6 weeks already!
Does food play a prominent role in this blog post? I can’t help it – this is how food is in Malaysia! :) People always seem to be eating or thinking about eating!
Nutmeg Delights:
I bought them in Penang, I’ve never had nutmeg much except as a spice, like on top of vanilla custard, so I just had to try eating it in – well, pieces. Nutmeg delights come in three varieties not explained on the packet, but it turns out that none of them were very delightful. Never mind, now I know!
Brazilian restaurant:
Rafhael organised a group of us to go for dinner at a special type of restaurant, I forget what it’s called. There were several exciting things for me. Firstly, it was the first time I’d been given a knife to eat with since arriving here! Secondly, they had a salad bar. When Rafha mentioned it I had imagined a few pieces of cucumber (the token greens at most mamak eateries) BUT it really was a salad bar. Green salad, mango salad, coleslaw, tomatoes, heaps and heaps of stuff! Cold, wet, not fried, and without (well, for most of them anyway!) chili or curry – what more could I have asked for?! Thirdly, the meat (what we came for) was amazing. The waiters came around to each person and offered to cut a slice off for them. It was awesome. You didn’t even have to get up, the meat came to you, and there were so many varieties, and all of it was so so so tasty! I really don’t know how to describe the experience, except that we all left feeling deeply satisfied and a few kilos heavier! If I ever go to Brazil, that’s one type of restaurant I’ll definitely be looking out for! :)
Steve Irwin:
I knew that he was popular in the States, but seriously, as an Aussie abroad, I’ve heard so much about him ever since he died! People at work were talking about it the day it was in the news, some of the AIESEC trainees were talking about it, the customs guy in Singapore was telling me how sad he was as he processed my passport…
Buses:
I was thinking that the inter-city buses in Malaysia are a great way to travel. Why? The seats are really plush, and you get HEAPS of leg room, and can recline your chair. They’re pretty quiet and very clean, unlike the station where you get tickets from! And they stop every now and again at rest stops – way better than having gross toilets on board! I have, alas, been given cause to rethink my love affair with inter-city bus travel though. I had to pay heaps for my ticket back from Singapore, because at that time of day/evening (and such short notice!) I could only get a seat on a deluxe bus (that I could find no difference in except that the driver gave everyone a bottle of water!). This deluxe bus then proceeded to break down! My 5 hour trip turned into a 7.5 hour one, with much of it spent in a seat that wouldn’t recline – when a bus says they’ve got a spare seat for you, you don’t argue! I really should look into the train system here… :)
Ramadan:
So the fasting month is here. Muslims don’t eat between sunrise (around 5:30am and sunset (around 7:15pm). This doesn’t seem toooo tough to me actually, but the thing is, they don’t drink anything either, not even water! In a tropical place like Malaysia, this is no small feat. From around 6:30 you can see people sitting in food courts, with food and drink on the table in front of them, just waiting. It must be torture. I must admit it’s a strange sight to see. And when the moment comes, it’s broadcast on tv (if you’re indoors) or you can hear it coming from the mosque, and suddenly everyone tucks in! Fabien, Jeff and I said we’d fast for the first workday of Ramadan since we have so many Muslim colleagues, although I was sick so I didn’t. They ate before going to work (around 8am) and didn’t eat or drink all day. Rafha also fasted the other day, he got up early to eat before 5:30. I’m definitely going to give it a go, but I don’t know if I’ll get up early. I think without food or drink I’ll be pretty tired all arvo anyway, without being up at 5! We’ll see how adventurous I feel :)
So what is the impact on my life? Well, I’ve been cured of snacking in the office – it’s pretty mean to eat in front of people who are fasting, I feel bad enough drinking water, tea and coffee all day! I have to remember not to offer anyone tea! Lots of the restaurants are closed at lunchtime, especially in the food court where we usually eat, most of the stalls are run by Malay’s so only a few of them are open, and its pretty quiet.
Compared with Ramadan in Turkey? Well, the daylight hours in Turkey are a lot shorter at this time of the year than here in Malaysia, for a start! Secondly, although Turkey is 99% Muslim (as opposed to Malaysia, I guess it’s around 60% maybe?) people there are much less strict. Only about 1 in 10 girls my age wore a headscarfe I think, and only about half of all people seemed to fast during Ramadan. My impression here is that, if you are Muslim, you are fasting. And most, though not all, Muslim women wear headscarves.
Mid-Autumn festival:
The parade that we went to in Singapore was the highlight of the mid-Autumn festival for me, the only other way that I would know that it is on is the mooncakes! Shops everywhere have posters etc showing their cakes, and there’s ads on TV. Hagendaas is even selling ice cream mooncakes! When I was in Ipoh I bought some mooncakes: taro/yam, green tea with red bean, and chocolate chip. I’m pleased to say that, despite being disappointed with chocolate mooncakes in Beijing (well, they tasted nothing like chocolate!) the ones I tried this time certainly did not disappoint! All of them were delicious actually :)
Stay tuned for….
