Fortunately, at about 6pm (we arrived at 9am, so we were there for 11hours and 25 minutes if you count the manipulation of time) we convinced the kids to leave the park (by the way, excessive whining and temper tantrums can work for parents too). Then, we headed over to the Great American Buffet, where there was great confusion over our drink order.

I, being a Southerner, wanted tea sweetened to a point just short of making it syrup. I asked for "regular" tea. The Professor, who is originally from Ohio and a *Buckeyes fan, wanted unsweetened tea, so he asked for "regular" tea.

The cashier (who was clearly a native Tennessean) and I tried to explain that, in the south, sweet tea is regular, and unsweetened tea is... well, abnormal. We simply don't drink unsweetened tea here . Perhaps this is because Sweet Tea better complements the flavor of all things rolled in flour/cornmeal and fried in a bubbling vat of grease. But whatever the reason, sweet tea is widely considered the nectar of the southern gods Baptists (we don't do polytheism or alcohol -wink, wink- here either.)

All of this this led to a discussion on nutrition, the amount of food Americans consume and waste and how the government has cracked down on pig slop: guess it was one of those "you had to be there" conversations.

But considering the topics on yesterday's menu, I wasn't surprised when I stumbled across News Channel 11's report on fat Tennesseans. I'd actually checked in to see if MSM had picked up the distrubance in the flow of time yesterday. Naturally, they hadn't. I discovered instead "a Centers For Disease Control and Prevention study revealed more than 30 percent of adults in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama are obese, helping make sure the South is the country’s fattest region."

MSNBC reported: In Tennessee, 30.1 percent of the population surveyed was obese, compared to 28.1 percent in 2006, the data shows. [...] For the report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from a 2007 random telephone survey, relying on self-reported information on height and weight to determine obesity rankings.

WAIT! What? A telephone survey? Self-reported information? And what exactly does random mean? They played eenie meenie miney moe with the phone book?

How do we know respondents didn't lie about their age, height or weight? Couldn't the data be skewed by those women weighing over 120 pounds and who feel obese simply because they bear no resemblance to a Victoria Secret model?

What if the surveyors caught women, who are actually at a normal weight but were having a "fat day?" I'm not going to explain "fat days" here except to say that some women encounter days where they feel heavy, bloated, sweaty and capable of poking people in the eye with sharp object for no other reason other than they don't like the way you look.

The results also do not take into account those people who have a genetic tendency to be overweight. (Whether you choose to believe this or not, not all overweight people have an unhealthy love of Big Macs and Moon Pies.) And what about those folks who suffer from health problems, which are a factor in obesity, or those taking prescription medications, which cause weight gain? Doesn't Tennessee rank high in terms of prescription drug use?

Likewise, have we taken into account the aging population? Isn't there a remote possibility that our numbers are inflated by middle-age spread and fact that older people like it down South?

Wouldn't all of this create a very wide margin of error?

Nevertheless, based on questionable data, Trust for America's Health has announced that national and state policies are falling far short of obesity control and reduction goals. Therefore, to help combat the obesity crisis, TFAH recommends some crucial government actions.

Here's my problem with crucial government actions to address a problem when we have not yet identified the cause of the problem or the problem has a cause, which we really cannot address and still call this a "free" country: they lead to more studies, wherein questionable data is obtained, which means more recommendations for more crucial government actions, which will lead to more studies, wherein questionable data is obtained... continue the cycle, add an office, a department staff and five committees and a committee to regulate the other committees - and before you know it: non-nutritious food is the next tobacco. It costs us tons of money to regulate and study, therefore must be eliminated for the good of the people.

Look, the State of Tennessee already meets federal standards for school nutrition, has vending laws and many local school systems have adopted wellness policies beyond what is required. (The local nutrition policies can be found here.) Hawkins County and Rogersville City School distribute handouts at the beginning of each school year, which spell out their policies and offers a list of "acceptable" snacks - meaning we have now arrived at a point in time where bringing a cookie for school snack has tattle-tale tots tripping over their untied shoe laces and singing "You're not sposta bring "fat-stuff" snacks! I'm telling the teacher!!"

