There was a new restaurant recently opened at Tropicana City Mall called Delicious Nyonya. It is apparently owned by the Tai Thong Group which has a whole range of other F&B outlets such as San Francisco Steakhouse, Royal Thai, Room Eighteen, Bad Ass Coffee and etc.

Nyonya cuisine is synonymous to delicious food since its history traces back to the days where early Chinese settlement from China weds local Malay folks. As a result, the first generation of mixed Chinese-Malays were known as Peranakan (male being known as Baba while female as Nyonya). Consequently, nyonya food is a fusion of the Malay and Chinese style cooking style.

I had high hopes when I walked into Delicious Nyonya that day for lunch with my colleagues. The restaurant is spacious and bright while the furnishing is reminicient of the Baba Nyonya style restaurant.

Food however was a mixed bag. I ordered the nasi lemak which was recommended by the waiter.

It was ok as far as the taste is concern. As usual, the dish came with some Acar and ikan bilis.

Oh apart from ala carte meals, they also sell Nyonya Kuih. Kuih Seri Muka is commonly seen everywhere.

This is called Kuih Ketayap which has coconut fillings wrapped with green pancake skin.

Pulut panggang is another crowd favourite.

The Asam Fish was a disappointment. My colleague told me that it tasted raw or uncooked. When we raised this up with the waiter, we were told that the fish that they used (ikan Tenggiri) has that natural smell / taste in them.

However, we didn’t buy the story and they promptly swapped it with Nyonya Curry Chicken. This one actually fared better and I like it although my colleague said that the ’santan’ (coconut milk) taste was very heavy.

Similarly, the Nyonya Laksa shared the same comment.

Some of the food came with side dishes such as this small bowl of Acar and mixed vegetables.

As for dessert, they threw in a bowl of green bean dessert soup. I find it too sweet for my taste.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this place as I have tasted much better Peranakan food elsewhere. Perhaps, we were there on the wrong day when the food somehow weren’t that great.

Delicious Nyonya
Lot G-33A, Ground Floor, Tropicana City Mall,
No. 3, Jalan Ss20/27
47400 Petaling Jaya
Tel: +603-77222524

Jakarta, Gila belanja orang kaya Indonesia selama ini hanya diobrolkan di kalangan terbatas. Yang bukan komunitas sosialita, hanya bisa mendengar dari sas-sus.

Namun untunglah ada Amelia Masniari. Ikon shopaholic Indonesia ini mengabadikan kegilaan belanja orang kaya Indonesia di bukunya yang masuk deretan “buku laris” di toko buku terkemuka: Miss Jinjing.

Dalam bukunya, lulusan S2 Ilmu Komunikasi Universitas Indonesia ini menuturkan kegilaan belanja orang kaya Indonesia. Dia mengutip Survey Singapore Tourism Board yang menunjukkan bahwa pengunjung Singapore Great Sale terbesar adalah orang Indonesia.

“Makanya tidak usah heran kalau iklan Uniquely Singapore nyaris setiap hari muncul setengah halaman koran nasional,” tulis perempuan yang berprofesi sebagai personal private buyer ini.

Lalu mengapa orang Indonesia doyan belanja ke Singapura? Jawabnya, bukan karena harga murah atau lebih beragam, namun karena lebih bebas. Dandan seadanya oke saja, tanpa harus dilirik dengan pandangan sinis oleh orang lain dan sales attendant butik.

“Coba kalau di Indonesia, berpenampilan seadanya pasti malah dipandang sebelah mata, melecehkan. Pokoknya harus rapi, wangi dan niat dandan,” tulis ibu 3 anak ini.

Belanja di Singapura juga bebas pelukan atau cipokan di pinggir jalan. Coba di Indonesia!

Hong Kong Tourism Board, Malaysian Tourism Board dan Thailand Tourism Board, juga sangat menyadari bahwa rakyat Indonesia pangsa potensial. Karena itulah mereka rajin pasang iklannya. Hasilnya jelas.

“Orang Indonesia di Cina terkenal sangat heboh jika melihat barang bagus. Apalagi mereka tidak terlalu sering menawar harga. Jelas aja ini bikin para penjual senang melihat tampang Indonesia lewat di depan tokonya. Malah sering dipanggil, Miss…miss Indonesia, let’s have a look…” cerita pengasuh blog belanja-sampai-mati.blogspot.com ini.

Penggila belanja Indonesia juga eksis di Eropa. Suatu ketika Amelia ke gerai Chanel di Saks Fifth Avenue , New York . Begitu melangkahkan kaki masuk, si Beauty Assistant yang tahu Amelia orang Indonesia langsung bilang begini,”Mrs XXX baru aja tadi dari sini.”

Bahkan, sales assistant Chanel di BGM bisa menyebutkan dengan sangat fasih nama keluarga pejabat yang nyonya besarnya (TS) seminggu lalu habis beli tas di butik tersebut. Pelanggan lainnya ada nyonya TAB dan DP.

Amelia juga menceritakan, butik Etienne Aigner di Muenchen pernah mengalami kehebohan gara-gara seorang ibu pejabat Indonesia setingkat menteri — plus rombongan, datang memborong. Sebanyak 80 tas dibeli oleh si Nyonya dan rombongannya pasti ikut beli, entah berapa.

“Sampe-sampe tuh butik Aigner kehabisan barang dan minta diambil dari gudang lagi,” tulis Amelia.

Ketika iseng ditanya oleh seorang penjaga butik tentang keperluan tas tersebut, dengan entengnya si ibu itu menjawab, “Untuk oleh-oleh keluarga di kampung.”

Jelas oleh-oleh yang supermahal! Sebab jika tas Aigner satu bijinya paling murah Rp 8 juta, berarti 80 tas itu sejumlah Rp 640 juta. Hanya untuk oleh-oleh?

