The week that was...

Chinese wedding dinner was never on time....and is always late.


During my grandfather time...it was late because some of the guests arrived on foot.......some on bullock carts.......some trekked through jungle.......most do not have watch and relied on the sun’s position.....

...but dinner back then was a full day affair.


During my father’s time.....dinner was still late....though there was public transport...and many haves cars..........

People do not arrive on time.. (to save face).... because they do not want to be seen as desperately hungry for a good meal they could not afford......so they purposefully arrive late.........to signify one has plenty to eat all the time.......at the same time get notice by the guests already there...........................and it inflates their self-importance.

.....and dinner starts eventually...2 hours or more later......


During my time.....on the invitation card....Dinner start: 7pm sharp.

[ I arrived at 7.15pm. .........the 1st. to arrive ]

..............and dinner still starts late....even on a Sunday!!

People feel uncomfortable being on time because they will be greeted by a full platoon of Host’s family members...and they probably couldn’t remember the names of who....and who-is-who...

.....and the more pertinent reason is that people expect the dinner to start late.......
So...no need for excuses..........everybody taking their own sweet time.............and be fashionably late.......


.....dinner starts eventually at 8.30pm

.....by that time the host and family would have stood fashionably for 2 hours at the main entrance since 6.30pm to welcome the arrival of the guests.


I had a great time feasting with my family members and friends.....no beggar’s chicken was serve.....in its place was the roasted suckling pig...delicious.........and we had ‘18yrs. Chivas Regal’ .....Sumptuous!!


As if the price to pay for my indulgence....I was struck by the flu bug on Wednesday...I suffered terribly from body aches ....more so because I was into weight training the day before...and the 10km run on Monday [ to make up for the gluttony on Sunday ].

Consulted the Doctor....he prescribed anti-biotics.....muscle relaxant ..... ponstan (for the pain)....antacid for the acidity.....and 2 days off.

......I continued working as I couldn’t afford to rest........with all the bills to be paid...the children’s education.......daily expenses..........staffs pay.......rentals......incidentals.......installments........bank charges..........and so on..........my food bill........beers.........Dr.Kanda (the Vet)..........dog’s food.......Trusty’s Fido Dog soap..
.....Whisky’s food list...and....and........:faint:


I posted a video clip on a slide show of the bride and groom.......to show you all how it is done here....and for all you aspiring photographer..... it might inspire you to the next level.
....see the professional at >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com


*I am feeling better now.

The Beggar's Chicken.

I accompanied a friend, who had a sudden urge, to a restaurant at the remote end of a small town bordering the jungle. This friend of mine yearned for the taste of wild-life....and it seems to me he wanted to boost his libido.

The restaurant serves games such as wild boar....snakes....sang kancil (deer)........ant- eaters........iguana (monitor lizard)....monkeys and animals that are caught by the aborigines.

We ordered Curry Wild boar and Claypot iguana. .......and the soup of the day - Snake’s Skin.............I ate just the curry wild boar ..............and left the rest to my friend............he ate whole heartily ...the herbal concoction of iguana and drank the snake soup....
...we washed it down with ‘toddy’...a strong alcoholic brew made from the sugary liquid discharge from the young shoot of the coconut.

The patrons of the table next to us had beggar’s chicken ..........

The Beggar’s chicken is a closely guarded ancient recipe born out of necessity....and ingenuity of a group of desperately hungry ‘street people’..... These people stuffed the chicken with a combination of herbs discarded from the herbal shop.....then wrapped with a large banyan/bamboo leaves and pasted it with clay to be baked over an open fire.

This slow cooking process retains all the nutrients and goodness which would have been otherwise destroyed by heat......and together with the nutritional properties of the herbs it protected the vagrants from succumbing to pneumonia.... in the harshness of the weather.

Today...this herbal preparation became one of the grand ancient Chinese cuisines passed down from the ancestry of the vagrants to their descendants who became restaurateurs and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.

There are many variations of the beggar’s chicken....and copycats.....only the connoisseurs can tell the difference.............I can.

>> feast your eyes on it......seeing is believing.


Put the journal up a day earlier because I am attending a wedding banquet tomorrow evening...25th-10-09..............and seriously I have too many dinners... at least one almost every other week...and I cannot stand-down on the invitations because...I love socializing and the food............hoping that they serve beggar’s chicken tomorrow.

Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur was founded in the 19th century by a Chinaman named Yap Ah Loy....a tin miner who was appointed as the 1st. Chinese Kapitan ( headman) by the British colonial ruler.

Situated at the confluence of the Gombak River and the Klang River....it began as an outpost town serving the mining communities and flourished into an important trade and administrative centre.

