverse tones, from downcast to upbeat, matter-of-fact, businesslike in addition to diverse combinations of these possibilities. I idea 50% upbeat, 40% matter-of-fact in addition to 10% downcast was a good, realistic balance.

The morn later – D-day! I got upwards brilliant in addition to early on to hold off for the doctor, who came to a greater extent than or less one-half past times seven. As he flipped through some papers which presumably contained the biopsy results, I well-nigh stopped breathing.

Out of the 3 possible diagnoses, he said, I had – drumroll please! – sarcoidosis!

PHEW!

I was gunning for the consolation prize, TB, but I got the jackpot instead! I wishing it was to a greater extent than dramatic but that was it. After all the paw wringing, it was over inwards ii seconds. I didn't lead keep cancer. I had an infection inwards the lungs which, if I hadn't gone for a medical check-up because it was free, would lead keep been undetected.

Needless to say, later the 10-day emotional roller-coaster ride, I had the woman parent of all birthday celebrations. After that, I went on a massive shopping spree in addition to maxed out ii credit cards, the root in addition to alone fourth dimension ever. I had a peachy fourth dimension looking for necklaces to encompass the surgery scar betwixt my neckband bones. I all the same lead keep the necklaces but the scar is barely visible now, fifty-fifty when I facial expression for it.

A span of years later the cancer fiasco, I asked the specialist for a medical study because I was buying medical insurance. He sent me something that roughly said, "Blah blah blah sarcoidosis was suspected, in addition to confirmed later a biopsy." WHAT THE HELL! There was no bring upwards at all of lymphoma, in addition to the torment he had position me through! I know the details were irrelevant for the role of the study but still!

And where did the dish of tau kee come upwards in? That was what the infirmary served for tiffin spell I waited for the check-out. It was the best repast inwards my whole life, bar none!

One final thing: Mom, if you're somehow reading this from upwards at that topographic point (or downward there, whatever the instance powerfulness be) . . .

YOU LEFT OUT ONE KIDNEY! HOW COULD YOU?!

FIVE-SPICE BEANCURD SKIN (五香腐竹)
(For iv persons)

iv dried beancurd sticks (tau kee, 腐竹)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp lite soya sauce
2 tsp black soya sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp five-spice powder
3 cloves garlic, washed in addition to smashed
3 sparse slices ginger

1. Break beancurd sticks into pocket-size pieces 7-8 cm long. Deep-fry inwards hot petroleum till golden chocolate-brown in addition to puffed.

2. Place deep-fried beancurd peel in addition to all other ingredients inwards a pot. Add plenty H2O or stock to well-nigh encompass all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for xl minutes. Taste in addition to adapt seasoning if necessary. Serve alongside steamed rice.

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