It’s almost been a year since my dad’s heart surgery. It’s kind of crazy to think that this time last year, I was on a plane going home, wondering if my dad would make it through his double bypass surgery successfully. Oh, and we can’t forget about my mother’s massive complaining and guilt tripping when I left and said I was going to Europe for Thanksgiving just days after my dad got discharged from the hospital, and then spending Christmas in Australia once again.

Since my dad has recovered from his surgery, he is now more anal about the food that he eats, and he’s following all kinds of healthy food trends, like organic turmeric powder, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. On average, he’s eating about one half to one cup of seeds per day (he says he’s read articles that eating that amount of seeds per day will prolong your life), and a couple teaspoons of turmeric powder are being sprinkled into his morning oatmeal. After mixing multiple types of seeds, wheat germ, flax, cinnamon (to regulate his glycemic levels), and turmeric into his big bowl of breakfast oatmeal, the entire bowl looks like a bowl of vomit. I told my parents this the last time I was home in September. My mom chuckled and agreed, and my dad said nothing and had a look of defiance on his face.

For me, turmeric is meant to be in curry and banh xeo, not in oatmeal. But I guess this is what heart surgery can do to a person.