Chu-mong-yau-chuen-kuen

Finally! The cholestrol laden delicacy was re-visited, after a hiatus of ...well not too long but it was 14 months ago since we had this.

It started with a photography trip to the south, and no trip is complete without a stopover at the Seremban Market (Pasar Besar). It is was not the exactly the best tourist spot but it is must stop and visit for any road traveller. As like most markets, this one is no exception, with the colourful array of vegeatables, fruits, poultry and what-nots for sale. All sold in harmony together with various ah sohs, makciks, sinnama and aunties. What pulls me to this place is not the sell-wares but the food-ware.

Never fail will I have my breakfast in the market whenever my "legs" are with me. Besides the usual array of beef noodles, meehoon sotong, one other delicacy that I have fond memories of is the chu-mong-yau-chuen-kuen (in cantonese). Litterally translated - pork lard netting "sausage". This is one childhood dish which evokes fond memories of mum's cooking.

If you have the time and the culinary adventure, stop by and have a hearty break first before you continue your journey.

Located at the first floor of the market, look for stall number 767.

The table is full of Hakka dishes, from the traditional chu-keok-choh (vineger pork trotters), pig's blood, braised pork are just a few to name.

The price for each piece in Dec 2008 when I had it was RM7.00 per piece.

An advice to heed when visiting the market - throw out the word cholestrol from your vocabulary when you are here. Enjoy your food but in moderation.

Cry Out of Happiness

Why not laugh? Why cry? For the whole night, I was lying in bed, trying to think of happy moments so I could shed some tears. But my eyes were dry. Was it because I did not have a happy moment? Flashes of memories came to me, each one happy, and yet, each happy moment followed by sadness. It then dawned upon me, the happiest time I had all ended. Slowly my tears came. No long after, I ended with a stuff nose and dry throat and there I was, still lying in bed, cursing. Why did I have to cry? Oh, I remembered, I wanted to have tears, tears of happiness.

Happy moments were with my dog when he was “talking” to me. Happy moments were when I was in the water, splashing away in the pool to the arms of my dad. Sadly, both dog and dad are gone now. I never cried for them when both were still alive. But now, my tears are shed and wished that they are still here.

I have shed tears of anger and frustration once too often. Angry at myself, frustrated as circumstances around me are out of my control. How I wish I could control such emotions. Anger leads to hatred. How I hated the object that cause my unhappiness. In the end, I hated myself, since it was I who decided to be angry.

But how do I be happy? Each time I am happy, I end up sad. Someone once said, happiness is only a moment, it does not last. I liken it to the snowflake, beautiful as it is, when it meets the heat, it melts.

I am still searching today, when can I ever find true happiness?

Food and Festivals

Funny to note most festivals have to go hand in hand with food. Besides the two word start with the letter “f”, too much of either one will make one fat too (another “f” word). The most recent festival here was the Lunar New Year. (I refrain from calling it Chinese New Year since these days it is not just the Chinese who celebrate it). As long I can remember, LNY has been going hand in hand with food, starting with the eve of the New Year. One looks forward to auspicious dishes and not forgetting, auspicious goes hand in hand with expensive too. Such dishes are abalone with sea cucumber, fish maw, lotus root soup, oyster and dark moss, wax meat, pomfret fish, prawns and lettuce..just to name a few.

There has been always ample food to go around the table. Tradition would have dictates that one should not finish all the food on the table but leave some for the next year. So bits of fish, prawn, rice, etc are leftover to be carried over the following year. This signifies that food will still be available when the new year comes.

What is it with this tradition that we have to eat leftover food from previous night’s dinner on the first day of new year? We wear new clothes, have new bed sheets, and new furnishing but we eat leftover food? Funny that when visiting relatives, besides the staple of biscuits and snacks being serve, we were serve leftover food too when invited for lunch.

Life has blessed us with ample food and somehow festivals were created to enjoy food and some kind of celebration was called for so we can eat more.

It comes to a point when leftover food is too stale to eat anymore, and down the garbage it goes. What a waste. If such were to go into the garbage bin, why then prepare so much of food? It pains the heart to see and to know this could have been saved.

Well…times are not getting better. Maybe it takes a “slap” to wake up and see that one day, we should eat moderately.