Likewise, we mandate LEAs must provide 90 minutes a week of physical activity - although most are exceeding this. And we're doing the coordinated school health plan. You can find more information on our local program here. Last year was Hawkins County's first system-wide BMI/health assessment screening. I, along with several other parents, volunteered to help obtain height and weight while the school health coordinator and nurses charted student's blood pressure readings, so I know they didn't just make-up the numbers. (Schools with high aggregate BMI levels are encouraged to improve nutritional and physical activity programs - TN HB445, P.C. 194).

For adults and children, Tennessee offers countless opportunities and programs for those who want to walk, hike, bike, run, exercise, lose weight, play sports, dance, etc. Really, there's no shortage of activities for the interested.

We tax soda and snacks at a higher rate than other food stuffs - unless these items are purchased under the Food Stamp program, and then I think they're tax-free. Since Tennessee ranks fairly high in number of Food Stamp recipients, could it be that this government program, which exempts low income families from paying privilege taxes on unhealthy foods, actually makes poor people unhealthy?

How about some of the other policies which drive up the cost of nutritious food? Maybe before we blame fried green tomatoes and catfish for all the weight-problems, the government should consider how they've contributed? Hmm? Don't you think?

As of right now, the only gripe the fat police have with Tennessee is a law which protects manufacturers, packers, distributors, carriers, holders, sellers, marketers, or advertisers of any food or beverage, or an association of those entities, from civil liability for any claim arising from weight gain, obesity, a health condition associated with weight gain or obesity, or other generally known condition allegedly caused by, or likely to result from, the long-term consumption of food.

So, do they think allowing folks to sue Little Debbie for encouraging consumption of Swiss Cake Rolls (which I suspect are addictive) or Oatmeal Pies by using her evil cutie-goodness to promote it, our obesity numbers will go down? Maybe this will serve as an incentive for food corporations to market fat-free edible cardboard with low-sodium faux salt?

I don't think so.

Long before we knew that cooking stuff with, around, rolled up or submerged in and/or smothered with fat wasn't good for us, Tennesseans have been eating deep-fried foods. But we weren't always overweight. In fact, I think we've improved our diet over the years... and now you're calling us fat?

Of course, I realize diet and nutrition contributes to obesity. I don't deny this, but I also think the increase in rates is widespread and due to a combination of factors: changing demographics, love of processed and fast foods, failure to understand the term moderation, and the biggest - automation, computers, satellite TV and video games. Honestly, unless we make an effort to exercise, we could all live sedentary lives.

Government involvement isn't going to magically fix these things - at least not in any way I'd consider acceptable. Alas, the more money the government spends on providing health care, the more ways they will seek to reduce costs. And since we cannot regulate health, we'll have to regulate "lifestyle" as a form of prevention.

To a certain (very limited) extent, I can accept this. I'm all for promotion and education on the importance of physical activity and good nutrition. I'm even willing to accept that the schools need to address the problem of childhood obesity - if only so local systems cannot be blamed for the problem of childhood obesity... and be sued for their complicity.

I also think it's important that parents are frequently reminded about the importance of physical activity for children. After all, children with their faces poked in the television or occupied with an X-Box are less likely to sustain an injury, get into trouble, make inordinate amounts of noise, rip their pants, soil their shirt, fight with their siblings or otherwise require a parent's undivided attention. As a result, busy parents are all too willing to let this inactivity go. So yeah, they need an occasional reminder.

However, I don't think we should do anything rash or start looking at our personal choices as something from which we all need to be rescued. But eventually we will.

And at such time the US Government requires me to jog or do any activity which could be described as "bouncy," or when they try to place restrictions on or prohibit in any way my rights to enjoy Southern Foods, such as fried green tomatoes, okra, chicken, gumbo and beer-battered catfish, AND/OR they even attempt to limit how much sugar I can put in my tea, I do hereby declare the South will rise again.