“Ditambah lagi nih, denger-denger sebelum tiba di Muenchen, mereka terlebih dulu ke Paris . Mereka juga melahap butik Hermes, memborong setidaknya 40 tas – birkin, garden tote bag, lindy bag, kelly bag dan lain-lain,” tulis Amelia yang jadi ngiler.

Info Amelia yang satu ini tak boleh dilewatkan: dari sales assistant di Hermes, salah satu kolektor tas Hermes terlengkap di dunia adalah seorang ibu mantan pejabat setingkat menteri asal Indonesia . Konon, beliau ini mempunyai koleksi tas Hermes yang tergolong sangat lengkap dari segi model dan warna. Sedikitnya dia punya 30 pieces!

“Coba bayangkan jika harga Hermes rata-rata 50 juta/pcs, artinya nilai koleksinya minimal 1,5 miliar!” tulis Amelia. Uhuk, uhuk, bikin keselek!

sumber: detik.com

After 15 months in Venice, we will be packing again, in 8 days time. This time we are moving to Singapore. Definitely closer to home for me and happy to be seeing close friends and family again. But I must confess, I will miss Venice’s quirkiness and troubles and Italy’s moodswings.

On Sat, I will make my rounds to say goodbye to the kindly butcher and vegetable sellers who have been my contact to the Venetian world introducing me to so many wonderful local produces. I will definitely miss them.We are also thankful for having had a good time in Venice and blessed with no major sickness or accidents.

As we enter a new chapter of our lives, we will look back fondly on our time here in Venice. I hope Venice will take care of herself and her visitors will too so that the future travellers will still be able to inhale the magic of bygone times.

We are looking forward to Singapore and for me, to venture into more Peranakan cooking and the local kuihs. As for travel destinations, there are plentiful we can explore leisurely. It is also an excellent opportunity to be able catch up with friends and family alike and spend more time together, something we miss a lot due to our constant move .  

For the last time, hugs and kissess – from Venice.

Our home in Venice/ address: San Marco 3067 , 3 piano, 30124 Venezia, Italia

View from the Grand Canal over Palazzo Barnabo’s baroque gardens.

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa, atau La Gioconda (La Joconde), adalah lukisan minyak di atas kayu poplar yang dibuat oleh Leonardo da Vinci pada abad ke-16. Lukisan ini sering dianggap sebagai salah satu lukisan paling terkenal di dunia dan hanya sedikit karya seni lain yang menjadi pusat perhatian, studi, mitologi, dan parodi. Lukisan ini dimiliki oleh pemerintah Perancis dan dipamerkan di Musée du Louvre di Paris.

Mona dalam bahasa Italia adalah singkatan untuk madonna yang artinya adalah “nyonyaku”. Sehingga judul lukisan artinya adalah Nyonya Lisa. Dalam bahasa Italia biasanya judul lukisan ditulis sebagai Monna Lisa (dengan n ganda).

Sedangkang La Gioconda adalah bentuk feminin dari Giocondo. Kata giocondo dalam bahasa Italia artinya adalah “riang” dan la gioconda artinya adalah “wanita riang”. Berkat senyum Mona Lisa yang misterius ini, frasa ini memiliki makna ganda. Begitu pula terjemahannya dalam bahasa Perancis; La Joconde.

Sehingga boleh disimpulkan mona lisa adalah “nyonya lisa yang riang”.
Nah kalau dibandingkan dengan mama lisa, seorang janda beranak satu. terkenal dengan istilah lain “tante yang periang” alias “tante riang” atau “tante girang”. Lukisan mama lisa, saat ini  mungkin dapat dilukis dengan berbagai macam media yang ada.  Sang tante tinggal ngirim foto ukuran pas badan atau full body, mau yang resmi atau sedikit seksi, tinggal dilukis dengan cepat oleh pelukis jalanan sekalipun.

Mama lisa pun bisa tersenyum seperti halnya mona lisa. Bedanya senyum mona lisa terkenal sampai penjuru dunia, sedangkan mama lisa hanya terkenal seputar RT dan Tempat Kerjanya. Padahal tak ada bedanya, tetap saja sebuah senyum.
kalau dianalisa lebih lanjut, senyum mona lisa yang terkenal misteriusnya ini mungkin disebabkan karena saking periangnya,  bahkan dimarahinpun mungkin dia bisa tersenyum.
Sedangkan mama lisa kalau senyum pasti melihat bronis (brondong manis). Ah masa sih, si mona pasti gitu juga deh. Entah mengapa, wanita emang menarik kalau tersenyum. Kalau memang mona lisa senyumnya misterius karena kala itu jarang sekali melihat orang tersenyum. Maka berbeda dengan mama lisa dan perempuan saat ini, murah senyum dan bahkan kebanykan senyum. Gak percaya ? Caba saja lihat saat dia ngenet di depan laptop atau PC, bahkan di depan HP atau blackberry yang dia miliki.
Senyum wanita zaman sekarang memang beda, tidak lagi misterius, gampang di tebak. terkadang kelebihan senyum membuat dirinya lupa diri.

Akhirnya dapat kita simpulan sendiri. menjadi mama lisa atau mona lisa, atau bahkan eyang lisa. Yang pasti, senyum itu perlu, karena senyum menyejukan hati orang yang melihatnya. Bahkan PC, LAPTOP, HP, Blackberry pun senang kalau disenyumi.

Salam senyum

 What comes to mind when the word ‘Peranakan’ is mentioned? Why, glorious food without a doubt! Need we say more?

Peranakan cuisine largely combines Chinese, Malay and other influences into a unique blend.  Peranakan dishes is the result of inter-fusing Chinese ingredients with spices used by the Malay/Indonesian community. The food is tangy, aromatic and spicy.

Females are referred to as Nyonyas and males, Baba.  As women dominated the kitchens of many the Peranakan households, this delectable cuisine is often referred to as  Nyonya Cuisine.

However , here at munchministry, a resident Baba heads the Peranakan kitchen.  Stemming from  a family of Babas winning many a woman’s heart by whipping his kuali (Malay for ‘wok’) about in the kitchen, Chef Loh has delighted many palates and has tamed even his harshest critic.

