memory food: chicken mcnuggets

Photo taken from yummyinthetummyblog

I've always love McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. Always. Adik said KFC's nuggets are better because McD's nuggets are a bit tough. Well, she sounded like an old, teethless lady actually. I like my nuggets crunchy rather than soggy, and soft. And by the way, I noticed that KFC's nuggets are smaller in size compared to the McD's. Oh well. The main point is, I like McD's Chicken McNuggets. Eating the nuggets now, it triggered various memories. And I remember one vividly...

I was a seven year old kid at that time. I was hospitalized because... I never did know why, until now. It remains a mystery. Mama's standard answer when asked about this, "Lupa!" All I know is that I suffered serious headaches at night time. I could not sleep because my head hurt so much. Sleepless night combined with the hurting head, I cried. No, scratch that. I wailed. Mama would get up and made Milo for me. It was useless. I would throw it all up. Abah would rub minyak cap kapak on my temple. I'll fell asleep for a minute or two but when the effect wore off, I am back to the wailing.

After so many sleepless nights for Abah, Mama and me, Abah decided to take me to the hospital. Hospital Tawakal to be precise. Now I could not remember much about all the activities that took place at the hospital but I do remember screaming and thrashing and crying when the doctor was about to withdraw some blood. My blood. Once I saw the needle... boy oh boy, there was no stopping me! I remember four nurses holding me down as I screamed and thrashed and cried. I remember the doctor trying to console me. And I remember the doctor giving up when I would not stop all the drama. Abah laughed his head off with my antiques. I had to be wheeled back to my room because I spent all my energy screaming, thrashing and crying.

At the hospital, I had difficulties to stomach the food provided. Whatever that went through my mouth will come back out, through my mouth as well. They stopped feeding me solid food and switched to liquid food instead. Porridge, fruit juices, soups... you know the drill. It worked. Until I was bored with the same food everyday. I started to complain. They switched back to solid food. And I was back to the throwing up state. The doctor was puzzled. Abah and Mama was worried. Back to the tasteless liquid food again for me. One night, I could not bear any more of the white tasteless porridge. I begged Abah for solid food, real food. Abah went out, leaving me with Mama who was trying to console me while persuading me to eat the porridge. I had to eat so that I could take my medicine, you see.

A while later, Abah came back, holding a plastic bag bearing the distinctive M logo. I was overjoyed, needless to say, even without knowing what was in the plastic bag Abah took out a yellow box and opened it to reveal the hot golden chicken nuggets inside. I beamed at Abah. Abah said to me, "Only one piece for you. Bismillah first." One piece just to see if my stomach will reject it. One piece to play it safe. One piece that made me smile. I demolished the one piece in seconds. And it stayed in my stomach. Hurray! So Abah allowed me a second piece, and the third one, and the next. Amazingly, the nuggets stayed in my stomach.

From that day on, the porridge, juices and soups were forgotten. Abah brought me the chicken nuggets everyday. I ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was this one night, Abah, along with Wan (my late grandfather), snuck me out of the hospital. Yes, folks. They snuck me out. And that night, I sat happily at the back of the Pajero, between my father and my grandfather. I was glad to be out of the hospital. Abah asked me, "How about some satay?" I shook my head. No, sir, no satay. Just McDonald's Chicken McNuggets will do for me. While I ate my nuggets, Abah and Wan had their satays. Oh. We had ABC, too. And I didn't throw up. Weird.

Mama was actually against Abah feeding me the nuggets even if that is the only thing I could stomach. Once, she gave me an egg sandwich (because I like egg sandwich as well) but down the drain it went as I puked through my nose. Never again Mama brought egg sandwich for me. Like it or not, she had to give way to those little golden babies. I was hospitalized for about a week and a half. After about a week, I could eat normally again. Did I ever get tired of boring of the nuggets? Nope. Never.

In a way, the little nuggets remind me of the those good ol' times, when I was my father's little darling. It reminds me of the things that Abah would do for me without hesitation. And it always makes me smile, especially the part where he and his father snuck me out of the hospital. Now, both of them are gone, forever. And they left me with those fond memories I would cherish all of my life...