The Halal Journal
Durian
Australia presentation at our host LC
Nutmeg Delights:
I bought them in Penang, I’ve never had nutmeg much except as a spice, like on top of vanilla custard, so I just had to try eating it in – well, pieces. Nutmeg delights come in three varieties not explained on the packet, but it turns out that none of them were very delightful. Never mind, now I know!
Brazilian restaurant:
Rafhael organised a group of us to go for dinner at a special type of restaurant, I forget what it’s called. There were several exciting things for me. Firstly, it was the first time I’d been given a knife to eat with since arriving here! Secondly, they had a salad bar. When Rafha mentioned it I had imagined a few pieces of cucumber (the token greens at most mamak eateries) BUT it really was a salad bar. Green salad, mango salad, coleslaw, tomatoes, heaps and heaps of stuff! Cold, wet, not fried, and without (well, for most of them anyway!) chili or curry – what more could I have asked for?! Thirdly, the meat (what we came for) was amazing. The waiters came around to each person and offered to cut a slice off for them. It was awesome. You didn’t even have to get up, the meat came to you, and there were so many varieties, and all of it was so so so tasty! I really don’t know how to describe the experience, except that we all left feeling deeply satisfied and a few kilos heavier! If I ever go to Brazil, that’s one type of restaurant I’ll definitely be looking out for! :)
Steve Irwin:
I knew that he was popular in the States, but seriously, as an Aussie abroad, I’ve heard so much about him ever since he died! People at work were talking about it the day it was in the news, some of the AIESEC trainees were talking about it, the customs guy in Singapore was telling me how sad he was as he processed my passport…
Buses:
I was thinking that the inter-city buses in Malaysia are a great way to travel. Why? The seats are really plush, and you get HEAPS of leg room, and can recline your chair. They’re pretty quiet and very clean, unlike the station where you get tickets from! And they stop every now and again at rest stops – way better than having gross toilets on board! I have, alas, been given cause to rethink my love affair with inter-city bus travel though. I had to pay heaps for my ticket back from Singapore, because at that time of day/evening (and such short notice!) I could only get a seat on a deluxe bus (that I could find no difference in except that the driver gave everyone a bottle of water!). This deluxe bus then proceeded to break down! My 5 hour trip turned into a 7.5 hour one, with much of it spent in a seat that wouldn’t recline – when a bus says they’ve got a spare seat for you, you don’t argue! I really should look into the train system here… :)
Ramadan:
So the fasting month is here. Muslims don’t eat between sunrise (around 5:30am and sunset (around 7:15pm). This doesn’t seem toooo tough to me actually, but the thing is, they don’t drink anything either, not even water! In a tropical place like Malaysia, this is no small feat. From around 6:30 you can see people sitting in food courts, with food and drink on the table in front of them, just waiting. It must be torture. I must admit it’s a strange sight to see. And when the moment comes, it’s broadcast on tv (if you’re indoors) or you can hear it coming from the mosque, and suddenly everyone tucks in! Fabien, Jeff and I said we’d fast for the first workday of Ramadan since we have so many Muslim colleagues, although I was sick so I didn’t. They ate before going to work (around 8am) and didn’t eat or drink all day. Rafha also fasted the other day, he got up early to eat before 5:30. I’m definitely going to give it a go, but I don’t know if I’ll get up early. I think without food or drink I’ll be pretty tired all arvo anyway, without being up at 5! We’ll see how adventurous I feel :)
So what is the impact on my life? Well, I’ve been cured of snacking in the office – it’s pretty mean to eat in front of people who are fasting, I feel bad enough drinking water, tea and coffee all day! I have to remember not to offer anyone tea! Lots of the restaurants are closed at lunchtime, especially in the food court where we usually eat, most of the stalls are run by Malay’s so only a few of them are open, and its pretty quiet.
Compared with Ramadan in Turkey? Well, the daylight hours in Turkey are a lot shorter at this time of the year than here in Malaysia, for a start! Secondly, although Turkey is 99% Muslim (as opposed to Malaysia, I guess it’s around 60% maybe?) people there are much less strict. Only about 1 in 10 girls my age wore a headscarfe I think, and only about half of all people seemed to fast during Ramadan. My impression here is that, if you are Muslim, you are fasting. And most, though not all, Muslim women wear headscarves.
Mid-Autumn festival:
The parade that we went to in Singapore was the highlight of the mid-Autumn festival for me, the only other way that I would know that it is on is the mooncakes! Shops everywhere have posters etc showing their cakes, and there’s ads on TV. Hagendaas is even selling ice cream mooncakes! When I was in Ipoh I bought some mooncakes: taro/yam, green tea with red bean, and chocolate chip. I’m pleased to say that, despite being disappointed with chocolate mooncakes in Beijing (well, they tasted nothing like chocolate!) the ones I tried this time certainly did not disappoint! All of them were delicious actually :)
Stay tuned for….
The Halal Journal
Durian
Australia presentation at our host LC
1 Comments:
Flic! Always so lovely to read your thoughts :)
Glad to hear you are having a good time. Keep in touch and keep on blogging away..
xo
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