After a certain age, the glass-clinking and feasting attendant on going to too many birthday parties -- not to mention the decadent cake -- becomes a mortal peril. Also, who orders biryani (!) for tea (!) -- grave, early, hastening (thud-clunk!) Entirely undoing the good work of the three days before that -- I had bought (explaining to Steve, who is unimpressed) a discounted vegetable spiraliser on qoo10 and this oversized pencil sharpener turns out as kitchen-revolutionising as advertised on the box -- to go with the zucchini and sweet potato noodles that come whirling out of this device I've been pureeing silken tofu with assorted vegetables (avocado, then red capsicum (it comes out a lovely pinkish-orange; the yellow of its kin would have looked a bit jaundiced, I suspect) and nuts (cashew and miso, salt forsooth) to make 'cream' sauces -- 30 day vegan challenge, Minyin's idea (but how was I to know, biryani interveniens).