This



became this



and resulted in this:



The last photo, by the way, is a result of getting pepper oil all in my eye. The right side of my face was throbbing; I couldn't even open my eye. Even now, there are traces of residue under my fingernails. I try to bite my nails--yes, a bad habit--and there the pepper is, ready to kick me the face.

I like pepper pain, but only when it's from ingestion!

The soup, by the way, is tom kha kai. I tried to lower the heat for my mom, but it didn't work. The soup was sour and fiery--just as it's supposed to be. Unfortunately, my table guests were not impressed. Mom opted for canned salmon; Dad ate the soup, but commented that he "wouldn't eat it again." Both were encouraging but unhappy.

Sigh. Not all homecooked meals are sweetness and light, I suppose.

For the record, I didn't have a proper recipe for the soup. I kind of took a mean of all the ingredient lists and just chucked things in. After all was said and done, I thought it turned out OK. I get the leftovers.