From his infamous Ayam Buah Keluak, the all-time crowd pleaser, Hokkien Hei Mee to his delightful Kueh Lapis, Chef Loh never fails to pack a full-house whenever he helms the kitchen.

So really, need we say more?

White Kebaya

Hello people! I’m back again after a longggg hiatus. This time around I found the loveliest addition to any respectable wardrobe ~ the hot, hot Baju Kebaya! I only have 6 pairs at the moment in various pretty colours. The top is cotton material, and wrap-around sarong is satin-like material.

My favourite is the sarong, which can be wrapped around at least one and a half times around a size M (<30 inches> waist) so that it doesn’t show the legs when walking. The stylish fastening buckle at the waist comes with the sarong so it is easily adjusted to your personal size. No more huffing and puffing! *Sorry I don’t have a photo of the buckle!*

Click on the pictures above for more detail. Please ask for discount. How to purchase? Look up ‘My Purchase, Shipping & Payment Terms’ under ‘Much Ado About Everything’ (top right). Thanks a bunch!

ITEM STATUS UPDATE:

ALL SOLD OUT

Last Saturday, I had the privilege to go for a curated tour of a special exhibition at the Peranakan Museum. It’s called Baba Bling: The Peranakans and Their Jewellery and it’s an exhibition of the jewellery worn by the Peranakan Nyonyas (younger women) and the Bibiks (older women).

Speaking of which, remember Bibik Belacan? I vaguely remember watching it on tv, but the details escape me.

Anyway, the exhibition featured over 300 pieces of Peranakan jewellery from the 19th century till today. Those Peranakan women wore a whole lot of jewellery back then man! (And maybe even now?)

the mirror behind her is a little freaky

From the top of my head, a typical Nyonya would wear:

1. necklace, usually more than one
2. bracelet
3. rings
4. kerosang (like fancy ornate gold brooches used to fasten their blouses)
5. hair pins
6. anklet
7. belt (can’t be seen, but they wear a gold, fancy one anyway!)
8. keychain (serious!)

Yeah…I think they might just be more that I missed out.

Anyway, the curated tour was pretty awesome. Our tour guide (oops I forgot her name!) is actually a voluteer guide and is a medical doctor on weekdays! She was really knowledgeable and made the exhibition much more interesting.

To be really honest, I think that without the tour guide, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the exhibition that much. I’m the kind of person that always gets the audio guide when I’m in a museum, so I think that’s just me. It just makes the exhibits come alive, don’t you think?

But of course, you can visit the exhibition without going on the curated tour. There are tons of videos and information boards telling you the significance of the jewellery and explaining the history behind it all.

In fact, if I had more time I’d have watched all the videos and read all the information boards, but I’m anal like that (or typical Singaporean? Wanna get my all my money’s worth, hehe)

the forgotten babas.

Here’s some reasons to go for Baba Bling:

1) Find out what it means when a Peranakan lady wears jewellery that’s made of silver with pearls or why why it’s rare to find hairpins in sets of 5 rather than the original 7 that they came out in

2) Look at photos of old Peranakan families and couples and try and get fashion inspiration

3) Get awesome printed gold stickers with different symbols that hold significance to the Peranakans –> This is actually meant for kids, but you should try and get your hand on it too! It’s so fun to go to the different machines to “collect” the different symbols!

4) The jewellery is so rare and their designs authentic that photography isn’t even allowed in the exhibition, for fear of copying. Hardcore!

5) Check out the building. I think the design is so lovely!

lovely place

All in all, it was a charming way to spend Saturday afternoon. I’d recommend going for this exhibition, as well as the Peranakan Museum Collection. For me, it was an eye-opener to learn more about a culture I don’t know much about.

All bling-ed out

Went with Sherms who brought Squid along, and Ingrid came as well. I brought my friend Iris with me, who was visiting from Canada, and she enjoyed the exhibition too, especially since she’d never heard about the Peranakan people before. We also met Kanika and Dorothy from SMU as well!

Thanks to Riley from NHB for inviting!

More information about Baba Bling:

It runs from 29th May to 13th Dec

Peranakan Museum is at 39 Armenian Street

Opening hours: Mon 1pm – 7pm, Tues-Sun 9.30pm -7.30pm (till 9pm on Fridays)

Admission charges available here. Did you know that on Friday nights, charges are half-priced, at $3 for adults and $1.50 for students. Awesome!

Yuen tai pork at Nyonya.  Joyce’s parents treated me to dinner last Sunday.  So good.

Mangosteen.  $8/pound in Chinatown.

Vanilla from Madagascar.  A gift from my friend Heather.

Andrew came to town for 4 short nights and one of the first places we went to was Brighton Beach in search of Kazakh food (he’s leaving for KZ in August).  We didn’t find anything but Andrew did find this fantastic Uyghur place called Cafe Kashkar at 1141 Brighton Beach Avenue.  I posted some pictures of the manty and the Borjomi water below but I had to start with this picture of the churchkhela we got at Brighton Beach Bazaar.  It was walnuts sewn together and then dipped in reduced grape juice until it takes on this sausage shape.  I had one only once before when I was in Sevastopol, Ukraine.

Churchkhela

Here is it dangling on the B train.

The next day we went to Nyonya at 194 Grand Street in Manhattan because Joyce had recommended it.  It was phenomenal.  The Hainanese chicken, served at room temperature, was very tasty.

Hainanese chicken

On the menu, there were many things listed with the warning “Please ask your server for advice before you order!”  We ordered the Nyonya rojak, “Nyonya famous fruit salad served w. squid shrimp paste sauce, sesame seed, peanut” (without a warning) and our server tried to talk us out of it saying it was really too fishy for us.  I convinced him that we really did want it and that we liked fishy things and he gave in finally.  It turned out to be a jicama, cucumber, and pineapple salad coated in a black, squid-shrimp paste.  It truly was very fishy, especially for my white American palate, and we wound up finishing it all out of pride.  