I, personally, will lead a band of freedom fighters on the march to DC with the intention of **overthrowing the federal government. And the Revolution will not be televised... mostly because we're fat and out-of-shape down here. This means many of us will have heart attacks, strokes and/or die of heat exhaustion before we make it to DC, therefore our numbers will be depleted. Plus, the rest of us will so tired from doin' all that marching that a 63-year old unarmed DC tour guide could kick our ass, so you might not hear about our Revolution unless you read the Reuters' Oddly Enough Section.

But that's not the point. It's the principle of the matter.

You know how they say: freedom ain't free - well, this means a lot of different things. One of them being if you expect the government to pay for your poor choices, you're going to see those choices eliminated. It's that simple. And if I had my druthers - I'd druther live fat, free and Southern Fried than extend my life expectancy by five years and live to see the day Mama's cooking is outlawed and I'm required by law to bounce.

*The Professor and I have learned to be friends in spite of his "Ohio State" flaw - because I'm not an NCAAist. I abhor NCAAism. Although I'm All Vol, some of my best friends are Buckeyes. In fact, many times my children have heard NCAAist people call me a Big-10-Lover but I've taught them you should never judge people by their preferred sports team... and if a Buckeye should ever run for office, you shouldn't make this an issue in the campaign but you should automatically attack anyone who even mentions it, hints at it, uses it for satirical purposes or says something that could be misconstrued or twisted in any way as being an NCAAist statement.

** I would like to welcome all visitors from the Department of Homeland Security. Howdy, ya'll.

Big Cars
Have you ever driven a Buick or a Lincoln Continental?   The slightest touch on the gas pedal will have the car zooming at 75 mph without you even realizing it.   These cars are a dream for cruising down freeways at high speed.

Well, seniors just LOVE these cars.  (Mainly, because they're the only ones that can afford them!)  But unfortunately, Grampa Jebediah or Old Aunt Gladys never drive these cars the way they're supposed to be driven.

Instead, they proceed at a turtle's pace.   No wonder we call these cars "Boats".

What a freaking waste of engine power.

I have a suggestion to the car manufacturers:  Get rid of the V6 200-Horsepower engine, and replace it with a tiny putt-putt motor instead.

You'll save a bundle on production costs, and your customers will never notice the difference.

All-you-can-eat Buffets
The Old Ladies especially get into this.

First, they'll hover over all the different trays and admire the presentation and arrangement of the steaming food.

Next, they'll debate over what to eat.   After about 10 minutes they'll finally start to painfully pick and chose every food morsel as if it was Christ's Last Supper.

What next?   Dear me, that pasta noodle looks good.   I think I will try an olive next....Hmm...shall I have a meat ball?

These old biddies always seem to place themselves in front of the hungriest customer in the restaurant (namely....ME!).

I swear it's deliberate.

When I can finally get around these culinary ding-dongs,  it takes me about 5 seconds to slap the food on my plate and return to my seat.

By the time I'm done eating and going back for seconds, the Food-Gawkers could still be trying to fill up their first plate.

Short Hair
When women get to a certain age, they often get the classic O.B. haircut (O.B. being short for Old Bat)

You know the style.  The hair is so short it's almost a Marine brush-cut.    For a slight trace of femininity, the top of the scalp might reluctantly be allowed to have a few curls.

For God's sakes, WHY would anyone want to deliberately look this way?

My theory is that once a woman gets old enough, they achieve BAT status and no longer have to worry about dolling themselves up to look good.  They're too old to date and/or their husband is too old to be unfaithful and leave them.

So instead of messing with curls and bangs every day, they opt for the hairstyle that takes zero maintenance.

The Old-Bat cut is especially popular with the larger women.

Nothing like a closely-cropped scalp to make the head appear smaller and make the body look even more huge than it already is.

It's only a matter of time before they start to shave themselves bald (and won't the grand-kids just love THAT?)

