I asked the operator and he said he extracts (or blends) the juice from the watermelons without adding water or sugar, as other sellers would.
The stall brands itself as Kaw-Kaw Tembikai Blend. Kaw is the Hokkien word for thick.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 125, f4, 1/200 sec.
Putrajaya’s Ramadan Bazaar is refreshingly different and somewhat bizarre. It is more a showcase of clever marketing tactics, than of food.
Many of the stalls have banners with hipster catchphrases such as ‘the real original’, ‘no additives’, ‘infused’ and ‘yogurt-fied’, for example.
Quite a few proclaim a small town’s name where the dish and seller supposedly originate; leaving you wondering why they are not selling in their home towns.
If in doubt, one can always ask via their Facebook (and ‘like’ symbol) displayed on the stall.
Maybe I found all the hipster mantra odd because I spent the last two weeks at rural Ramadan bazaars where traditional food and a smile was the appeal.
Here’s sweet and sulky Aini selling red velvet cakes. I don’t like velvet cakes so I bought some layered blueberry and tiramisu cheese cakes from her.
How can I not? She baked all the cakes herself, all night, while listening to indie music.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/80 sec.
I was walking by a restaurant in the Hartamas area when I saw a hipster choking on a black burger. Yes, it’s 2015 and our hipsters are still into burgers with charcoal buns (and green tea Kit Kat).
Fortunately, someone else there knew the Heimlich maneuver and administered it. The victim’s frantic partner called 999 and insisted on a hybrid or electric ambulance.
I shouted: “Give him a lemongrass drink or a mason jar with infused water and he’ll be alright”
The slumped, choked guy nodded in agreement.
“Later get him a Central Market T-shirt with an owl or dreamcatcher motif to cheer him up. Or find an inspirational quote for him to post on his Instagram”, I added.
Tears welled in everyone’s eyes.
As I exit the restaurant, I saw the manager running around the al fresco dining area in circles, as if still in panic.
I asked: “WTF, madam?”
She replied: “Oh. I’m plotting my running tracks to upload to Facebook”
Olympus OM-D, ISO 250, f6.3, 1/100 sec.
*juicy burger with charcoal buns photographed previously at myburgerlab. Not related to incident mentioned here.
Some (previously) widely used Malaysian words that have gone hipster, ‘atas’ or politically correct.
Parang – Machete
Brinjal – Eggplant or Aubergine
Massage Parlour – Spa
Sungai Buloh – Kota Damansara
Segambut Dalam – Mont Kiara
Buka Puasa – Iftar
SMS You – Text You
Pew Jiot – Peugeot [pøʒo]
Tissue – Serviette
Car Jockey – Valet
Van – MPV
Ladies’ Fingers – Okra
Psycho – Bipolar
Homo – Gay
Handphone – Cell Phone
Chow – Ciao
Barang – Weed
Brader, Rilex Lah – Chill, Dude
Shopping Complex – Mall
Play Backside – Sodomy
Hawker/Lorry – Food Truck
Public Toilet – Washroom/Rest Room
Servant/Maid – Domestic Helper
Make rat sounds and shout Bill – Waiter, check please (but only in atas places)
Pariah Dog – Mongrel
‘Outstation Dog’ – German Shepherd (Alsatian)
Rumah Tumpangan – Budget Hotel
Kong Hee Fatt Choy – Gong Xi Fa Cai
Tudung – Hijab**
Batang Berjuntai (the town, not the male body part) – Bestari Jaya
Mak Andam – Make-Up Artist**
**Contributed in comments section of original post in my FB
