At least that's what my coworkers think. And that's what you think of when you think of me right? That wild woman living close to the edge? Yeah right. Perhaps an explanation of why they think I'm living dangerously is in order.
Reason 1. I don't keep my lunch in the refrigerator at work and (gasp!) it may contain meat or other ingredients that can spoil.
Hmmmm, first of all, 99% of the time, my lunch consists of leftovers that have been refrigerated overnight. Leftovers means cooked food people! My lunch goes from the fridge at home into my insulated lunch bag and then sits on my desk for a few hours until I heat it in the microwave at lunchtime. I don't think I need to worry about bacterial growth in that amount of time. Beside, the office is so d@mn cold, it is almost as good as a fridge.
Reason 2. When I go out to lunch and bring back leftovers, I don't put them in the fridge.
What? More bacterial growth?? I don't worry about it, obviously. Anyway, I'm more grossed out by the shared fridge than a little bacterial growth. Since there's a problem with people sampling other people's food without asking permission, I think the work fridge offers even more opportunity for a bacterial cesspool.
Reason 3. I use plastic when microwaving my lunch.
The manufacturer says the containers are microwave safe and they wouldn't lie, would they? Okay, okay, maybe they would lie, but somehow, I think the BPA hoopla is the hoopla du jour and next month, I will have something else to worry about.
Reason 4. I eat leftovers that are more than two days old.
I grew up eating leftovers. In fact, we used to fight over the leftovers (Mom was a great cook). And I don't know how to cook in small quantities (and who wants to cook every night anyways?). I usually cook a couple times on the weekend and then once during the week. So that means leftovers for a couple of days or (gasp!) even longer! Interestingly, my tolerance for leftovers has gone down. I used to be able to eat the same thing 8 meals in a week (4 lunches, 4 dinners). Now I'm down to around 5.
Reason 5. I don't use paper towels.
Sorry, that's an exaggeration. I do use paper towels, just not as many as some people. In the bathroom (sorry), I don't get a paper towel to turn on the faucet, then several more to dry my hands, then another one to turn off the faucet (all while the water is running...very eco unfriendly), and finally another to open the bathroom door. I don't do that at work and I certainly don't do that at home.
And at home, we go through a roll of paper towels every 5-6 weeks (and we used to be better, it used to take us two months to use up a roll). How in the heck does a family use a roll every day or two?
So whaddya think? Is it safe to be around me? Don't worry, if you come over for dinner, the house will the thoroughly cleaned (but it still might be messy), you don't be eating my leftovers, and there will be a fresh roll of paper towels in the kitchen, and fresh hand towels in the bathroom.
These are called shui jiao in Mandarin and sui gao in Cantonese. Depending on how good (or bad) your Mandarin pronunciation is, you could be saying water dumpling or sleep. And depending on how good (or bad) your Cantonese pronunciation is, you could be saying water dumplings or water dogs. 
As it turns out, they didn't stay in the freezer for long. I made a couple quick dinners last week with them. One night, I pan fried the dumplings, like potstickers, stir-fried some veggies, and added some marinated soy/wheat gluten from the Chinese deli. Another night, I cooked the dumplings and added them to soup, along with some noodles and veggies. Mr. Fix-it was pretty happy with the dinner menus.