Polyester
My mother once pointed out the "Polyester Ladies" to me as a kid.  (Thanks, Mom!)

Once women reach that certain body mass, they'll opt for the loose, comfortable clothing that fits all sizes.  And Polyester, being that wonderful petroleum-based fabric,  comes in all kinds of bright pastel colors.

It's the perfect accessory to wear with the O.B. cut.

Hats
Wearing them is mandatory.   Especially when driving.

You can see men start to do this in their 50's.  Once their aggressive driving days are behind them, they'll start sporting a leather cap with a visor.

That's the "Apprentice Hat" which they're required to wear for several years while they gradually reduce their driving speed.

Once they're the slowest driver on the street (and they've physically shrunken to the point where you only see their knuckles grabbing the steering wheel), they become a full-fledged Gray Head driver.   At that point, they're allowed to wear a full Fedora.

Someone too old to drive has attained Senior Gray Head status.    They're relegated to the back seat and as a sign of respect they no longer have to wear the hat.

They just coach the more junior Grey-Heads up front who are still driving.

Stories about Sickness and Death
When seniors approach their twilight years, they're increasingly aware of their own mortality and hence feel the need to share their fears with you.   Which basically involves endless misery stories about unfortunate people you don't know and will never meet.

"I was taking to Mrs. McGillicuddy down the street...her cousin's mailman had leprosy of the bowel. It was an horrible surgery, he was in the hospital for 16 weeks, and now he's in a wheelchair and can only go to the bathroom  while standing on his head and playing the accordion...

....but his daughter takes care of him.  But then she got Jungle-Rot fever of the brain, and it ate our her eyes.   So now she walks around the house with a seeing eye-dog, with empty sockets where her eyes used to be, trying to care of her poor father.     But then the dog had to be put down because it strangled on the colostomy bag hose.     It's very sad, actually..."

(Okay!  Okay!....I GET it!....Life sucks and we're all going to DIE!....can I please go kill myself now?)

Sandal and Socks
The quintessential old-man stereotype:  expensive leather sandals with black knee-length socks.

I'm trying to figure out where this came from.   When did people EVER dress this way?  Even back in the 1930's ...was this style EVER fashionable and cool?

I'm guessing...NOT.

In fact, I suspect that is was NEVER cool to wear sandals and socks together.

NEVER in the history of the whole planet.

It must be a phenomenon seniors invented.   Because they could.

Small Dogs
The smaller. the better.    And make they're hyper and nippy, and hate everyone except the owner.

Bonus points, if it's a wussy dog that needs to sweater to go outside.

The Mandatory Pilgrimage to Alaska
Okay, imagine every RV in the Lower 48, from Alabama to Wyoming, traveling up north.

Now imagine all these RV's funneled together onto the only paved road within 500 miles.

Welcome to Alaska in July.

This Grey Invasion takes over the whole state.   The average tourist age is about 72, because it's mainly the elderly who who can afford the time off to travel up there.

The only 20-year-olds you'll see are the ones working 15 hours a day in the restaurants and tourist traps, to serve the RV-crowd the Blue-Plate specials and Senior Discount Coffee.

If you want to visit Alaska un-crowded, my advice is to head up there in mid-August.   By then, the nights will have started getting a bit chilly, and the Vast Grey Exodus reverses itself, as everyone starts heading south again.

Gigantic Sun-Glasses.
You know, the really big ones.  That wrap almost all the way around the head, and cover half the face.

For Chrissakes.   Why don't you just get a welder's mask, at this point?

Bag-Pipes
At a certain age, it's like a dormant switch gets turned on:

"I'm old...Gee, it's time I started liking the Bag-Pipes".

This caterwauling sound tends to make all Seniors nostalgic and misty-eyed.   Even the ones who never fought in a war, or who have no trace of Scottish blood, whatsoever.

If I ever start liking bag-pipes, you'll know it's time to put me down.

Lawn-Bowling
Seriously.  Have you EVER seen anyone under 75 lawn-bowl?

