I must have been brainwashed to eat bitter gourd.

“OMG, you actually took that? I hate it!” - my colleague.

She was referring to the bitter gourd I chose to eat with my chap fan.

In Malaysia, a lot of us eat out because it can be cheap if you eat at these places where they offer “mixed economy rice”.

You have rice and select your choice of dishes that go with the rice. It’s called the chap fan stall or mixed economy rice. (I’m guessing economy here means economical?)

Every time I see a bitter gourd dish, I’ll choose that.

Even though bitter gourd is, well, bitter!

Why?

I guess I’ve been programmed to do so.

When I was very young, I was told “Eat bitter gourd and your face will be smooth and beautiful.”

Yup, I drank the Kool-aid.

Actually, there is truth in the benefits of bitter gourd.

According to WebMD: As a rich source of antioxidants, flavonoids, and other polyphenol compounds, bitter gourd may help to reduce your risks for a number of health issues. Bitter gourd is packed with polyphenols. These compounds are known for their ability to lower inflammation in the body.

And if you Google for the health benefits of bitter gourd (also known as bitter melon), you there’s info about it helping to reduce blood sugar, cholesterol and may even have cancer fighting properties.

So, I’m really glad I was brainwashed into eating bitter gourd even though I didn’t like the taste of it.