I had this argument with my husband a few years ago.
“There are so many things about you that just drive me crazy,” he began.
“For instance, you never shut the refrigerator door properly; you never check that it’s closed. If we were on a space mission to the moon we’d all be dead because right after take-off you would have gone to the fridge for a drink and not shut the door properly behind you. The extra energy the fridge used trying to keep the drinks cold would cause a drain on the whole guidance system and the ship would crash. And we’d all be dead,” he said crossly.
I was nonplussed but only for a moment.
“Well, if we were on a space mission to the moon, we’d be dead before we even left the ground,” I shot back.
“Yeah? How so?” he asked.
“After visiting the toilet you would have washed your hand and left the taps dripping. The water would have flooded the decks and we’d all have been electrocuted,” I said triumphantly.
“I don’t leave taps running,” he said.
“Yes, you do. I’ve had to turn them off at least half a dozen times in the past week.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Is not.”
“Is so.”
“Is not.”
“Hand on my heart, on our daughter’s life, it is true,” I said.
Silence.
“Well, there must be something wrong with the taps because I always make sure I turn them off properly,” he sulked.
“So when you do something wrong, there’s something wrong with the equipment but when I leave the fridge door open it’s just me being careless?” I asked sarcastically.
“Yes!” he yelled.
Sadly, Mr Hungry Australian and I are now getting a divorce. Not because of the fridge door or the taps although that would have made a great story. Jokes aside, I am thankful that we are now at the stage where we can share a chuckle about the crazy things we used to fight about.
My ex and I also share a love for Thai food; this dish is inspired by all the lovely seafood salads we ate on our honeymoon in Koh Samui. It’s perfect for a shared appetizer or you could serve it as part of a Thai-inspired meal. I hope you enjoy it.
Now it’s over to you. What’s the craziest argument you’ve ever had with a loved one?
Prawn Lettuce Cups with Thai Dressing
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cake rice noodles
- 2 mini Cos lettuces (you’ll need 12 of the best looking inner leaves)
- 1 dozen King prawns (jumbo shrimp), cooked, deheaded and shelled (leave tail on)
- 1 mango, peeled, stoned and diced
- 1/2 large capsicum, cored and diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- A few spring mint (12 leaves or tips of leaves)
- A few springs coriander (12 small pieces)
- 1 tablespoon fried shallots
- 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts (optional)
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 Birds Eye chilli, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon diced red onion or finely grated carrot
METHOD
- Cook rice noodles as per packet instructions and drain.
- Wash and dry cos lettuce leaves and arrange attractively on plate.
- Place a portion of cooked noodles on top of each leaf.
- Sprinkle over mango, capsicum and red onion.
- Place prawn on top of each leaf and garnish with mint, coriander and dried shallots.
- Make dressing by mixing rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, water, chilli and onions/carrot.
- Serve dressing with a spoon so people can spoon over lettuce cup just before eating.
- Lettuce cups are most easily eaten when partly rolled.
Dietary notes: gluten-free, meat-free, dairy-free & nut-free. Certainly not flavour-free though.