Again, I think the age-related switch gets suddenly turned on, and people suddenly feel the urge to take up the game.

Same thing applies to square dancing...

Metamucil
If there's one thing seniors don't mess around with, it's Number Two.

I used to stock shelves in a drug store.    Believe me, this product was a big hit with the over-65 crowd.

(Anyway, I know my Grandma loved it).

Upon arriving, Laura noticed that I looked a bit frightened, but it wasn't without reason. Accoridng to the official food advisory chart for myself (see below), most ethnic foods put me at an elevated alert level as they're usually new, smell a bit different, and generally look strange to me. This doesn't totally mean I won't try anything (as most ethnic dishes usually involve some type of chicken, rice, or bread), but I automatically get a bit cautioned.

Here's my chart for future reference:

Upon the first trip to the buffet, I was a bit scared. None of the plain-looking chicken items were available, and instead, it was a number of things covered in orange-ish sauces and other food I didn't recognize. I did however find two types of rices, both of which I tried and enjoyed.

Here's Laura loading up on strange food.

Laura suggested that I try some type of strange item that involved an outer breading and an unknown filling, but I never did quite brave it. It sparked a discussion of how I tend to stay clear of most foods that involve something stuffed into something else, but then we realized that I often enjoy calzones and pop tarts. Oh well, my decision still sorta made sense in my head (think I just get scared of stuffed foods that I've never seen before and have no clue as to what's inside them, which can probably be attributed to the time I tried some innocent looking asian bread that was actually filled with this gross red bean stuff).

Here's a shot of my overly filled first plate:

And then Laura's more traditional Indian meal:

The undisputed hit of the day for me ended up being some type of Indian pita bread that they kept bringing out to us. I forget it's technical name, but it was extremely delicious and I ate a lot of it.

Overall, it was a fun new experience that wasn't too frightening, and I thank Laura for talking me into trying something a bit different.

There was a widespread selection of delicious ham, smoked salmon (!!!) and salami. I liked the spread on the table was presented so beautifully. Plus there were a lot of nicely cut fruits.

For cheese lovers.

I liked the yoghurt cups. There were plain yoghurt with raspberry sauce and about a tablespoon of granola in each cup. Extremely pretty.

For the hot food, there were Danish meatballs (tasted like the Swedish), cocktail sausages which my sister and I loved, liver and mushroom hot pate and scrambled eggs. Holy smoke! Free flow of eggs, I was in heaven!

All in all, my sister and I had a brilliant time in Cafe Metropolitan. She liked the pastries, I liked the ham selection. Together we ruled the table and so stuffed at the end of it, we skipped dinner. This was also perhaps the nicest buffet I have ever been to. Plus there were many cute Danish babies which I wanted to eat as well. Just kidding!

We live in Panama, work and play on a tropical island... so many people might think... why would we want to vacation at Decameron Resort Panama? Good question.

Since we had family coming on a one week Decameron package to visit from Canada with Westjet on a package, it seemed the simplest option, and offered us something different. We had stayed at the nearby Playa Blanca Resort with them a couple of years back which was a very nice time, a lovely medium sized all inclusive resort, but still we felt it lacked the Panama experience. It is so interesting for visitors to Panama Resorts to leave the grounds to see what the country has to offer. Unless of course the main intention is to completely relax sitting on the beach and at poolside.

From reports we had heard about Decameron, we did not have our hopes up. After an easy drive of about 1.5 hours from the city we arrived. On arrival directions were a little confusing, parking very limited, and check in, it was not up to international par. We were sent away from reception to a large hall with about one hundred other new guests, and a number system. Things started to look up. Although the system seemed antiquated in the beginning, it worked efficiently. At the table where we were checked in we asked about the number of rooms... over 1000 they told us. It is a huge resort catering to both the Latin and the North American markets. A management nightmare.