Rojak

Back in Brighton Beach I was shocked to find that Vyerka Serdyuchka is coming to Brooklyn. HAHAHAAH.  She is a drag queen from Ukraine who has found incredible mainstream success in former USSR countries.  When I taught in an elementary school in rural Ukraine, the 5th grade straight boys would hum her songs in class.  She was always the star on TV Christmas specials.  Let me see if I can find something good on Youtube.

Vyerka Serdyuchka

Here’s a video of her speaking English.  I love her.

Borjomi water from Georgia

Here’s the Borjomi water I got at cafe Kashkar.  It is my favorite mineral water that is from the glaciers at the top of the Bakuriani mountains in Georgia.  Delicious, melting glaciers.

lamb manty with celery

I couldn’t figure out what was on top of the manty.  Andrew took one bite and immediately recognized it as celery leaves.  I’m going to miss that guy.

... a large nyonya mee rebus.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Nyonya Goreng stall in Kwai Sun has gone. It was after AC told me that he discovered a similar Nyonya Goreng stall in Asia Cafe. I’ve tried it once, which was very similar. I never thought it was ran by the same people until I realised that the one in Kwai Sun has closed down. According to PCL, my big plate of mee rebus has the less amount of noodle than KCKW’s regular size, except my plate was much bigger. There goes 50cents for the bigger plate.

Location: N3 04.461 E101 35.429

这是一项特别的展览，不需要另附门票，就在Peranakan Museum里面。相比起其他展览厅，这里灯光比较昏暗，更显出黄金与钻石的金光闪闪。

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入门处没有说明不能照相，于是我照了几张以后就得到管理员善意的指示“Sorry Miss. No photo-taking.” 我向他连声道歉，他也向我连声道歉，说他们的指示牌没有做好。于是，我还不至于那么尴尬。

话说回头，娘惹们佩戴的金饰真是气拍得很！展览厅有特别多的Kerosong。因为从前的Baju Kebaya不一定有纽扣，于是娘惹们用Kerosong 来作为固定上衣之用。金器打得很薄，而且花纹眼花缭乱。别以为就只是纯粹的花纹。姑且用放大镜来看，你就看出龙与凤，也可能是Sang Kancil，飞鸟等他们认为吉祥的动物。

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相比起我们今天在首饰店所看见的，这里所展示的真是很大气。没有“碎钻”，每一个都有着相当的分量。我很喜欢右上图这首饰，因为颜色很特别，是当时少有的紫色。

在Peranakan Museum 里头有好些打模机。在珠宝厅里共有四台，是从前用来打压金饰模型的。小朋友可以从柜台领取博物馆特别准备的纸张（金色的哟！），经验一下使用这些“半电动”模型机的乐趣。（珠宝厅以外也有其他用途的打磨机，是手压式的。我觉得更好玩！）

珠宝厅里有一台说明机，是我唯一不满意的。我怀着满心欢喜，个性化了一些珠宝的样式打算以电子明信片的功能寄给Agnes 和我自己。结果回家等了好几天都没有收到，真是枉费心机！

朋友，有时间的话就去转一转吧！展览到12 月13日才结束，总有一天会有空吧！

Atenent, per fi, a les insistents plegaries dels meus lectors m’he decidit a concedir unes declaracions exclusives en aquest blog on, per primer cop, parlaré públicament sobre la meva estranya i radical conversió a la monogàmia practicant. Agafeu-vos fort, perquè venen corbes!

Era un feliç dia 6 de Març i feia menys de 3 setmanes que jo havia publicat un polèmic post que duia com a títol “L’Amor ha mort” on plantejava una elaborada teoria, segons la qual l’amor era una invenció de patriarcat per controlar la demografia i la transmissió de l’herència, negant així la llibertat sexual.

Jo tornava com cada dia d’excavar un poblat neolític al Raval, quan vaig veure que dos homes alts, rossos i musculats, vestits de negre i amb ulleres de sol em seguien cada pas que feia fins al metro. Vaig pensar que potser havien quedats impregnats de la meva bellesa natural i volien un xic de marro, així doncs vaig esperar-los amb l’excusa de demanar-los foc.

El que va succeir a continuació no ho recordo amb exactitud, doncs quan vaig tornar a obrir els ulls em trovaba lligat de mans i peus sobre una taula , en una fosca habitació decorada de color rosa i blau pastel. Jo tenia un munt de cables connectats al meu cor i al meu cervell i davant meu, assegut en un tro hi havia ni més ni menys que un conegut ratolí de dos metres d’alçada: Mickey Mouse.

Des de la seva posició de força aquella maleïda rata em va explicar que havien llegit el meu post, i que aquest suposava una amenaça mundial al sistema patriarcal i a la nyonyeria més cursi, els dos elements que mantenien la submissió social evitant una Revolució d’escala planetària. També em va confessar que Disney era, en realitat, una secta paramilitar secreta ultraconservadora, encarregada d’imposar aquest  ordre sagrat mitjançant la manipulació subliminal a través dels seus films, sèries o parcs temàtics.

A continuació Mickey va accionar una palanca gegant descarregant sobre el meu cervell una allau d’imatges a la velocitat de la llum entre els que vaig poder distingir capítols de Hanna Montana i High School Musical, així com fragments d’Anastàcia, Blancaneus o la Sireneta, al mateix temps que a les meves orelles sonava atronadora la veu d’Amaia Montero recitant al revés lletres de cantautors catalans de la Nova Cançó. Òbviament vaig entrar en coma profund immediatament.

Llavors una blanca llum tot ho va impregnar i ja em veieu a mi, presenciant com el meu jo es separava del meu cos carnal, quedant-me flotant en l’espai, com un astronauta sòl i abandonat per la seva nau, fins que, de sobte, davant meu es va materialitzar del no res l’esperit de Rocio Jurado vestida de cuir, amb una poma a la ma i cavalcant a lloms d’un flamenc rosa, com si d’una valkiria es tractés.

