Tortured Taste Buds

As I was eating lunch today, the same white rice and chicken that I've had twice a day, almost every day for nine months, I was pleasantly surprised to find a rare treat on television.  Every once in awhile, on weekends, Indonesian TV will feature a special from American TV in English.  Today I happened upon a show from the Food Network highlighting the success of America's two biggest burger franchises - McDonald's and Burger King.  Although the story behind the success of these two competitors was indeed fascinating, I couldn't take my eyes off the nonstop images of burgers, fries, salads, onion rings, sausage, cheese, and milkshakes that filled the screen.  For nearly an hour, I was entranced.  As I continued to eat my lunch, each bite of white rice got smaller and smaller until, finally, I couldn't bring myself to eat anymore.  My taste buds were screaming at me, "Give us flavor!  Give us what we see on TV!"  And suddenly all I could see, smell, or taste were the foods from home.  Scrambled eggs and bacon and sausage and silver dollar pancakes with syrup and cheese grits.  Sawmill gravy and biscuits.  Collard greens and honey-cured ham and green bean casserole and fresh summer squash roasted in olive oil and rosemary.  Warm brownies and rich chocolate cake and fresh cookies.  Salmon and mahi-mahi and fresh trout and Cajun shrimp.  Tacos and burritos and refried beans and salsa and tortilla chips.  Even condiments like stone-ground mustard, Chipotle sauce, real ketchup, horseradish sauce, honey mustard, ranch dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, and barbecue sauce filled my head and refused to leave.  And then I stared at my white rice and chicken, seasoned only by the flavorless but eye-wateringly spicy chilies, and my heart sank.  It was nothing short of torture.