After struggling to find parking, we headed off to our room and were surprised to have a lovely, clean ocean view room (among some 999 others). Beds and pillows were comfortable, rooms had television, hot water, and were well maintained. My cousin mentioned his room was noisy, but ours was not. Our rate was good; we were fortunate because we received the weekday residents rate of $53 per person per night, all inclusive. That is a fair deal. At certain times of year the price can be lower.

We tried to book a restaurant for the first night but they were all full, so we ate at the buffet which was fine. Some of the offerings were great, some were mediocre. That is what we expected, so were not disappointed. In our 3 days we learned to head to the buffet early rather than late for fresh food and energetic service from the personnel. The open air evening restaurant was nice, service good, employees well trained.

Because this is green season, we think that the resort was not full. Given that, we never want to visit when it is full! Lots of guests, and plenty of action, if that is what you are looking for. Luckily the weather was lovely in the mornings and by mid afternoon it clouded over and rained heavily. It was time for a siesta!

Decameron has a beautiful enormous beach front property to share with the other 2000 or more people who may be there at the same time. I possibly seem a little sarcastic, but the truth is with the exception of the main activities pool, there was plenty of space and surprisingly well maintained. They must work all night to keep the resort and beaches clean.

Activities were fun, and the liquor was overflowing from every corner of the resort (about 11 bars), and there were an abundance of restaurants. They have a golf course nearby but we didn´t make it even to the driving range, we were so busy hanging out at the pool and beach!

Both my husband and I enjoyed massages. He in the spa and I on the beach. The masseuses were well trained and prices reasonable. ($30 for 30 minutes) We tried to book horseback riding but it seems necessary to reserve the day before.

Among the negatives were staff training in F&B seemed somewhat lacking, front desk service was mediocre, from time to time attitude could be improved. Still, our overall impression was good, and at times we were amazed how the resort can operate as well as it does considering the size. We will go back, and as soon as we arrive book everything for our stay so as not to be disappointed.

Our family stayed at Decameron in Fallaron for several days, then stopped in the city and later to our Cerrito Tropical Bed & Breakfast on Taboga Island. They had been to Isla Taboga before and really loved it; now they are planning a new vacation including time on Taboga and probably Isla Grande. The 2 oceans tour!

Now some people love the resort experience. I still have a bit of trouble with it even though I really had a chance to kick back. I love to get to know a country and enjoy the local experience. In any big resort that is difficult. If you do opt for any resort experience, try to get out to experience the beauty of Panama either on a tour, or by renting a car. Panama has so much to offer outside the walls of any of its resorts.

As a side note: one of our friends who were staying at Decameron from Canada... their son had an accident; the family was very happy with the way Decameron handled it and arranged to have the young man taken to the hospital where they were quite pleased with the doctor, the hospital and the price. From what they said, Decameron seems very well organized to handle mishaps.

For more information contact the Hotel Royal Decameron:
www.decameron.com
Panama City Office: 507-214-3535
Toll Free: 800-2111
Resort: 507-993-2255

I use to be able to eat loads when I went to a buffet.  Really, I could.  In the olden days I could make about 4 - 5 trips for hot food before I even consider dessert.  I was in heaven in a buffet.  When I lived in Vancouver the first thing I noticed was that there weren't many Chinese all-you-can-eat places.  In fact, the rage there was all-you-can-eat Japanese food.  Which, funny enough, is kinda lacking in Toronto.

Anyways, over the years my food consumption has changed.  I don't know if it's age or that I truly am watching what I'm eating (which I doubt), but I can't do all-you-can-eat like I use to and it's sad.  It was my parents 40th Wedding Anniversary today, yup they made it to the 40th mark, and they decided to go to a buffet to celebrate.  I took barely 3 trips to the hot buffet and I had to call it a day.  I didn't even load up my plates like I normally do.  And, I just could not stuff another morsel in my mouth and if I did then I was endangering the room, little room, that I had left for dessert.  Sadness.