Rocio es va aproximar i em va xiuxiuejar a cau d’orella un revelador secret, clau per entendre l’existència humana i divina: la forma en la que es genera l’amor al xocar dos electrons dins una recòndita part de la matèria gris del cervell.

Mentre això succeïa algú va trobar el meu cos inert a les afores del parisenc parc d’Eurodisney i el va dur d’immediat al hospital més proper. Les meves amistats i familiars ja consideraven impossible la meva recuperació mèdica fins que, sense previ avís, un vell amic, al que feia anys que no veia, es va presentar a l’habitació on el meu cos vegetava i em va plantar un inesperat petó als llavis, retornant-me miraculosament a la plena consciència.

I aquesta amics, és tota la veritat!

Finally completed my write up on Nyonya Heritage and Food. Check it out on the right hand column at the bottom under Pages, Food Heritage or click here http://yoonsy.wordpress.com/food-heritage/nyonya-heritage-and-food/

Happy reading!

I’ve been wanting to come back here for 2nd round since I had the mee rebus here last week. I finally get my chance today to finally have the plate of fried noodle all by myself.

... nyonya style fried noodle.

Rating: 7/10

Albeit the unappetizing looks on the noodle, it actually tasted really good. The noodle has a bit of sweet taste in it, though it was less sourish as I expected, despite having the lime all squeezed in. I’d definitely come back for more, though I wished it would be a bit spicy for the least.

Location: N3 04.695 E101 35.272

Finally, I’ve have the chance to eat here. TSL recommended me the mee Jawa here the last time when I was having 1 in Well Cook Gourmet. She told me the mee Jawa by the nyonya stall was nice. Then AC told me about the fried noodle nyonya of the same place as well when he was having Restoran Sedap’s fried noodle some time back. Since today’s weather was good, I decided to go there for a trial.

... came here for the nyonya fried noodle.

... mee rebus, or mee Jawa.

... mee goreng, nyonya style.

Rating: 6.5/10

The mee rebus, as the lady boss of the stall calls it, was indeed nicer than Well Cook Gourmet’s mee Jawa. It as authentic as it should be, having sliced potatoes and crackers, unlike the one I had in Well Cook Gourmet, was garnished with dried squids and no potatoes. The fried noodle was similar to my hometown’s mamak’s fried noodle. Not bad at all, a bit wet and sourish taste. The noodles were only RM4 per plate, while I was paying through my nose for the 1 at Well Cook Gourmet, which was RM5.50 each. I’ll come again for the fried noodle next time.

Location: N3 04.695 E101 35.272

Curry Laksa is one of my well-liked dishes amongs my friends and family. I am tooting my own horn here, “It’s better than my mom’s version!” The secret is in the blend of spices and also, chicken broth! Hands down, my version beats the one served at Banana Leaf restaurant, Milpitas, CA. My aunt (food lover and critic) and uncle voted mine the best so far!

My curry laksa has a rich coconut cream infused with chicken broth, a fragrant blend of spices (ground tumeric, chili powder, curry powder, ground dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, lime leaves). Bring the broth to a boil…and serve on to a bowl of yellow mee (noodle), semi-cooked bean sprouts, large prawns, cilantro, sliced hard boiled egg,  tau foo pok (deep fried spongy tofu) and shredded chicken (best to use store bought rotisseire chicken as it is more flavorful). The toppings are interchangeable.  Some use fishballs, blood cockles…endless. The key here is making the best broth!

The above picture is courtesy of RasaMalaysia.com which promotes Malaysian cuisine and the site owner takes great pictures!
I will post my version soon….hopefully, with my new camera!

• how proud he was of me when he introduced me to the world as his girlfriend
• seeing the look of accomplishment on his silly face after he had successfully irritated the hell outta me
• telling him “I hate him” but every hate sounded a lot more like love
• him slipping a lollipop into my hand to appease me after making me angry (and it always worked)
• hitting him and screaming “I don’t care” after losing an argument
• how he would just hug me and shut me up by kissing me and we’d be okay again
• wasting all my time clearing every belonging of his from my place whenever we had a major quarrel only to be fine the moment I met to pass him his stuff
• how he made me switch faces from to to >_< in split seconds till he was satisfied before he got me my big breakfast
• him surprising me with roses delivered to his place for me
• asking whether the bouquet of roses that he gave only has 1 red rose out of 36 because it signified one and only and then getting the answer, “nopes, because red roses are more expensive”
• him getting me flowers on random days for no reason just because he knew it would make me smile
• seeing the look of jealousy on my girl friends’ faces when he waited for me outside school with a bouquet of roses on Valentine’s day
• scolding him for spending money on flowers yet secretly loving the attention
• smirking at every other girl who had a bouquet smaller than mine
• comfortable silences in our conversations because we knew what each other was thinking most of the time
• completing his sentences for him and vice versa cos we were convinced that we were telepathic
• how we would not bear to get off the phone and left the line hanging even when we went downstairs to get breakfast separately
• how we came to an agreement not to meet on Sundays because we were seeing each other Mon to Sat yet he appeared at my void deck cos he missed me too much
• him waking me up freaking early on a Sunday morning just because he wanted to eat some random food from this hawker stall that closes at 10.30am after we voided the no meeting on Sunday thing
• agreeing to letting him play another game of DOTA whenever he said “one more game” though I had been staring at him play for four hours just cos I loved him
• sitting beside him quietly like a 小女人 (the only word I said in that eight hours was a no when his friends offered me drinks) while he played mahjong throughout the night
• agreeing to going Sentosa the very next day with zero sleep even though I hate the beach and was looking after bags under the shades cos he really wanted me to be there
• how he had to assure me his parents would love me the first time I went his place cos I was stuck at his door step for 123123 mins imagining 123123 scenarios of everything that could possibly go wrong
• feeling like a taitai during all the shopping and coffee outings with all three generations of females in his family
• feeling like his wife when the rest of the male population came down to join us after they were done with work, each giving their female partner a peck on the cheek
• the stupid muay thai shorts he made me wear whenever I ran out of clothes at his place
• nagging at him to hurry up whenever he took 123123 hours to choose his clothes before we headed out
• not failing to smile everytime he asked if he looked good after spending 123123 hours in front of the mirror
• how he would blame me whenever his car couldn’t start because he thought the car was jealous of us
• the face of his that spelt regret after insisting on going along on a shopping trip which lasted 10 hours without food
• playing with his little nephews and nieces every Sunday when we were over at his cousin’s with his parents
• taking photos with the kids pretending they were ours
• his mum’s fantabulous nyonya curry chicken and lontong
• helping his mum make pineapple tarts for CNY and getting a grr look from his maid when his mum compared my amazing tart making skills with the maid’s not-so-good skills
• watching TV with his family, feeling the togetherness and family warmth
• how he would call all his friends up to get me when he chased me out cos he was worried yet too prideful to call
• how I was so convinced that the slippers his mum gave me during the trip to BKK was the cause of our breakup because chinese superstition says that giving someone shoes means the person will walk away from you
• how much I appreciated his parents for asking me to forget about him by citing his inability to treasure me, his uselessness and 123123 other reasons that put their beloved son down
• how he complained to me that his dad told him off for having the cheek to wear my clothes around the house after he broke my heart
• trying all ways (e.g. pinching his nose then switching to clothes peg cos my hands were tired) to stop him from snoring cos it was disturbing me
• not being able to sleep anymore without him by my side as his snoring had long became my lullaby