Its’ central position in the Malay Archipelago.......sited between the Penang and Singapore of the Strait settlements.....enhances its inherent logistic of being the natural preference in the becoming the administrative centre which grew in importance to become the Capital of Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur , today, is a metropolitan housing diverse Multi-national corporations is as much diversities as its populace composed in Architectural mavericks and beauties is the home of yours’ TRULY....Robert Lau.

...come visit me someday.


In the picture:

The Kuala Lumpur Tower (the baby-rattler structure-like) is to the left of the Petronas Twin Towers.

Lemang.

I stopped by to buy Lemang for supper the other day. The Lemang is glutinous rice flavored with coconut milk and bake in the hollow of a bamboo over open fire....absolutely delicious ...you can eat it on its own........

......but it’s best to go with the “Rendang”..... a traditional Malay fare of beef/chicken cook in a concoction of spices and grated coconut.... ..creating one of the better curried dish of tendered... very delicious dried spicy meat.

The Lemang that I bought here was a big disappointment because I was looking forward to a great supper at home.......only to realize that it was not completely cooked...it was raw at the center...and the coconut milk soured the glutinous rice.

The dogs had a big feast though.....Lucky ate a bit......Ashitaka didn’t like it........Steady had a little....and TRUSTY loved it...and ate all........slightly more than a foot of it.

I deviate a while..........[ SAM just show Trusty a bottle of FIDO....a dog shampoo she bought at the market...specifically for her ].

....back to my story.......we were left with just the ‘Rendang’........drove over to 7 eleven to buy a loaf of bread........came home and had a great time.....simply delicious!

....the unfinished portion of the Rendang went to Trusty.....all of it.




..



** Trusty is not too well.....she will be operated next week.

TGIF.

I never got round to watch “Thank God It’s Friday” the movie...and I don’t know why!!!...and I never got round to dine at TGIF restaurant because I gravitate towards the Sushi Restaurant next door...every time I was there.

....and as with Every Friday....I sigh with glee “Thank God It’s Friday” this Friday as I made my way back home after a very difficult Friday.......TGIF!!!

It was not to be...I was caught in a massive traffic jam lasting more than an hour...and I was caught with my pants down, literally, ........in sheer agony TGIF [The Gallbladder Is Full]......instinctively I look around for trees.....bushes......small shrubs to “pour out the liquefied agony”. ........the only possible standing structure to do it discreetly....was the lamppost...........and I chose to labor on....the agony.

....I looked to the right...I saw “That Guy Is Freaking”..(TGIF).....probably from system overload...(you know what I mean)...I gave a reassuring nod.....[ hey, Bros..we are in the same boat, we will sail out of it together]

...then......I looked to the left...I saw “That Girl Is Fidgeting”...she is probably overloaded too........I smile reassuringly ...[ hey, Sis...don’t worry...hang on...the traffic will soon clear....and we will make home run and “zero in” on the loo all to soon..YuP!! ]

Over the radio...the song “Have you ever seen the rain” by CCR was aired....

.[ Gosh!...what great timing ..............you could see Torrential storm, I sneered.....]

...followed by the Traffic Update/Report.....blah!...blah!...blah!....traffic is at a standstill..

A little more than an hour later...I arrived at the Petrol Station......less than 5 minutes away from home..........all commonsense blurred out...all logic purged...I did the unthinkable...I stopped ...to go to the toilet.

Walking calmly and purposefully to the loo so as not to “spill the load”...I inched forward
...only to be beaten by a chap to the door.......[What could be worse, I sighed ]...
...I was wrong.......

All hell broke loose!........ more than a minute had passed....and the guy hadn’t done yet.....he is too long ..That Guy Is #$%@ing....... (TGI#) too long.......what seem like eternity.

...I knock on the door...BAM!!..BAM!...BAM!!!

Abang! ...cepat..tak tahan lagi.
(Bros.....faster...can’t stand any longer)

Hey abaaang!!...berat lah.
(Hey broooos!!...shitting lah)


I...then leaned on the wall in a cool fashion with my legs crossed tightly to plug the leak..
.. ...cold sweat permeated........and finally ...the door opened...he apologized...I rushed in
.......rained out all my woes..

....and boy!....TGIF...(The Gas Is Fouled)...what has he been eating!!!!!

I reached home finally..........TGIF.

Today is Sunday as I spilled my heart content out on the journal........I feel better now!.......

...Thank God It was Friday............that very day.

Go over to >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com >> to watch boring traffic jam and listen to the Traffic Update/Report .........all 41secs of it.



Clicky the advertisement.

Thank God Its Friday.

I never got round to watch “Thank God It’s Friday” the movie...and I don’t know why!!!...and I never got round to dine at TGIF restaurant because I gravitate towards the Sushi Restaurant next door...every time I was there.

....and as with Every Friday....I sigh with glee “Thank God It’s Friday” this Friday as I made my way back home after a very difficult Friday.......TGIF!!!

