Extract from The Star:

PETALING JAYA, Thursday August 19, 2010: PAS is blaming Valentine’s Day and New Year celebrations as among the main causes of baby dumping in the country.

PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan said the occasions were celebrated in an extreme manner and encouraged liberal socialising and free sex, which resulted in the act of dumping babies.

“Baby dumping is rampant especially during the months of July to September – the months are dubbed the ‘baby dumping season’,” he said yesterday.

He said there had been 15 cases of baby dumping between July and yesterday.

“It is an indication that the ‘mating season’ occurred during the New Year celebrations. We expect more cases between now and September,” he said, adding that the high number of cases of couples caught for khalwat (close proximity) was recorded during carnivals including the Merdeka Day celebrations.

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We have decided, in a show of deference to our political leaders, that we will not be celebrating Valentine’s Day next year for fear of getting an unwanted baby in July. *counting with fingers and toes* Yup, that’s about right.

(Note: I wanted to paraphrase the story, but I thought the original was funnier. The subject matter is certainly not a funny one. Baby dumping should be addressed at its root, and my heart goes out to the innocent lives that have been affected.)

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I promised, in an earlier post, that I’d talk more about the Six2Twelve event which I attended recently.  Six2Twelve is “a collaboration of culinary expressions” by Aubergine Catering and Fluid Alchemy.  It is held once in a couple of months at different locations around the Klang Valley to showcase their creation and passion for food, drinks and entertainment.  The players:

Aubergine Catering – in simple words, boutique caterers.

Fluid Alchemy – mixologists with passion (and good looks).

Nook Florists – the neighbourhood flower shop.

The place:  Nadayu, Taman Melawati.   The brochures paint this place as a gorgeous residence consisting of luxury bungalows, definitely a place for the well-heeled to live.  The place is still in the early stages of development with a couple of show units, an office and lots of cleared land.

The setting was perfect for a party.  It had rained earlier and the grass was slightly damp but still okay to walk on with stilettos. The skies were painted a light shade of purple and orange as we arrived just on time to enjoy the sunset.

From the moment we stepped in (or out, whichever way you look at it), drinks and food were showered upon us that made the feast for the prodigal son look miserly.  Ben from Fluid Alchemy and Timothy from Monin (did I mention their good looks?), were fabulous at multitasking, i.e. chatting/flirting/mixing all at the same time.  They correctly anticipated that Bald Eagle wanted a real man’s drink and fixed him something with some 1800 Tequila Reserva Anejo (100% agave aged in oak for up to three years) – potent stuff that pushed my eyeballs to the back after I took a sip of the drink with its smoky bitter flavours.  For wimps like me, they made me two lovely cocktails, a Pear and Spice Mist consisting of Indian spice reduction, vanilla syrup, fresh pear puree, cloudy apple juice and Sagatiba Pura Cachaca, and a Ginger and Citrus Cobbler made with Bentong ginger, Sagatiba Pura Cachaca and citrus juices.  Ben proudly showed me the ingredients, some of which were hand blended by him for quality control.  You can’t trust some of the blends that you buy from the market.  My mother-in-law blends her own spices and curry powders too; no Baba’s or Alagappa’s for her.  But enough about my mother-in-law.  Plus points for Fluid Alchemy – an ability to concoct a variety of cocktails upon request and an ability to stay cool under pressure.  They did a outstanding job that evening.

Aubergine Catering sources local ingredients and creates dishes that work synergistically to accentuate the flavours.  Canapés were served, all expertly prepared by Jessica and her crew.  Most of the canapés had an Asian twist, inspired by recipes from around the region.  Prawn and watermelon, duck rillette with balsamic reduction, salmon roll with peanut sauce, aubergine with butter fish and sambal sauce and tiny bowls of Vietnamese beef noodles, they all packed a punch with every bite.  I had no qualms lifting the palm-sized bowl of noodles to my mouth to slurp up the last bit of delicious soup, oblivious to the amused looks on the other guests’ faces.  In some cultures, that practice is synonymous with giving compliments to the chef, and I meant exactly that.  I’m not sure if I should be presumptuous, but I think it is safe to say that Aubergine caters to the slightly more affluent crowd where attention to detail, uniqueness of product, and good service are all important and expected.  David and Jessica, the husband and wife team behind Aubergine, are warm and exuberant people with a passion for their business.  I’ve made David my friend for life because he wears cool shoes.

Aubergine
Tel: 03-4107 5894 / 019-365 1877 (David Nathan)

Fluid Alchemy
Tel: 016-494 9760 (Ben Ng)

Nook Flowers
Tel: 014-368 1044 (Brenda James)