Category: Food

Preserving the past

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Chinese seafarers were aware of Penang as early as the 15th century. Settlers from Sumatra arrived in Penang in the 18th century and in 1771 the sultan of Kedah signed an agreement with the British East India Company. Penang was also the capital of the Straits Settlements (which included Malacca and Singapore) for a while. One can almost feel the layers of history when one wanders through the narrow, winding streets of George Town and in 2008 it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. We visited Penang again a couple of weeks ago and had a delicious dinner in the Kebaya restaurant, which is part of the Seven Terraces Hotel – a row of seven restored 19th century Anglo-Chinese terraced houses (go to http://www.seventerraces.com/web/aboutus.htm to find out more). Investment banker Chris Ong, who grew up in Penang, and his business partner have done a wonderful thing here – he is passionate about his Baba heritage and the hotel and restaurant showcase his personal collection of Straits Chinese porcelain (for an interview with Chris Ong go to http://www.themalaymailonline.com/travel/article/10-things-about-chris-ong-hotelier-who-champions-penangs-heritage-shophouse).

Tin miner’s rice bowl

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I was browsing in an antique shop in Penang and saw a stack of these bowls. The pleasant and informative shop assistant told me they were given to individual tin miners for their rice ration. Each had a different pattern and many of them were etched with the name of the owner on the inside. The Kinta Valley in Perak (the state in which we live) was the centre of the Malayan tin mining industry from the end of the 19th century.‘Perak’ means ‘silver’ so it is possible that the area was named after the silvery colour of the tin. I bought this particular bowl because I liked the decoration, it has a faint mark on the inside signifying whose bowl it was and we live close to the area where the tin miner who used the bowl may have worked. It is a lovely object. Today’s workers in Perak eat their lunches out of polystyrene containers, which you then see lying in piles of litter wherever you go. That doesn’t seem like progress to me!

Betik

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Ipoh has a reputation for good food. Apparently people drive up from KL especially to have lunch or dinner in Ipoh. There is an abundance of restaurants here, ranging from street stalls, where you can get a meal for a few ringgit, to high-end establishments. A lot of local dishes are extremely spicy and many are too mushy for our taste – bowls of soft noodles floating with overcooked vegetables do not appeal. Even a salad will be served so saturated with dressing that there is no crunch left in the lettuce or cucumber. The local food I like the most is the fruit, particularly the papaya (betik in Malay), but also the melons, mangoes and pomelos. We each eat a bowlful for breakfast every morning and, even after living here for two years, view it a treat. When I was cutting up the papaya this morning, I was struck by its beautiful colour and the star shape made by the seeds, so I took this snap.

Picnicking at low tide

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We had a sushi picnic at St Heliers Bay on Sunday. Most enjoyable and the food was delicious. The tide was out, which gave the kids (like the little guy in the pic) plenty of scope for exploring the shore. It was quiet on the grassy banks where we were sitting because the Weetbix kids’ triathlon had just finished and everyone not involved had stayed away. The weather forecasts in New Zealand often mention sea breezes and we could feel them on Sunday – so wonderful to sit outside in the middle of the afternoon and feel pleasantly warm. The breezes also billowed in the sails of the numerous boats out on the water.

Happy Valentine’s Day

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Valentine’s Day breakfast with my daughters on a beautiful summer’s morning in Auckland – possibly the best way to spend the day despite being thousands of miles away from my valentine. Delicious pancakes with plums, raspberries and almond slivers served on Granny’s china in the garden.

Peace and quiet

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One of the most attractive aspects of life in New Zealand is the peace and quiet. I really miss it when I’m away. It seems even our vegetables are peaceable! I laughed when I saw this sign at a local market but bought a “peace” of  pumpkin and we had it roasted with our dinner that night – delicious!

Stone fruit

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One of the pleasures of a New Zealand summer is the abundance of stone fruit on offer. One of my  friends gave me a bagful of delicious, juicy cherries – the only problem was not eating too many at one sitting! I’ve been trying to eat my fill of apricots, nectarines and plums as well. When I’ve  bought too many and some are softening, I roast them and top them with natural yoghurt (I can highly recommend Collective’s Straight Up).

French market

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La Cigale market in Parnell is pure delight. You can fill your basket with the freshest fruit and veges, cheese, olives, bunches of herbs, flowers, bagels and bread. Then you can head towards the cafe for a coffee and a pastry, if you are able to choose just one from the delectable display. We sat at one end of a heavy wooden table and opposite us were a delightful couple from Pennsylvania enjoying their first morning in Auckland. They marvelled at the quality of the food on offer and then told us they were at the wrong market – they had aimed for the Parnell Farmers’ Market. I’m sure they didn’t regret it though judging from the way they tucked into their pastries. Perhaps they made to the other market in time for morning tea!

Ponsonby

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Walking down Ponsonby Road on a beautiful summer’s afternoon, I glanced down Franklin Road (see pic) and was struck by the beauty of the huge trees, which form a canopy over the street. We wandered down the road and stopped at one of the cafes for a coffee, which we enjoyed at an outside table. Simple pleasures!

Hello kitty

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My Dutch grandmother used to say “nu gaat mij lampje uit” when she was amazed by something. I understood the equivalent English expression to be “now I’ve seen everything”. We would both have been right today – I saw my first Hello Kitty Cafe at the KL shopping centre I visited. I had to go inside not because I wanted anything to eat or drink but just to gawp. It is quite cute with neat little tables and chairs, white china and napkins decorated with the ubiquitous kitty and glass cabinets filled with cakes, iced biscuits and lollies. The overriding colour is of course pink. I guess it might be fun to take a party of small girls there for a treat but other than that I can’t imagine who it is aimed at. Nevertheless the place was packed, not just with little girls but people of all ages all tucking into the overpriced confectionery.