Blech.

Monday all I ate was some Italian salami on a baguette, followed up by a piece of blueberry cheesecake that my maid had stashed in the fridge.

Okay, aside from the fact that this is probably an ungodly combination, I think said cheesecake was sitting in the fridge a bit too long. It didn’t taste right and I didn’t finish it.

I was supposed to go out Monday night to the soft opening of a new bar in Wanchai, Dog House (maybe it’s 2 g’s?), the manager an old friend.

But by 6 PM, when I gave my dogs dinner and took them for a walk, I started feeling dizzy and cold. Decided to stay home. Around 9 PM, projectile vomiting, pardon the bluntness. This continued on and off for several hours.

My gf is away, but she called my maid and asked her to come back home and take care of me, which she did.

In between puking, I slept for about 18 hours. I never sleep well, and in those 18 hours I woke up at least 20 times, but each time I decided to stay in bed, just grabbing some Tylenol and a lot of water and then sleeping again.

Debated on going to the emergency room – which would have meant a taxi ride to Tseung Kwan O, as I wasn’t feeling strong enough to drive. But since I no longer had a fever, didn’t want to deal with it. Just more water, more Tylenol, some soup. Couldn’t manage to finish one can of chicken soup, even splitting it into two meals, some left over.

Now I’m feeling more myself. Sitting upright in front of the computer. Drinking lots of water.

And what better thing to do after having food poisoning than watching food shows?

Just watched Spain …. On the Road Again, a US PBS series. Mario Batali, chef, author, larger than life (in more ways that one) TV personality and Mark Bittman, writer of the NY Times column “The Minimalist” and cookbook “How To Cook Everything” (which I got last week and is FANTASTIC), take a road trip through Spain. Of course these two guys ain’t the most photogenic, so add into the mix American actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Claudia Bassols, a gorgeous multi-lingual Spanish actress. They’re driving around in two Mercedes convertibles, investigating fish markets, artisanal cheese makers, and watching famed Spanish chefs cook signature dishes. And some sightseeing as well.

I like the show, but the ratio of good info/b.s. is just not high enough and don’t know if I’ll last through the entire season. Too much of “Bitty” asking Claudia how to say something in Spanish. Too much of Batali making fun of Paltrow for being recognized more often than he is. And it doesn’t help that Batali contracts food poisoning in the first episode, after eating a bit of “partridge sushi”. But it feels like therapy, it’s building up my appetite again. But maybe not in a good way. Can I eat some plain boiled rice after watching this? A burger with nothing on it? Or do I want some amazing paella infused with saffron, some spice and herb, maybe some seafood …. sigh.

Hope your Lunar New Year break went better than mine ….