Most of all,
I miss loving, being loved and being in love.

Nyonya Besar curiga sama si Inem pembantunya ada main sama si Tuan Besar. Karena setiap kali Tuan Besar bilang mau pergi bisnis ke luar kota, malamnya si Nyonya merasa ada seseorang di kamar si Inem. Suatu hari pada saat Tuan Besar bilang mau keluar kota, malamnya si Nyonya ngomong ke si Inem,

“Nem, malam ini ibu mau tidur di kamar kamu, kamu boleh tidur di sofa.”.

Si Inem merajuk, “Wah, kenapa bu? Nggak mau ah!”.

“Jangan banyak tanya, nanti tak pecat!”.

Si Inem terpaksa menurut. Malamnya sewaktu si Nyonya sedang tidur di kamar pembantu yang gelap, pintu kamar tiba-tiba terbuka, seorang laki-laki masuk. Si Nyonya berpikir, “Rasain lu, suami mata keranjang, dia enggak tahu si Inem nggak tidur disini, gue mo tahu cara dia main gila ama Inem!!!”.

Selanjutnya yang si Nyonya rasakan adalah kenikmatan yang luar biasa, sehingga saking nikmatnya si Nyonya enggak mau maklumatkan perang malam itu. Cuma si Nyonya merasa senang campur heran karena anunya si Tuan Besar malam itu serasa lebih kencang dan lebih besar dari biasanya.

Besok malamnya si Nyonya bilang sama si Inem dia mau tidur lagi di kamar pembantu, si Inem nggak bisa buat apa2.
Malam itu si Nyonya merasakan lagi kenikmatan bak di surga dan dia merasa anunya suaminya kali ini tidak hanya lebih kencang dan besar tetapi juga panjang. Si Nyonya benar2 puas.

Besoknya begitu lagi, tetapi kali ini si Nyonya benar2 hampir kepayahanan karena anunya si Tuan Besar lebih perkasa dari 2 malam sebelumnya, benar2 kencang, panjang dan besar. Si Nyonya benar-benar puas habis2an. Besok malamnya si Nyonya bilang mau tidur lagi di kamar si Inem, tetapi kali ini si Inem benar2 ngebantah, dia bilang,

“Nyonya, maapin Inem, kali ini Inem benar-benar enggak terima!”. si Nyonya marah, katanya, “Enak aja, elu main sama laki gue, harusnya gue yang enggak terima!”. Si Inem kaget, lalu ngejawab,

“Nyonya salah sangka, malam pertama waktu nyonya tidur di kamar Inem, yang masuk itu si Dedi, jongos Nyonya yang cakep itu, malam kedua itu giliran si Joko, tukang kebun Nyonya yang kekar dan kece itu, dan kemarin malem itu kan si Mustafa, supir tuan besar yang keturunan Arab yang keren dan macho itu. Nah malam ini Inem nggak mau digantiin lagi sama nyonya,lagian bisa gawat nyonya, Bahaya, bisa kualat!!!…”.
Si Nyonya hampir pingsan bertanya, “Emang malam ini giliran siapaaaa?”.

“Giliran Steve, anak Nyonya!”

The Straits Chinese (or Peranakan) are a unique community that have blended Chinese and Malay customs, language, fashion and cuisine, over centuries. The rich cultural legacy of the Straits Chinese lives on today, predominantly in the former Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore. The Pinang Peranakan Mansion, epitomizes the opulent architectural and lifestyle of a wealthy Peranakan family. Built at the end of the 19th century by one of Penang’s famous personalities, the mansion once served as the residence and office of Kapitan Cina, Chung Keng Kwee. Its Straits eclectic architecture, complete with open air courtyard, are typical of a Peranakan home. The large house incorporates Chinese carved-wood panels, English floor tiles and Scottish ironworks. Today, the mansion is open to the public as a heritage museum.

SF is known for its lovely views atop majestic hills while NY is the buzzing city that never sleeps. I love both places dearly but there are some things that I would prefer to have from one city than the other:

Transportation: Bus/BART vs subways

SF: The bus system runs pretty often and seems to have imported NY retired subway conductors to drive their buses. (My reference: NY subway drivers are both crazy and drive crazy fast.) The BART is great to take if you are in the immediate area. Some of it runs underground which is great on those chilly nights.