It was not to be...I was caught in a massive traffic jam lasting more than an hour...and I was caught with my pants down, literally, ........in sheer agony TGIF [The Gallbladder Is Full]......instinctively I look around for trees.....bushes......small shrubs to “pour out the liquefied agony”. ........the only possible standing structure to do it discreetly....was the lamppost...........and I chose to labor on....the agony.

....I looked to the right...I saw “That Guy Is Freaking”..(TGIF).....probably from system overload...(you know what I mean)...I gave a reassuring nod.....[ hey, Bros..we are in the same boat, we will sail out of it together]

...then......I looked to the left...I saw “That Girl Is Fidgeting”...she is probably overloaded too........I smile reassuringly ...[ hey, Sis...don’t worry...hang on...the traffic will soon clear....and we will make home run and “zero in” on the loo all to soon..YuP!! ]

Over the radio...the song “Have you ever seen the rain” by CCR was aired....

.[ Gosh!...what great timing ..............you could see Torrential storm, I sneered.....]

...followed by the Traffic Update/Report.....blah!...blah!...blah!....traffic is at a standstill..

A little more than an hour later...I arrived at the Petrol Station......less than 5 minutes away from home..........all commonsense blurred out...all logic purged...I did the unthinkable...I stopped ...to go to the toilet.

Walking calmly and purposefully to the loo so as not to “spill the load”...I inched forward
...only to be beaten by a chap to the door.......[What could be worse, I sighed ]...
...I was wrong.......

All hell broke loose!........ more than a minute had passed....and the guy hadn’t done yet.....he is too long ..That Guy Is #$%@ing....... (TGI#) too long.......what seem like eternity.

...I knock on the door...BAM!!..BAM!...BAM!!!

Abang! ...cepat..tak tahan lagi.
(Bros.....faster...can’t stand any longer)

Hey abaaang!!...berat lah.
(Hey broooos!!...shitting lah)


I...then leaned on the wall in a cool fashion with my legs crossed tightly to plug the leak..
.. ...cold sweat permeated........and finally ...the door opened...he apologized...I rushed in
.......rained out all my woes..

....and boy!....TGIF...(The Gas Is Fouled)...what has he been eating!!!!!

I reached home finally..........TGIF.

Today is Sunday as I spilled my heart content out on the journal........I feel better now!.......

...Thank God It was Friday............that very day.

Go over to >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com >> to watch boring traffic jam and listen to the Traffic Update/Report .........all 41secs of it.

The Chinaman.

Ah Kow (not his real name) is the very proud owner of Ah Tee (his real name) meaning Younger Brother.
...Ah Tee is a miniature cockerel who had done Ah Kow proud by winning several local competitions for the best poise and the handsomest cockerel...

......Ah Kow is head and heel over Ah Tee and pronounced him his “King Cock”...

.Ah Kow takes Ah Tee everywhere he went........

I quote Ah Kow..

“I take Ah Tee, my King Cork everywhere.....even to the whorehouse...haha!
..Don’t worry ......I got many hens for him.......hehe.......right or not!!....Ah Tee ......my King Cork...right or not!!”


[I include the quote........... to show the special relation between Ah Kow and Ah Tee.]


.....the man himself.....Ah Kow...is the perfect personification of a “Chinaman”

......allow me to elaborate...


A Chinaman is a person usually in their forties and had slogged his entire life as a business middleman in trading... as retailer ... and wholeselling ...he worked tirelessly day and night....piling up his pennies into fortunes...investing in properties and agricultural lands.....They are the “Towkay”... meaning Big Boss.

They are typically pot bellied...dressed in floral shirts and Gold Rolex with bracelet a size too big so as to shake into position so that everybody notice...a Du pont Gold lighter to clink open to get the waitresses attention.......... ...they are gregarious........generous to a fault .......they like to keep a few thousands in their shirt pocket ........Paying for few dollars worth with a huge pile of Dollars to show.....

....and their wallets (which they keep in the pant pocket) bulked up with addresses and phone numbers of clients, nightclubs, mistresses; ..............herbal cures and remedies... ....some money..........and lucky charms for protection.

They made good friends...dependable and honorable business associates...but the worst competitors because they can survive scrapping the bottom of the rice pot for crust ...................for years....... and generations if necessary.

Never also rob a Chinaman...he is BAD.......just ask, he will give.....he understands life being the underdog, he was one ........ all his life..... he took the honorable path and found wisdom and fortune.


Ah Tee is the perfect representation of Ah Kow........self-important.... imposing ...showoff ....loud.....shrewd and resourceful......companionable........honest........kind-hearted........simplistic and an economic juggernaut all roll into one.


* The better educated more visionary Chinamen became......Founding Chairman of large multi-national corporations... and World famous Entrepreneurs.


I became talk3talk4 ................... just Airs...................Talk only.