Sleep Over

"Mia! Where's the sesame oil?!"

I shouted while walking towards the living room where Mia and Trixie were busy setting up the newly bought small table and the beddings in front of the TV.

Mia paused from taking out the plates and drinks on the table and thought for a while. "It's on the upper cabinet! The third one!"

"Thanks." I nodded and went back to the kitchen where Katherine was rummaging through all the drawers. "Kath, third cabinet up."

I turned back to slicing the pickled radish for our 'side dish' which was usually served before the main dish as an appetizer or palate cleanser during meal. I've heard of this dish from my grandmother before but I've never tried it because… duh! It's vegetables!

"Found it. But..." Katherine's hesitation made me stop in the middle of my rhythmic chopping to turn to her.

"Why? What's wrong?" I looked up at the open cabinet and back at her. Seeing her bite her lower lip while looking at me, made the corner of my lips lift up with realization. "You can't reach it?"

She shot me a glare. "I'll get a chair from the dining hall."

"And what? Ruin the expensive leather upholstery?" I washed my hands and went to her. "Besides, I'm taller than you so I can probably reach it."

She rolled her eyes as she stepped back to give way for me. "You're just 1cm taller. Stop flexing."

I went on my toes and easily got the bottle of sesame oil from the cupboard, which also actually surprised me. But I mischievously waved the bottle in front of her with a grin. "It's 1.8cm for your information. Let's make that clear."

"Show off." She made a face and snatched the bottle from me before turning her back to start making the sauce for the bibimbap.

A few days ago, while watching this new Korean drama that Ameera told me about, I saw one of the characters eat this food that made me crave for it even though I've never tried it before. It was some kind of rice with red paste, marinated beef, egg and mixed vegetables.

I hate vegetables.

Totally hate it.

But I seriously wanted to eat what that girl was eating simply because of how she made it and ate it with gusto.

That's how I ended up asking the other girls to try it with me. And from the simple plan of trying this 'bibimbap' together, it escalated and became larger in scale. It became an all out Korean culture and food discovery at Mia's house with just the five of us.

Yes.

There were five of us.

Ameera agreed to join us and become our mentor throughout this entire experience.

We finished grocery shopping around 4PM and started preparing as soon as we got back by efficiently dividing the tasks from the get go.

Mia and Trixie were in charge with setting up our 'venue' which was the living room.

Katherine and I were in charge of putting the main dish together.

And Ameera was in charge of ordering our other foods and taking care of this evening's drama/movie playlist.

Katherine and I managed to finish the final touches for our first ever bibimbap just in time for the other foods to arrive.

After placing the bowl at the center of the table, I sat down on the carpeted floor beside Ameera who was untying the mysterious plastic bags. "What did you order?"

Ameera grinned. "Aside from vegetables, what do you not like eating?"

"Pig." I answered straightforwardly. "I hate pigs. You're not going to make me eat pig right?"

She chuckled and whispered to me. "I'm not allowed to eat pork as well. So you can rest assured."

"Really?" I asked and Ameera nodded in confirmation to my surprise because all my friends loved eating pigs.

"Seriously, Zee. What do you have against pork?" Trixie also helped Ameera in untangling the plastic bags that were not budging. And Katherine finally stood up to get the scissors from the kitchen.

"Why are YOU asking ME that?" I put a hand on my chest. Then I started reiterating to her the brutal things that I've witnessed humans do to pigs. "You guys are the ones eating those poor pigs! You brutally pierce them with those metal bars and grill them whole. And if that was not enough, you stuff apples in their mouths as if gagging them. And when you finally eat them, you peel off their skins little by little. Barbarians!"

Ameera giggled and curiously peered at me, "Could it be because you feel bad for them?"

"Of course I feel bad for them, don't you?"

Katherine came back with the scissors and sat beside me. "Don't mind her Ameera. She's a perfect example of a hypocrite."

I glared at Katherine and Ameera's gaze swung between the two of us. "What do you mean by hypocrite?"

"She says that she feels bad for those pigs but she eats fish, chicken and beef just fine." Mia giggled as she successfully untangled the plastic bag without the help of the scissors.

"We're not that brutal to those fishes, cows and chicken like you are to those pigs." I defensively said, sensing that I was about to lose in this discussion. 'I'm a carnivore. What can I do?'

"Not brutal?" Katherine laughed while opening the boxes of Korean foods that Ameera ordered for delivery. "Then how can you stomach eating chicken intestines and chicken feet? Do you not feel bad for eating those poor chickens' feet that they've been using all their lives to make a living for their eggs that are waiting for them at their nests?"

"I…" I started and closed my mouth shut. "I'm sorry. But barbecued chicken feet are the best."

They all laughed and Ameera beamed at me with a still unopened box on her hands. "You like chicken feet too?"

The look in her eyes made a thought cross my mind and made my eyes glued on the box that she was holding. "Don't tell me…"

She opened the box to reveal red and juicy looking chicken feet. I grabbed her wrists in excitement. "Meera!"

She wiggled her body, looking ecstatic as well. "Zee!"

"Seriously? Chicken feet?" Mia frowned with disgust at our holy food.

Trixie and Katherine on the other hand poked at it with curiosity.

"How do you eat this thing? Is there even meat in this thing for us to eat or do we just chew on bones?" Trixie asked while taking the box from Ameera and placed it on the table.

Ameera and I were still both so excited that we linked our hands together and wriggled like electrocuted worms. Though I've never seen one before.

After calming down, we sat properly in front of the small table and listened to Ameera as she taught us the names of the foods that she ordered. Some of them, I've already heard of already. And although we don't have alcohol with us because we're still under PG, she taught us the proper way of drinking in front of elders which I found to be both interesting and sensible at the same time.

It was funny how in such a short amount of time, I learned more about my father's homeland from Ameera compared to what I learned from him.

As soon as the promised crash-course ended, we started digging in. And the first thing that I scooped up was the bibimbap and the sweet and spicy chicken feet which were considered a heavenly combo, according to the Great Guru Meera.

And despite ridiculing our taste in food, Mia, Katherine, and Trixie helped themselves with the chicken feet out of curiosity.

"Shocks! It's too spicy!" Mia hissed as she grabbed the carton of strawberry milk that Ameera prepared.

Trixie and Katherine on the other seemed to be handling it pretty well to say the least. Katherine even admitted that she actually liked the chicken feet out of all the food that Ameera ordered.

Thirty minutes later, we were all flat on the carpeted floor with bulging bellies.

"God… I can't move." Trixie muttered with labored breaths.

"It was soooo good." Mia chuckled dazedly. "Now I understand why they would want to eat this with alcohol or beer. Although I think that cola would still hit the right spot.*burp*"

Katherine laughed out loud while sounding like she was having an out of body experience."Did you just burp or did you fart?"

Mia shook her head. "I don't know anymore."

"That's disgusting." Trixie complained while chuckling and accidentally burped as well. "Sorry."

"No worries. It's just the five of us anyway. Besides, we deserve this kind of happiness once in a while." Ameera giggled and I never thought that she was this carefree. She was lying on her back with her legs spread out and her stomach was slightly showing with her shirt pulled up. I've always had the impression that she's somewhat prim and proper.

"Why do I feel like we're missing one person?" Katherine suddenly asked out of the blue.

Mia looked to her left and right. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like I haven't heard a certain someone's voice for a while now." She flailed her arms around her. "Ameera, can you please check if Zee is still alive?"

Ameera pushed herself up to peek at me and she giggled when she saw me smiling back at her. "She's still alive."

Alive?

Me?

Are you sure?

Because I feel like I'm in Nirvana at the moment.... wherever that is.