Has your soup turned cold?

Mom (when dinner starts): Ah Boy, drink the soup while it's hot.

Dinner progresses but Ah Boy touches not his soup.

Mom: Ah Boy, drink the soup lah! It's turning cold already!

Ah Boy drinks it reluctantly. It tastes horrid.

If you live in a Chinese Singaporean household, you will find this familiar. Unlike cold drinks which taste best when served and consumed chilled, most food dishes such as soup taste best when served and consumed hot. Try drinking your fish soup or "bak kut teh" cold and you will know what I mean.

Like soup, love is in its best form when warm. Love that has grown cold makes you wanna spit it out instantly. That being the case, why does love grow cold? Look no further than the dining table.

Those who have not learned to appreciate the soup will focus on the main course and other side dishes. Soup is the last thing on their mind, perhaps no more than a drink to wash down a heavy meal.

When we get preoccupied with the main business of our lives and other distractions, we have little time for love. We treat it no different from the soup, letting it turn cold, while giving attention to other things higher up on our list. Spending time with our loved ones is like consuming the soup while it's hot. It is the real thing that keeps everybody happy.

So, my friend, has your soup turned cold?