Month: June 2015

The Kopitiam Pasta

I think it was Alisan coffee shop in the Masjid India area that pioneered the food court within a kopitiam. That was in the early 1980s and the concept has since been adopted by many Chinese coffee shops. The big and popular ones may squeeze as many as two or three dozen food stalls into a single shop lot.

Currently, one of the less common types of food served at such places is pasta. With the new burden of GST and the Shringgit (a term attributed to my friend Sidek Kamiso), the poor man’s Italian dining should become more popular.

If you are not a snob, this Seafood Pasta is good value as the portion and ingredients are generous at RM 9 nett. Of course, it won’t taste as good as that from an Italian chef who hand craft his pasta and blend the sauce from some time-tested family recipe.

Nevertheless, I like that I can customise it in whatever way I want at the kopitiam. No snooty chef or maitre d’ protesting because it is heresy to even suggest.

The fat Chinese cook here nodded his head happily when I requested a tomato-based sauce even though it is served dry.

I also like that I can order a barley drink to go with it and have dessert of Nyonya Kuih Lapis bought from another stall outside.

The coffee shop is at one corner of Jalan SJ6, Selayang.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 320, f6.3, 1/250 sec.

Bak Chang

Today is Duanwu ( 端午节) or the Dragon Boat Festival or the Chang Festival for Chinese. It falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar and as such is also known as the Fifth Month Festival in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

The festival commemorates the life and death of ancient Chinese scholar and poet Qu Yuan. He committed suicide by drowning to protest against the corrupt and dictatorial regime that ruled.

Legend has it that people threw rice into the river both as a food offering to Qu Yuan’s spirit and also to deter fish from eating his body.

Today, symbolic glutinous rice or sticky rice dumplings known as zongzi (粽子) are eaten to mark the occasion. It is a public holiday in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Locally, the bamboo leaf-wrapped dumplings are known as bak chang (Hokkien) or choong (Cantonese).

Interestingly; the Chinese in Indonesia refer to the festival as ‘Peh Cun’ and it is known as ‘Festividade do Barco-Dragão’ in the former Portuguese colony of Macau. The dumplings are known as ‘Machang’ among Chinese Filipinos.

I like this simple dumpling from a roadside seller in Kampung Cempaka. It has salted duck egg yolk, fatty meat, dried shrimps (heh bee), mushroom and importantly for me; no mung beans.

The humble kiosk provides a no-bean option. Freedom of choice: Something which Qu Yuan stood for.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 2500, f6.3, 1/250 sec.

I Want To Know What Blue Lemon Is

In my life there’s been yellow and pink
I don’t know if I can face it again
Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far, to this Slim River town

I want to know what blue lemon is, I want you to show me
I want to feel what blue lemon is, I know you can show me

Blue Lemon is the most popular drink at the Slim River Ramadhan Bazaar but nobody gave me a straight answer. Finally at one stall, the lady said: “It’s just colouring”.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f7.1, 1/320 sec.

The Cheerful Durian Seller

Under the blazing sun and fasting, Norsiah Nordin is trying to eke out a living selling durians harvested from her own trees. I really respect that. Not just for her fortitude and adherence to religious obligations but also for her sunny disposition by the roadside.

Makcik wanted to give me a bunch of durians for taking her pics. When I declined, she wanted to give me cash to go print her pics at the 15-minute ‘instant print’ shop down the road.

Many younger people I photographed are happy to get the url to my website, Facebook or Instagram to look up their pictures later. Senior citizens without surfing skills or internet access do not have the means we take for granted.

I will make a properly-framed picture and surprise her later as I have done with a few others in past trips. Meanwhile, the encounter is another reminder to get a portable printer or a separate instant camera. Young or old, instant gratification brings joy.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f2.8, 1/500 sec.

On The First Day Of Ramadan

Was good spending the first day of the fasting month observing life in Slim River. The day culminated at the Ramadan food bazaar in the middle of town.

The traders were friendly, generous and their food tasted good. A mother-daughter team seen here selling stir-fried kuey teow (flat rice noodles).

I like how the daughter sneaked in a smile behind the serious mother 🙂

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 320, f4, 1/250 sec.