Category Archives: Bits and Pieces: Life

What really happened on Valentine’s Day

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Like Malaysian politics these days, mention Valentine’s Day and suddenly everyone has an opinion. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I am not about to jump on that bullock cart and debate the virtues of paying for overpriced foie gras and even more overpriced shrubs. After all, I have been a recipient of both in the past, and I will not deny that I have felt good about receiving them.

What matters is that not a day passes by that I don’t look forward to the end of the day when I get to see the Bald one, even if it is for a brief 10 minutes. Our hectic lifestyles (our own choosing) dictate that we do not see much of each other, but I look forward to that moment when I step into our home, smell that familiar smell, and see that familiar smile. I’m touching middle age, and I’m still a sucker for romance. But not just for one day in a year….I’m greedy….I want it all.

So on 14 February 2009, we didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, not because we were in denial, but because it happened to be a weekend and we were looking for an excuse to get sloshed. Besides, my dear friend Fatboybakes throws the most amazing parties based on even more amazing excuses (this time, it was in celebration of Thaipusam, although the idea of being inebriated on a holy day is just sacrilegious).

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Yes, Fatboybakes calls me Thamby (little brother, in Tamil). I, in return, call him Tangechi (little sister). It is no Freudian slip nor does it have anything to do with his repressed maternal instincts (of which he has none, I must protest) but it has everything to do with the fact that we are childish and take joy in speaking in tongues (in our case, an extremely limited version of Tamil) and puns.

I think we ate everything that he served, but I can’t be sure, thanks to the twenty-something bottles of champagne that were consumed from 12 noon to 10 at night. There were sausage rolls, a chicken and mushroom pie, HairyBerry’s exotic gourmet platter, assorted cheeses, roast Australian ribeye and yorkshire pudding, seafood mousse, assorted gourmet sausages, roast duck pasta, wasabi mash, truffle mash, and a garden salad with pear, walnut and quails eggs. One word describes it best: sublime. After all, words (and I’m a poor wordsmith, I’m afraid) cannot do justice for the delicious food, so lovingly prepared by Tangechi, for a party of seventeen.

He baked two cakes and a bit. One, a very popular Mint Chocolate Mousse Cake with Lindt chocolate, a cake that will be spoken about for generations to come, and the other, a delicious heart-shaped Pavlova decorated with peaches and mangoes but lacking in passion(fruit) thanks to a maid who threw it away, not realising that a shrivelled fruit didn’t mean it was past its expiry date. The molten chocolate cupcakes were a surprise addition, but they received the attention they deserved.

Thanks, Tangechi. It was a fantastic party and it is such an honour to have my name (even if it’s just Thamby) on the menu. In the words of Kylie Minogue, I should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky……

Happy Saturday and Sunday!

Is Rogue vogue, my friend, Mr Bourdain?

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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.

******

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!

******

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

Hatyai Street, One Bangsar

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Thai newsprint is placed on the table and covered with a glass sheet – quite a novelty!

1.

I am glad that Boo persuaded me (with little effort, actually!) to go to Hatyai Street, the latest restaurant at One Bangsar.  I had driven past the restaurant several times, but always had the misconception that the food would be overpriced.  Of course, pricing is relative.  A single portion costs anything from RM12 to RM14, and the servings are substantial.  When I first went there with the girls, we ordered enough for an army and our total bill came up to RM183.50 (after tax).  I went there a second time with Boo and we decided not to be overambitious.  This time, our bill came up to RM43 for two.  So I leave it to you – the ambience is nice, the airconditioning is very cold (bring something to keep you warm…like a hot water bottle), the service is…okay lah, and the food is well presented.

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My, what big trotters you have

Now that we’ve got prices out of the way, let’s talk about the food.  The braised pork trotters is amazingly good.  The taste is familiar, more like our chinese style of preparation, and I enjoyed it throughly.  When I first tried it, I thought it was rather fatty (not that I’m complaining), and the second time I had it, the meat was lean and extremely tender.  In both instances, I was not disappointed.

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Thai laksa (fish)

I expected the thai laksa to taste like tom yam (being the ignoramus that I am), but it tasted more like a creamy assam laksa. I didn’t really like the noodles which were clumpy, but I’d vouch for the gravy anytime.

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Crispy pork knuckle

The crispy pork knuckle would go very well with beer. It is served with a spicy green chilli blend and sweet soy sauce.

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Mango kerabu with salted egg

Kerabu is always a great complementary dish to the spicier, saltier, porkier Thai dishes. The mango kerabu was tossed with salted egg and crisp fried shrimps. On my second visit, I tried the pig skin kerabu. As sinful as it sounds (and I’m sure it is), it didn’t feel unhealthy. The skin was sliced into slivers and tossed in lime juice. It had a gelatinous texture and looked like seaweed.  It was very tasty, of course.

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Kailan with fried pork belly

We didn’t want to skip our greens, and when we saw this dish listed on the menu, we knew that we had to have it. (And it wasn’t because of the word “kailan”.)  I didn’t taste much of the pork belly, though.  Must have gone into Precious Pea’s stomach, methinks.

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Glutinous rice with durian

Out of all the desserts that we tried, I was happiest with the glutinous rice with durian. It was rich and fragrant and everything I could ask for in a dessert.

Hatyai Street is closed on Mondays. On other days, it is open for lunch and dinner.

Hatyai Street
No. 63E, Jalan Ara
One Bangsar, Bangsar, 55900 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2283 3116

Also check out Precious Pea’s, Boolicious’ and Joe’s blogs. 

2.

Unkaleong said I sounded angry in my previous post.  Anger is only one aspect of it.  I was depressed, furious, confused and even feeling guilt.
 
Yesterday, the newspapers reported that a snatch theft victim was run over by a three-ton truck when she fell on the road after a motorcycle pillion rider grabbed her handbag.   Only a few days earlier, I was a victim as well, but thankfully, I wasn’t hurt in the process.  I was shaken, and cried until I had no tears left, and after that I had time to think about what happened.  The stark reality is this – we should stop blaming foreigners for crimes conducted in our city.  These are our people who grew up on our soil, who went through the same educational process, and face the same socio-economic conditions that we generally face.  What went wrong?

I have no answers.  But this, I know – there will be retribution.

As cliched as it sounds, life will go on for me.  And I thank God everyday for that.