Jeeeeet Laaaag

The plane’s wheels touched down in Bangkok just before midnight with a wall of humidity, felt even in the air conditioned plane, already smacking me straight in the head. Out of all of the cross Pacific flights I’ve done since our move to southeast Asia, this one is a record breaker. Usually, I can sneak in a block of good sleep-- a feat that shouldn't go unrecognized for someone who travels with young children. Yes, up until my most recent flight, I would have said that I perfected the sleep of a plane-flying mother. Arms outstretched and two boulders, that double as my kids’ heads during waking hours, slam up against my shoulders. My knees jam into the seat in front of me. A musty airline blanket covers us all. I sleep deep and wake up with pools of slobber on my sleeves from the boulder-esque heads of my kids. Believe it or not, that scenario is the usual "bliss" I experience. Unlike my most recent flight where I raked in a record breaking hour or so of time spent asleep. Fellow passengers snored, the smell of hot coffee wafted from the first class cabin, and my eyes stung in horror over the fear that I would doze off as soon as my kids woke up from their slumbers.

As I write this, I’m experiencing epic proportions of jet lag. My husband went to the guest bedroom, since he’s supposed to be at work in a couple of hours after not sleeping on the flight much either. My kids are pinging off the walls as it it’s their normal morning hours. And, I’m half expecting a knock on our door from a neighbor who is sure to be disturbed by our middle of the night jet lagged antics. Right now, I can’t imagine doing anything other than staring at this computer screen and drinking multiple cups of strong coffee stashed away from our holiday to the States in my yet to be unpacked suitcase. But, I hear the kitchen calling and the need to create new dish. My stomach feels sick from the odd hours I’ve been keeping, but my brain says a fried egg over something will cure me. So, off I go.

Cooking in Thailand, entry no. 74:

Jet lag egg

Created in my Bangkok kitchen at approximately 2:03 a.m. Enjoy and eat at a much more reasonable hour.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons veggie oil

1 egg

black pepper, to taste

1 cup of boiled, drained and rinsed thick egg noodles

1 green onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 hand full of green peas

1 long pour of soy sauce

1 generous squirt of hot sauce

¼ teaspoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon of ketchup

Method:

In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of veggie oil and cook the chopped carrots over high heat just until golden brown. Place the egg noodles into the pan, add the peas, onion, soy sauce, hot sauce, ketchup and brown sugar. Stir and heat until steaming hot. Place in a serving bowl. Add another tablespoon of veggie oil, heat and crack the egg into the hot pan. Sprinkle generously with black pepper, flip and cook over easy. Place on top of the noodles and prick the center of the egg so that it oozes over the noodles. Enjoy immediately.