“She has a smaller waist than me.” 
“He has a nice car than me.”
“She has better grades than me.”
“Her skin is so much better than mine…”

Does this sound familiar? Just think about it…How many times have you compared yourself to others today?

Comparison…It seems like such a harmless, human thing to do. Everyone compares. But unfortunately, not many people seem to realize how dangerous and destructive comparing can be. In fact, one of the biggest contribution to my anorexia was comparison.

Why do we feel the need to compare? I have often asked myself this, torn apart by guilt and self-loathing as I looked at others, even my closest friends, with deep envy and resentment. Why can’t I be satisfied with myself? Why can’t I be happy for others for their good qualities? Why can’t I just be at peace with the way I am?

While rummaging through my old things today, I’ve come across some of my old diaries from when I was in middle and high school. God,  I was so tempted to bake them in the oven to a crisp! All the ridiculously childish, envious thoughts I harbored within me! All the self-criticism and rivalry! I wanted to crawl under my bed in shame.

But I couldn’t help mulling over this. Am I still like this? Am I still wading in these waves of constant jealousy and comparison? And the sad answer was: YES. I still critique myself frequently, especially when I see someone better than me. The worst thing is that the comparison is mostly with people who are close to me.

But whenever I pray to God about this, He reminds me one thing: You are precious in my eyes. You are uniquely and individually made under my wisdom and eternal purpose.

This gives me enormous comfort. It reminds me that not one person is alike. We’re all uniquely and personally created, with our own special background, circumstances, situations, personalities, and appearances. We can’t all have a body like Jessica Alba’s, a brain like Einstein’s, or a voice like Mariah Carey’s. We can’t all be amazing musicians, artists, or dancers. We can’t all be rich, charming, and powerful.

We just can’t have it all. But we do have our own preciously unique selves to serve our very own special purpose in this world. Which is again why there is simply no way we can compare to each other. We’re all precious in our own ways.

In fact, my father always told me, “Don’t compare. Instead, give thanks for other people’s better points. Because what we lack, others will fill up, and vice versa. That’s how we balance each other out, and keep this world interesting.”

Speaking of balancing each other…you all already know I love my flavor combinations. One thing I learned about cooking is that in order to make a great dish, you need to know how to balance out the five fundamental flavors: Sweet, spicy, sour, salty, and bitter.

I really can’t compare which flavors I like best…each one is so different from the other, and sticking to one flavor in a dish would be too extreme and cloying…but they complement each other so well!

Anyway, today’s dish was a real hit with the balance of flavors. I really think curries are just one of the most complex and intriguing dishes in the world. Get the components right, and you’ve got yourself one heck of an amazing meal.

Mango Chicken Curry

• 1 small onion, chopped
• small peeled ginger root, about 1/4 inch, minced
• 1 medium cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 mango, diced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• canola oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/4 cup salsa (I used the mild Tostitos brand)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chicken broth 
• salt and pepper
• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halve, chopped
• 1 link andouille sausage, sliced
• about 5 pieces dates, sliced
• 1/3 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut   

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the spices. Cook, stirring once or twice, until fragrant. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the mango pieces and tomato to the skillet and stir to incorporate. Then pour in the broth with the salsa and lemon juice. Increase the heat to medium-high to bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and let simmer until thickened a bit. Season to taste.

Add the chicken pieces, sausages and dates and stir to coat them evenly. Cover and cook again, stirring occasionally, then toss in the coconut. Continue to cook until chicken is cooked through and all the flavors are absorbed. Top with a bit of extra coconut. Not the prettiest, but oh-so-good!!

The sweetness from the mangoes and dates, the spice and bitterness from the spices and sausage, the sour from the lemon juice…Oh my, what a hit, a very palatable hit!

So beautifully well-balanced! Funny how today’s dish somehow linked itself to today’s post topic. I should just become a food philosopher. Is there such thing as a food philosopher?

I don’t know whether this would go under Indian or Thai. What do you think?

Oh, and guess what arrived in my mail today…

A little parcel sent by an angel!! My dear friend Natalie from Singapore sent a little present from her trip to Melaka, Malaysia…
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I tore the parcel open to find a little red container and a Melaka postcard…And being foodies, of course it’s gonna be food, oh glorious food!

Traveled safe and sound from half-way across the world! Two cookies, one filled with peanut, the other with taro. And three mochis! Little adorable glutinous rice cakes, each with a different filling of sweet black rice, red bean, and black sesame! Nat, are you a mind-reader? How did you know I adore these things?

I tore into one right away…

And then another…

And yet another…!

They were so reminiscent of those lovely Asian snacks I loved as a kid. I love these things because they’re so light yet satisfying, sort of savory, with just the right amount of sweetness.

My brother got mad-jealous, so I reluctantly gave up one of the rice cakes to him. I’ve got just one more precious mochi left, and I’m gonna do my best to let it last a little longer. Thank you so freaking much, Nat! I burp my thanks to you! ~burp~

And that’s not all! Boy oh boy, aren’t we full of nice surprises today? Catherine from The Unconfidential Cook and Claudia from Journey of an Italian Cook passed me this heart-warming award:

Thank you, Catherine and Claudia! I am so honored and pleased to be remembered by you!

I have actually already received this award and have passed it down to other bloggers before, so this time round, I would like to pass it to my faithful and amazing non-blogging blog-readers…namely: Nanete, Alda, Catherine, Adrienne, Smita, and Wen Xiu! Thank you, guys, for your kind words and support! And my most sincere thanks to any more “shy readers” out there who have not made known to me!

Question of the day: Do you find yourself comparing yourself with others? What qualities of others do you usually envy the most?

Related posts:

1. Well-Rounded Confidence
2. A Gift
3. To Surrender: The Easiest Decision Ever
4. Spring for Life
5. Say A Little Prayer…

Tagged as: blog award, cake, chicken, coconut, cookies, curry, mango, salsa, sausage, tomato