We were actually hungry for soup. It was a Monday. My colleague and I were wracking our brains over where to find a decent bowl of soup, as if it would somehow magically thwart the swine flu (knock on wood, so far so good. . .).

But then we remembered China Chili's hot & sour soup, and zoomed over for one of the super-cheap lunch specials. Most items are around seven or eight bucks, including soup, egg roll, rice, and the entree.

I went with sweet & sour prawns, somewhat absentmindedly. How could I forget that "sweet & sour" equals tangy, bright orange sauce and battered, "deep-friend" (ha) prawns? My mind was elsewhere. I guess I was subliminally thinking of the excellent, garlicky "Lovers Prawns" on the dinner menu. But I cleaned the plate all the same.

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Turns out, my friend ordered the enviable dish -- kung pao chicken. It was spicy, peanutty, and had appealing crunchiness from water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. I'll get that next time.