On the downside, if you don’t know the area nor have an iphone, you can easily get lost looking for the nonexistent bus stop sign. And if you are traveling at night and do not know your bus’ route, you may possibly get off in a really bad neighborhood. In addition, only certain bus lines (the owl lines) run all night. If you are stuck in an area where the buses aren’t running, tough luck.

NY: If there is one thing they get a gold star for, it would be for their public transportation. The subways are extremely easy to find and run all night in addition to running about every fifteen minutes. They are also so numerous that you can do most of your traveling underground when it’s cold out and most people who live in the in the city do not own a car. +1

Transportation: Taxis

SF: There is an abundant number of taxis during the week but once it is the weekend, it is impossible to catch a cab between 6 pm and midnight. This can be a bitch if you are in a hurry or stuck somewhere far away from any bus lines.

NY: Birthplace of taxis. You can see them rushing down the street by the millions. The maximum waiting time is five minutes and the only time I have ever had a hard flagging down a cab is when it rains.

Food

SF: Great place to get boatloads of amazing sushi or Mexican food. Chinatown and Inner Richmond are great candidates for finding really cheap chinese food. There are also amazing restaurants like Andalu that serve $1 tacos on Tuesdays or the Woodhouse Fish Company that serve $4 draft beers and $1 oysters on Tuesdays as well. Unfortunately, the Bay Area lacks Malaysian food or a great variety of spanish food. If you want to have Mexican everyday until you die, then we can do that but if you seek Puerto Rican food (like me), you are screwed.

NY: It has so many different foods places that a close friend of mine, Matt Knox who had lived in NY still has yet gone to all of them.

What I truly miss is my Nyonya, located off Grand St and Mott St. It is absolutely amazing Malaysian food. The best things to order off the menu include their famous roti canai and their spicy mango chicken. Do remember to bring cash.

The Big Apple also supplies me with spectacular gyros. One thing I miss from the city are restaurants that are open at odd hours of the night. For example, the Great NY Noodletown restaurant down by Chinatown is always open. I think there was one instance when they were closed but I am pretty sure I was imagining things. There have been many a time when I have ventured in at 5 in the morning and obtained my tasty beef with broccoli or my succulent duck with rice. This is one of many of my favorite late night food locations.

Interesting People

SF: I love being surrounded by the really friendly burning man population. Everyday seems like Halloween. Everyone gets dressed up in fuzzy, bright clothing and there are outrageous outfits that often include nudity. I am not pleased though with the ‘put on a happy face and talk behind your back’ attitude. If you have an issue with me, say it to my face, not in some emo forum.

NY: New Yorkers are quite fashion forward and as a possible future fashion designer, I absolutely love that. They also are more vocal and direct than any other group of people that I know. They have no problem expressing their feelings and tend to be extremely boisterous. As long as you aren’t preaching about God on a crowded train or you aren’t being ridiculously loud and obnoxious during a movie, we are all good.

Nightlife/events

SF: There is nothing better than to be at one of the many awesome events which have ginormous turnouts. The epic Pillow Fight of 2009 was one of the funnest events I have ever attended. Most SF events like to run all day and all night with after parties that go until noon the following day. As for the usual nightlife, there are plenty of clubs to go to. 1015 is one of my favorites especially when all six rooms are open and blasting with music. On a sad note, alcohol is only served til 2 am. This law should be revised.

NY: I had turned 21 right after leaving New York City so I cannot comment on the city’s nightlife but I’ve heard it’s pretty awesome. As for city events, I suspect there aren’t as many nor are as fun as those in SF.

Cost of living

SF/NY: Both SF and NY have pretty high costs of living. When I moved to SF, a friend of mine pointed out that I seem to enjoy moving from one expensive city to the next. This city is a bit more expensive in areas like food than NY (how is it that a hot dog vendor in SF charges $4 when in NY, they are only $2? Insanity, I say.) To compensate, SF’s minimum wage is double that of NY.

Tech scene

SF: Best place live as a techie. When I was on the plane getting ready to move from Boston to California, the two people sitting behind me got into an intense conversation about programming languages from the old days. I have yet to land in California and I already hear people talking about programming. Awesome.

More than three quarters of my current contacts are in the tech field and most of them are into ruby on rails . You can find devs roaming the streets and it is relatively easy to engage in interesting conversations whether it is about the future of facebook or the creative designs for twestivalsf or what database problems are happening at work. This is a place where nerds can feel at ease.

You can also find awesome startups like heroku or github populating this tiny city. SF wins the tech category just for having Super Happy Devhouse . Boom shaka laka.

NY: Not too shabby for startups but most of them wish they could relocate to SF. And there are ruby meetups and other tech events but they are more obscure.

Other than the fun facts mentioned above, my utopian place would also have warmer weather all year round. I will surely need to get an apartment in both cities and hope to obtain a remote job or one that is extremely flexible so that I am able to travel to either places pretty freely. And it wouldn’t hurt to acquire a million dollars to pay for airfare or rent or other such expenses. If that doesn’t work, I can sell babies out of my basement for extra income.

Well Chinese New Year this year was spent in Venice, unpacking boxes!! I guess a good way to start the year in a new home!

This year (Year of the Ox) – began on Jan 26th and the celebration lasts for 15 days (until Feb 9th). Last year was the Year of the Rat – we saw a lot of things unfold worldwide. Year of the Ox will symbolise the return to the basics and values such as hard work, honesty, preservarence and modesty to help us go through these tough times. The Ox is known to be dependable, calm, pragmatic and self sacrificing. The Year of the Rat – undoubtedly delivered the consequences of the past years of greed, selfishness, dishonesty and ego. All our actions have consequences – and cumulatively it got so bad that it had to go out with a big bang!  What will this year hold for us? We will see , but right now it is probably most prudent to ask ourselves what have we learned and how will we live this new year.

