A friendly exchange between two acquaintances more often than not includes "have you eaten?" as a nicety followed quickly by "Let's go grab a bite. I know this place that serves great ... " If at home, the host takes pride in serving refreshments, encouraging the guest to  "eat, eat, eat".

Many think nothing of overeating. One is blessed with good appetite, so the Chinese saying goes. However, a playful verse in Cantonese chides the gluttony we can be capable of. It's like this:

          As the mouth clamps down on the first bite,

          The chopsticks pick the second;

          Meanwhile the eyes seek out the third,

          And the heart covets the fourth.

Try acting that out. Old sayings sure have a sting to them. There's one in Malay, warning of cause and effect. It goes:

          Whoever eats chili shall taste the heat;

What about you? Do you eat to live or live to eat? I hope you don't let the question eat at you. I would love to hear from you. Until next time, Eat, Drink and be Merry!


Source of image: Microsoft Powerpoint clipart


Postscript added on 10 Oct 2023: Note: Thank you to those who have written to let me know you enjoy reading my column but daren't take a lesson because there are parts you don't really understand. I assure you we'll always speak at a level which suits you so that we can enjoy a casual conversation. Also, we can go through words and sentences that are difficult so that we learn together. Perhaps, they will be easy then and we'll always have something to talk about. No stress!