Is Rogue vogue, my friend, Mr Bourdain?

rogue mag, dec 2008

Bald Eagle loves reading. One particular favourite is Rogue, a magazine which he purchases whenever he travels to the Philippines. “I love the articles,” he claims. “They’re very informative.”

I can’t deny that fact, even if they chose to feature Angel Locsin, an actress and model who revealed quite a bit in the December issue.   After all, a magazine that carries an interview with chef Anthony Bourdain has to be wholesome enough to be shared with my grandmother.   Waitaminute.   Did I put Anthony Bourdain and wholesome in the same sentence?

I admit I was amused while reading the interview on the potty (no interruptions, I guarantee).  If you don’t want to click on the above image to read the interview (or THIS), I’ll reproduce his opinion on food bloggers here:

“I don’t think there is any question that they are replacing the traditional food press.  They can, of course, be annoying.   And they’re easy to make fun of.   The food is getting cold and they’re writing notes, asking questions, taking photographs.  That’s excessive.   When you collect food experiences like butterflies, you’re not enjoying it the way it should be.  Eating should be a submissive act, you shouldn’t try to control the experience.”

Hmmm.  People, other than Bourdain, make fun of us?  And I thought they were just being friendly.  Except for that one time when a flurry of smiling waiters surrounded our table, probably because I was holding a big-ass camera, and waited for my next move.  I dropped a knife, and watched them plunge under my table.  Mass cunnilingus.

And for your information, Mr Bourdain, I don’t write notes.  I key it into my mobilephone.  The letters “abc” are missing, though…the key fell off from my Nokia one day, so it now takes twice the time to do it.  As for taking photographs, okay, I’m guilty as charged.  But one day, I’ll need proof that the worm was actually in that salad – how else am I going to get rich?

I wholeheartedly agree with his last two sentences.  Ultimately, eating should be fun.  Not a chore.  Always share experiences like these with people you love, and you’ll never go wrong.  Throw in some alcohol, and it’s a foolproof plan to get laid.

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They say it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow.  Despite loving pink, hearts and hugs, I’m looking forward to enjoying a belated Thaipusam for Thamby Bubbly Brunch (TTBB) with good friends tomorrow.  Beats getting flowers and chocolates any time, any day.  Y’all have a wonderful V-day and say hi to the good saint for me!

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Past issues of Rogue can be viewed at our residence.  Tissue not supplied.

Restoran Chaat Masala, Klang

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Garlic and plain naan

After finding the most amazingly gorgeous saree (which I wore to my brother’s wedding last week) in Klang, mum agreed to take a break from her usual wantan mee/curry laksa preference to sample some authentic punjabi cuisine in Klang’s Little India.

chapati
Chapati

Aside from chapatis and naans, and despite growing up on a healthy dose of indian food, mum and I are pretty clueless about punjabi food.  It helps that we both don’t look Indian (thus preventing the potential barrage of questions ranging from “Aiyoh, what kind of Indian are you?” [insert look of disgust] to “Are you sure your name is Tangechi?”), so we happily asked them a million questions and even managed to taste some of their amazing masalas (spices) from their kitchen.  I must say that the proprietors were extremely accommodating, offering us a taste of some of their specialties like the mutton curry which was quite unlike the southern Indian version, carrying a certain richness that wasn’t overly…uhmmm….pedas? (spicy).

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Yoghurt flavoured with masala and coriander leaves

The naan at Chaat Masala has a beautiful fluffy texture.  Mum loved her chapati too which was perfectly cooked, light and dry.  Incidentally, chapati, an unleavened flat bread, is only fattening if one eats it with ghee; otherwise, these thin breads eaten with dhal and vegetables are healthy options to our usual rice and noodle staples.

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Pakora, samosa and other savoury tea-time goodies

We tried several different curries and vegetables, and the most obvious thing that struck us was the multitude of spices (garam masala and chaat masala) that made these dishes really special.  Chaat masala, a pungent and salty spice mix, is used in a number of the punjabi dishes.  The proprietors proudly told us they bring in the spices from India.  Incidentally, there seems to be a certain pride in getting ingredients from India.  I noticed that last Monday when we dined at our friends’ place, and they had cooked a yummy north Indian dish called Rogan Josh which contained spices from India.  Just curious, Malaysia don’t have meh?

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Ladhoo

Despite their sweetness, I am always partial to Indian sweets.  After all, what better antidote to spicy curries than a dose of sugary milky sweetness?  All the sweets are made in-house by their secretly-stashed away Indian cook.   Also available is kulfi (indian ice-cream?) which I found a little too crystallised, unlike the usual creamy kulfi I am accustomed to.  The palkova (milk sweetmeats) are lovely, though.

Not to be confused with the vegetarian restaurant by the same name in Brickfields (sans an ‘a’), Chaat Masala serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and is in no way related to that restaurant in Brickfields.  The restaurant opens daily and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Restoran Chaat Masala
No. A35, Jalan Dato Hamzah (Off Jln Tengku Kelana),
41000 Klang, Selangor.

Tel: Mr Sarjit – 016 617 9613 / Mr Sonu – 016 350 2248

If music be the food of love…

az1

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Because there’s more to life than lap mei farn and yue sang.

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I think.

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Yue sang at Grand Imperial BSC
Be still, my beating heart

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4 more days to go…

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*****

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Note:   Hand model –  The very talented acoustic guitarist, Az Samad, who was in town recently to perform to an extremely appreciative audience.  (Thanks, Yin, for the introduction!)   Also a poet, don’t pray pray!

The Clear Moonlight

the clear moonlight
sways in the water
down in the distance
all the floors below.

the water an adagio
the wind a gentle song
the clouds a perfect chord
and as the melody becomes clear
i see the smile on my face
reflected in your eyes.

az samad, berkeley, CA , jan 20, 2009. (reproduced, with permission)

*swoon*