I wonder why I can't consume the way I use to.  Perhaps I need to be a bit more strategic the next time I hit a buffet.  Starve myself and then gorge when I get there.  I just feel like if I'm going to do buffet, I should eat epic proportions so that I get my worth.  I know, I'm strange.  :D

Tofu!! :))) I heart Tofu. But every time I look at them in the supermarket whilst grocery shopping, my heart breaks a little. Here is why. I always buy the Organic Firm Tofu from Waitrose which used to cost 1.38 pounds. However it is no secret food prices have hit sky-high and my tofu have also been affected. Right before I left for my New York holiday at the end of March it increased to 1.45 pounds per pack and when I came back a week later, the price had climbed to 1.55 pounds. With that, I ended my love affair with tofu. Thus when I first visited this restaurant I was so beeswaxly excited about the tofu that I ate all I could!

Anyhow moving on to the buffet. One can not expect Wagyu beef or abalone but one can expect luncheon meat, more tofu, crabs, fishballs and crab sticks. Er yes, I pay 12.99 to eat all the luncheon meat my tummy can hold. Oh, and another thing this place has, Bubble Tea. Er yes again, I pay an extra 2 pounds for Bubble Tea. Rest assured this is not an everyday thing.

Bubble Tea in a pint glass. Only in England

Left is a Chicken Stock Base and on the right, Chongqing Spicy Soup.

The design of Spice Brasserie is extremely modern. The water fountains behind the glass panels complement the restaurant's earthy tones, making the entire atmosphere very comfortable and serene.

When we first walked into Spice Brasserie, we were immediately greeted with a sushi and sashimi counter. The counter offers a wide variety of sashimi, with squid and octopi, and not forgetting the fishes like salmon, tuna and mackerel. Unfortunately for me, I'm unable to fully enjoy the sashimi due to the braces that I'm having (I just put it on :( ), however I did try the salmon though. It was so fresh that I didn't even put a lot of wasabi on it.

Like most buffet restaurants, Spice Brasserie also has a group of chefs standing next to the sashimi counter, ready to meet your food-on-demand. I didn't manage to tried their prata (from which I learnt later that their pratas are very delicious as well). What I did try is their Steam Red Snapper. The fish simply just melts in your mouth (almost literally). Flavoured with very simple vegetables like salted vegetables and tomatoes, the fish is light and extremely fresh - not a hint of fishiness inside.

Well since it's a porridge buffet, of course I did try the porridge. What attracted me was the elaborate selection of traditional dishes. I dare say I'll never have enough of it if not for my braces (once again).

As usual, to me personally, a buffet is never complete without trying the dessert there. Spice Brasserie has a wide selection of dessert - both traditional and western. I'm actually more drawn towards the western desserts as they are so delightful and extremely cute looking.

Well I took almost one of each dessert available. The first picture on top left is the Kaya Cake. Even layers of light sponge cake sandwiched and topped with a layer of Kaya. Next is my all-time favourite - cream puffs. They may be petite, but inside is filled with rich and flavourful custard. The one on the top right is like a mini chocolate tart. The crust is a little bit too hard and tough in my opinion, but the creamy dark chocolate ganache filling is superb.

The blueberry crumble tart (on the left) has a slightly softer crust than the dark chocolate tart. Well I'm not very sure whether they used real blueberries for this tart or blueberry jam (it doesn't seem to me it's real blueberries though) The blueberry taste, to me, is not intensive enough. The coffee cake on the right I believe is Irish Coffee Cake. Walnuts inside the light and soft sponge, which was sandwiched and topped with all-too-familiar coffee-flavoured cream. A very delightful cake indeed.

But what really attracted me is the 4 different types of mousses they offer. And each one of them is served in a shot glass. The colours are all contrasting and all of them are bursting with flavours.

