The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.112)

2019 • 07 56 ellness Appreciating the Wonders of Mushrooms Replacing meat-based ingredients with mushroom-based ones make for healthier alternatives, such as substituting hamburger patties with Portobello mushrooms, ham in sandwiches with button mushrooms and processed meat with marinated king oyster mushrooms. Translated by Chang Yii Yong M y daughter’s classmate, who is a foreigner, is entrusted to the care of her grandmother when her parents are at work during the day. The grandmother is a kindly old lady. My encounters with her were mostly brief, hence we rarely spoke. But during those fleeting moments, she would offer a warm smile that melts my heart. A few days ago, I ran into the grandmother once again on my way. I greeted her, only to be dealt a question almost immediately: “Why do the children here have only bread for breakfast?” Observing the old lady’s expression, my intuition hinted to me that she did not bother for a direct answer, so I asked her instead, “What do the children in your family have for breakfast?” I seemed to have pushed the right buttons, as she launched into an animated monologue, her eyes glinting with enthusiasm. “I wake up at 5 am to prepare breakfast for my grandchildren…” she started. I marvelled at her early-morning zeal; when she is busying herself in the kitchen, I would still be comfortably tucked under my covers. I would only awaken from my slumber by the time she has completed her breakfast preparations! I only have half an hour to spare in the mornings for making breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen after and prepping myself for work, before walking with my children to school at 7 am. Time is scarce, so I keep my breakfast choices simple. Burritos are my favourite go-to breakfast as they are easy to make: roll lettuce and mushrooms into whole wheat tortilla wraps, and they are ready to eat. Whenever I am pressed for time, I would spread some tomato paste on a whole wheat tortilla crust and garnish with fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, pineapple cubes and a sprinkling of cheese, before putting it into the oven for a quick pizza. The only kitchen appliances I own are a rice cooker and an oven – both have proven to be my trusty helpers when whipping up meals. In this case, the famous saying, “Less is more” by prominent German architect LudwigMies van der Rohe is particularly apt. When my daughter craves for fried rice, I would set aside a portion of rice overnight and prepare diced carrots, mushrooms, corn kernels and other ingredients the night before. The next morning, all I have to do is toss the ingredients together in the wok and pack the fried rice into a lunchbox. Alternatively, I would opt for spaghetti with tomatoes and mushrooms. Upon learning that nearly all my breakfast recipes include mushrooms, the old lady furrowed her brows and said, “I heard from a television programme that consuming too many mushrooms is bad for health.” I was curious. “How so?” I enquired. The old lady could not recall the details; all she remembered was that mushrooms are bad for health. The nutritional value of mushrooms In March this year, researchers at the