DETOX DIVA DAY 5: BANKSY & ME

SONIA LAM

BIRGIT, WHOSE PETRIFIED LEAF PENDANT (FROM THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON) REMINDED ME OF A VAGINA.

BANKSY

AMEN.

PARIS CITY MAP

SELF-PORTRAIT

SHRIMP SALAD WITH SOME SORT OF COGNAC DRESSING

SAUSAGES AND (WHAT ELSE??) FRENCH FRIES

SONIA'S CORDON BLEU, DESTROYED.

PRETTY DESSERT

BRIAN, RICHIE, ARUN, BIRGIT, HYPERACTIVE, MAINE, SONIA

VIEW FROM THE TOP

FOOSBALL

FRENCH BOYS

INDEED.

"Congrats, you made it!" says the e-mail from Detox Diva Deborah Dewey. "It's Day 5! Back to having 1 square meal today!"

Thank goodness. I feel like my old self, too - but better. Sharp, alert, hyperactive. The past two days of deep cleanse were a struggle between bouts of dizzyness and hunger. Today, I'm not even craving my "brownie" tablets.

"Think of this as a holiday for your body," Deborah reminded me.

Right.

I'm just happy I'm through to Day 5 and am able to eat real food again. Every bit of food tastes a lot more intense, more satisfying. I even give my chicken adobo, which I cooked for Filipino Food Friday, five stars!

I pop over to Volume Heat for Happy Hour drinks with my colleagues, Cat and Maine. Cat orders cranberry juice, I ask for fresh orange juice with sparkling water, Maine asks for a blueberry martini. It looks deadly.

But what's even deadlier is bumping into my dear friend, Rye, whom I truly should be hiding from if I want to succeed with my detox. Strangely, Rye is being supportive...
 
"When did we become such grown ups?" I demanded.

"In 2009," Rye replied, "after we lost a year of our lives, journeying."

Cat soon takes leave to catch up with her lovey for a movie, Rye goes home to finish assessment of his 169 students (!!!), Maine and I head over to the soft opening of La Cantoche, a new "French canteen" just about 10 skips away from where Chris and I live.

It was there I caught up with ny mafioso colleague Arun, La Cantoche's Directeur de Cantine David ("I serve French food just like maman made"),  ultra-exclusive Taboo club impresario Manu, former broker Brian, marketing maven Sonia, sassy waitress Giselle, and... Banksy.

// BAD. //

DOWNTOWN DETOX

P.S.

La Cantoche

G/F, No.5 Wa Lane

227 Hollywood Road

Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

(852) 2426 0880

Opens 11th of June 2012