Fried bananas and other important food groups

What a manfoodful few days I've had. In between manfoods and ladyfoods and tonicfoods and wo/manfoods the only thing I've really managed to do is attend a First Holy Communion (which I wouldn't have missed for the world). I did sample a very tasty Croucher's Pale Ale and a wee Weizenbock on Saturday night at Tonic's Bestival of Feer opening, but that was definitely for medicinal purposes. I swear, if I see another Spanish Tortilla before a suitable amount of time has passed I may well scream - in Spanish no less.

That said however, I have had a wonderful time and there have been lots of happy manfoodies with tastebuds excited by delicious Malaysian flavours - it has definitely been SE Asia week with Beef Rendang, Chicken Rice, Satay, and Squid in Lime all on the menu, not to mention Fried Bananas. Mmmm, fried bananas. They constituted dinner for me tonight and I am not ashamed to say that their crisp, fried, sugared goodness induced me to eat one and a half of the four I was saving for Max - after I'd already had an undisclosed (but rather significant) number of my own with ice cream...

The upshot of all this is that Max and I might just be existing on non-cook foods for the next week while Simon's away; I find that cereal makes a filling dinner meal with few dishes and even less preparation, it goes wonderfully with that other dinnertime standby - Marmite on toast - and the beauty of it is that you can have the leftovers for breakfast.

Fear not, I promise to be back to my be-aproned, cookingest best by Thursday's manfood class. Speaking of which, get out The Godfather, buy some Chianti and polish your Vespa as we are doing my Italian grandmother's Spaghetti and Meatballs this Thursday - fantastico. There will be opera - consider yourself warned! Ciao ciao xxx