There is an empty house on the other side of the road from my flat. A family of three - parents and a teenage son - used to live there about eight years ago. One day the mother suddenly died at a breakfast table...just like that. Then the father and the son moved away to somewhere else in the neighbourhood. I didn't know them well and I don't know why the mother died. I still bump into the son every now and again and we say hello but not much more than that. This house has been empty ever since.
Just yesterday I met someone else in the neighbourhood (I've lived here for nearly 20 years and I know a fair amount of people here) and she told me that this house (a Victorian house with four floors) has been sold recently. A nosy parker like myself would then ask, "For how much?" The answer was 2.5 million (British pound). I then asked, "Who bought it?" A young family of an investment banker, of course... I don't know if this is all true or not but it all sounds about right to me.
I know of a few banker families and they all live a fairly luxurious life. I'm not at all someone who disapproves of rich (and perhaps famous) people. I have nothing against them as long as they are considerate and have manners. There are reasons why rich people are rich. Majority of them are talented, clever, and they work hard. I don't mind that. I think capitalism is useful. But bankers... Why are they paid so much? As I said, I know a few of them and I know that they all work long hours, but even so... I've read a lot of news articles in an effort to try to understand this. I still don't know the answer.
No matter, I hope that this young family who are moving into this house on the other side of the road would be agreeable, considerate, and have manners (if they are not they will be told accordingly). Then I don't really care how they could afford that house. I'm just being curious... And I hope that this young family would re-write the sad history of the house.
Now the recipe. It's not much of a recipe, though. This is the sort of thing I would eat solo for lunch at home with some leftover cooked rice. Just a small bowl of cooked rice goes a long way if you add half a sweet potato (preferably the variety which I talked about in this post) chopped into small dice and some water to just cover the rice and the potato, add some salt to taste, and cook until the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds and serve. 0% fat, no spice, no herb. Simple temple food :)