Familiar Smell

As I walked up the stairs, heading to my room after teaching English today, a familiar smell hit my nose. It took only a second to identify but a few more to figure out where it was coming from. Sitting on the bottom of the next flight of stairs was P, stirring a bowl of creamy yellow liquid and noodles. At first I thought I was mistaken, but then I saw the package...Easy Mac (a single serving of microwavable macaroni and cheese.) My nose hadn't failed me.

P was much less excited about her lunch than I was. She was given the pack of Easy Mac from a friend. Thinking it was similar to the other instant noodles eaten here, she poured the noodles and cheese powder into a bowl and added enough hot water to fill the bowl instead of cooking the noodles first, draining them, then adding the cheese.

In my opinion, her lunch was fine, just a little watery, but P took a few bites and said it tasted weird. Compared to the Thai food I've been eating here, it tasted bland, but there's definitely something homey about macaroni and cheese.

Later that day, I tracked down B, the friend who gave P the Easy Mac. B said she got it from an American friend but didn't like it, so she gave P one pack and threw the rest away.
My response: "You threw away macaroni and cheese!?!?"
P hesitated, "Yes...I didn't like it..."
We both start laughing.