Tradition has it that the Chinese New Year means family reunion and on the eve we have the big reunion dinner.  The dinner consists of various traditional dishes of each family or a hot pot. In my family, being with Peranakan influences – we would normally have ‘jiu hu char’, ‘nyonya chicken curry’, ‘roti babi’, ‘chap choy’, ‘lor bak’, spring rolls, ‘tu toh th’ng’ and rice.  Of course days before the event, my family and our relatives will also start making cookies and traditional cakes. Not to mention a major spring cleaning too.

Kuih Kapit

We used to make ‘kuih kapit’ aka love letters – but now our parents generation are getting older, they don’t do it anymore. The ‘kuih kapit’  we made were awesome, and they were made the traditional way over hot coals. They are thin rice/coconut milk wafers – that crackle and melts in your mouth. It is quite hard these days to find good ones. Electric made ones are not as good!

kuih bangkit

Another traditional cookie is ‘kuih bang kek’ – which are also with coconut and tapioca flour based. They are delicious – almost like unbaked cookies as they look ‘white’. They come in various animal shapes. See photo on the left (from www.knowingfood.com). This photo shows the exact way they looked like as I know them when I was a kid. Normally my mother will also order pineapple tarts from her colleague, Aunty Jane (who unfortunately passed away) – and she made the most delicious pineapple jam tarts ever! In addition to that, we have ‘layer cake’ (kuih lapis) – similar to the Indonesian kuih lapis, ’sugee cake’ (rosewater, almonds and sugee cake) , peanut cookies and cashewnut cookies. All these are served with dried fruits (geng geng), red dates and melon seeds aplenty to our visitors. Some families will also make ‘tong sueh’ – sweet soups with various dumplings or with dried fruits and seeds.

I love ‘tee kuih’ – caramelised, glutinous rice steamed cakes, wrapped with banana leaves. You can only find them during Chinese New Year. They are made as offering to the ‘Kitchen God’ so that he does not report any bad deeds to the Jade Emporor (Tee Kong). It is gooey when freshly steamed but taste excellent rolled with coconut shavings seasoned with a little salt.   You can also fry them by sandwiching between a layer of yam and another layer of sweet potato – coated with batter and deep fried. In Penang, there is a famous stall close to Heng Ee school on Free School road. They have delicious fried bananas (pisang raja), yams and sweet potato balls too. If you are curious how Tee kuih is made – you can watch on YouTube on the making of ‘Tee Kuih – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F59rQt3k9A

Red packets

During this festive season, red packets are given out to children and unmarried members of the family or friends. These red packets or commonly known as ‘ang pows’ have money in them. For children this is extra  fun, since  you get the extra pocket money to buy more firecrackers or sweets! Firecrackers – yes an essential part of CNY and ‘lion dance’. This is to usher more luck and chase away evil spirits.  When visiting friends or relatives we bring along mandarin oranges as they symbolises ‘gold’ or pomelos in cantonese meaning ‘abundance’. The first 2 days of CNY are dedicated to visiting relatives and friends. In Malaysia being multi ethnic, it is common for chinese families to have ‘open houses’ for friends of other ethnic groups to visit and makan together.

The 3rd day of CNY is normally regarded as not a good day to visit anyone and a day where one visit the graves of ones’ ancestors to pay respects.

Another symbolic dish only for CNY on the 7th day is Yee Sang- raw fish salad – meaning increase in abundance, prosperity and vigour. The trick is to toss it as high as possible with your chopsticks to signify ‘lo hei’ – increase in your fortune. This raw fish dish comes with a special sauce using plum sauce, rice vinegar, kumquat paste and sesame oil, and the fish (originally mackerel but today salmon is equally popular) was served with carrots, chilli, mengkuang (jicama), limes, jellyfish, red pickled ginger,etc. Today, this dish is eaten throughout the 15 days of CNY. Check this photo out by my friend Esther.

On the 8th evening (as the 9th day of CNY is the Jade Emperor’s birthday)  is a big prayer day fo the the hokkiens where many live in Penang, my hometown. My maternal side is hokkien, so we have a table in front of our house – the idea again is to have a high table (so closer to heaven) – and offerings are made to Tee Kong (Jade Emperor). There will be mee koo (red buns), ang koo (tortoise cakes), huat kuih (prosperity cakes),  roast duck, sugar cane, big jossticks, fruits – the whole works. Also ghim chuah (joss paper) are being folded and burned. Sugar cane is very important. The legend has it that the Hokkiens escaped persecution by a cruel general in ancient China by seeking refuge in a sugarcane plantation. They emerged unharmed on the birthday of the Jade Emperor. So in gratitude, this has become a big prayer day for the Hokkiens. Photos below are from flickr nick chan.

The final day being 15th day, fondly known as Chap Goh Meh - my family will make ‘pungat’ – tastes like bubur cha cha except with extra bananas and sweet potatoes of all kinds (sweet potatoes, yam) in creamy sweet coconut soup. It is the last day and also the chinese’ Valentine’s day where maidens throw oranges into the river or sea (as done in Penang ) in order to attract good husbands. There will be prayers too, to mark the end of the celebration.

Recipes for CNY (coming soon!)

I swear that what I did today has nothing to do with the Peranakan Craze that’s taking over Singapore.

I went to the Peranakan Museum – and it was for my Sociology Class Gender and Family.

We went there to learn about the Peranakan family’s life and more importantly, the Gender Roles.

And, this is one of the best museums I have been to (in Singapore). Personally, I feel that its even better than the National Museum because of the sheer amount of artifacts and the meaning and culture each of them embody.

The display of jewellery and wedding gifts just overwhelmed me. According to our guide, who is a Peranakan on both side of her family, the Little Nyonya is quite true to the Peranakan culture. Also, she provided ALOT of interesting and informative nuggests of info. Some of the artifacts belonged to people like Tan Kim Seng and Yap Ah Loy.

I really recommend that you should go and take a look. It costs $6 for adults and $3 for students.