The first one I tried is the Mango Mousse. It's light and tangy, with small pieces of mango at the bottom. The next is Cookies and Cream Mousse. Up till now I still can't figure out what's on the top. It looks like biscuits to me (shares a hell lot of resemblance with Oreo cookies), but they are soft and instantly melts in your mouth. The mousse, to my slight disappointment, did not have such an intense flavour as the mango one. Out of the 4 mousses, the top two are the Strawberry Mousse and the Chocolate Mousse. The Strawberry Mousse is excellent. Every mouth seems like you are eating strawberries purée. The taste is rich and smooth. Funny thing is that the decoration (as seen from the picture), instead of placing the strawberry the other side down, they placed it the other way up. Looks a little funny, I think it'd have looked better if it's placed another way actually. Last but definitely not the least, the Chocolate Mousse is extremely rich. The chocolate does not taste as dark as the one in the chocolate tart but it's still dark chocolate nonetheless. Rich and flavourful - what else can I say about it? It's really good.

The service in all is pretty excellent. The empty dishes are cleared away promptly. As for the pricing, for a lunch buffet for 3 people, including the service charge and GST, it total up to $100, and UOB and debit cardholders get to enjoy a 20% discount, so it's only around $80.

In overall, Spice Brasserie offers one of the widest selection of traditional Asian food in buffet style. It is very modern but at the same time, suitable for family gatherings as well. Coupled with excellent service, Spice Brasserie is classy yet affordable. Overall I'll be giving it a 8.5/10.

I'll definitely be back for more.

Ewoks suck. For the longest time I regarded Return Of The Jedi as the greatest Star Wars movie of them all. Now that I look back i just see it as one giant toy revenue stream, which was fine when I was 7 but now I feel a little bored with it. Much like finding out your are really a conservative when you give into corporate America, I require more in a movie than "I've got a bad feeling about this" and latex muppets. I consider myself an Empire Strikes Back fan now. Plus, thanks to a picture at Social Pariah, it just dawned on me that Wicket was really the downs syndrome Ewok that tends to wander through Endor. I imagine he lives in the lowest hut at the Ewok Village. He also looks like a smelly. "Yub-Yub".

Hotels suck. The thrill is gone when it comes to travel. I think I realized this on a trip a few months ago when I was spoiled by a five star room and the next week I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. That drastic change turned me into a snob. Everything about the room annoyed me from the TV only having 20 channels to the air conditioning being too loud. I remember a time when I would drink at the lounge, meet new people, order room service, even go to the pool. Now, I work in bed, read a book and complain in the morning that my back is stiff. I even bring my own pillow case for fear of getting some face disease. What a shit I am.

I will never ride on this. When I was growing up we used to South Jersey for the summer and the days were all the same. During the day we would be at the shore and at night we would ride the rides. It must have been a thrill for my poor folks but I lived for it. Today when I see a fair, all I can think about is the amount of insurance that goes into portable roller coasters. Beside the fact that just looking at them makes my equilibrium off balance I am absolutely positive that I will not be killed on the "Scrambler". I can see the local news story now. "Local man flung off the Scrambler in a bucket seat. Witnesses said he was making squealing sounds before he landed in the donkey ride. He did not survive."

Buffets are ruined. I have a hard time eating at Chinese or even American buffets and I think it is because I just think about it too hard. My imagination takes the best of me and all I imagine is sneezey people, grubby kid fingers and flies. I am the jerk that orders off the menu when everyone one else is elbow deep in Lo Mein. However, I do miss eating Kung Pao chicken and corn dogs at the same time.

The excitement of the theater. I actually do miss going to the movies but I just cant find the time to spend two hours anywhere for recreation. The last film I saw was Cloverfield and it was reminiscent of the old movie experience but lately I don't have the desire. I blame friends that i used to hang out with for that. They were the couple that dressed like the characters of the film. For the life of me I couldn't understand why people dress up for the opening of a film. As you could imagine I was pretty embarrassed when the last Star Wars movie opened up.

I am sure there plenty of other items in life that I have grown to see differently. It's hard to think of them right off the top of my head but be sure, I'll let you know. That reminds me, up until today I have used the term "to no extent". It is "to some extent" and "to no end". It's good that I figured that out at 30.