Embrace the Spiciness of Penang (pt 3)

          Ok, it's the middle of the day. And the bus that's supposed to pick us up was late so our time to visit the nature that nests quite some spices' plant got pushed further so we reached Botanic Gadens around noon. AROUND NOON!!!!! Oh for those of you not too familiar with Penang's climate, it's located at a mere 5 degree N from the Equator.

          Even the big old trees can't save us from sun shining vertically straight downward!

          But (there's always but), because we have a nice(looking) gentleman, who is a historian residing in Penang committed to researching East India Co., to be our guide explaining how Penang was once the center of attention of the world because of spices thus it became less uncomfortable (well, it worked for me though *blush*). He's Tengku Idaura's friend - Mr. Marcus Langdon (some information Mr Langdon shared can be found here).

        Honestly, Penangite especially the younger generations need to hear what Mr. Langdon say. I mean if someone can traveled the world and decided to stay here, we've got to know it better than knowing only "FOOD HAVEN"!

        Oh, speaking of food...., anyway (please don't blame me, Penangite are blessed with good tongue), our lunch awaits at D'dapur.

        Do I need to explain more than "savor the mouth watering dishes"?

        Ok, overall my trail mates said the food are too spicy but I think it's still ok. However, honestly, the dishes did disappoint me.

        I mean I have had a very interesting learning the whole morning so I was expecting something more spicy - not spicy hot but the kind that I can let my tongue and nose practically experience the awesomeness of spices such as clove, cinnamon, star anise, cumin etc. Instead, I had mostly spicy food that can only be classified into "super hot", "hot" or "not hot", and sweet at the same time. The manager did come by to ask about what we think of the food. When I tell him they are relatively sweet, he said "oh ya, because people tend to prefer sweet" (oh really? then why's your red bean in Chendol not sweet at all?).

       Anyway, after such heavy lunch we headed to another big library of spices - Tropical Spice Garden.

     
        This 4.5acre of award winning landscaped design garden within a secondary forest sanctuary is a total awesome place. It's home to over 500 species of tropical flora and fauna with a special emphasis on spices and herbs is definitely a great place to learn as a tourist or researcher. Besides, they have very nice little museum, a gift shop sells types of spices, a restaurant serves cold beer, and gazebo area that is able to host a small-and-close-group wedding or family functions.

        The guided tour is definitely an interesting thing because beautiful knowledge about mother nature and how these common looking plants can be so insightful will not be known without indication and proper explanation.

        And after a long day of walking and sweating, we're treated with a spice-inspired massage to wrap up our fruitful journey.

        It's a tiring but enjoying trail and gratitude is gratefully expressed to Ministry of Tourism Penang Office for such inspiring day, to Project Penang that always strive to promote the beauty of Penang in every possible way, and to our lovely guide Joann for being such a wonderful company in making the whole trip full of joy and enriched with wisdom.
       

Embrace the Spiciness of Penang (pt 2)

       Word of the day - spice.
                                    Pronunciation: /spʌɪs/                                    noun
                                    1. an aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavor food.

        Or, as Wikipedia say, a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance (except the leaf, which is known as "herb") primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food (oh that's what the guide said too!).

        To know spice better, in terms of variety and it's use, we should always go to the expert. Academically a scholar is a good reference. But if you are looking at "less book but more practical" way, you should go to someone who almost live, eat, sleep and even breath spices.

        I call it "the making of a wonderful world (of spices)" - machine running non-stop processing the main player of a thousand interesting dishes (ahh.............. *Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" playing in background).

        Anyway, if the last thing you want to experience when you walk into a shop wishing to know more about something is to get shooed away with a cold-I am too busy for your questions unless you are buying-face, I suggest you come to this one here because the owner is nice enough to explain their merchandise patiently.

        Look, I have proof!

(p/s: isn't the straw hat something? Look at that flower! Geez, sorry Jaime, I just can't help it but keep on noticing your "topi"!)

       Penang got her name after the malay name of betel nut - Pinang. Penang's "full name" is Pulau Pinang, where Pulau means "island". Thus Pulau Pinang means "the island of betel nut". Today, many part of the world still maintain the habit of chewing wrapped betel nut but you hardly see people practice this locally (except some older generations). A typical betel nut wrap is less common these days. Instead, they come in "flavors" now. Yes, some smart merchants make it fancy by adding in chocolate or cherry to make it.....well, let's just say, "taste trendier".

        I was told betel nut wrap played a medical role, like antiseptic to kill the germs that cause bad breath (ewwww!!!) in the olden days. So how does it taste like? Err, sorry folks, I brush and gargle Listerine. :P

        Another specialty is Nutmeg. The fruit can be made pickle, or dried and grated then rind with sugar then eaten like titbits or the latter can be used as garnishing for local desert - ice-kacang. Or made drinks, white in color if it is juiced raw and red with it's cooked. When processed, it's oil and balm, being used as medicine; and made powdered to be widely used as seasoning for food.

        One interesting fact that I learned from this trail is: nutmeg has sex! I mean there are male and female nutmeg. Now I don't know whether it is related to something/anything in our world, it is said that every tree that produces nutmeg fruits has (much) less male than female.

        The difference between two? Well, I am not into writing a thesis about nutmeg so I am going to make it short here - one has 2 sections and another has 4.

(to be continued)

Embrace the Spiciness of Penang (pt 1)

        Just when we thought we have seen it all how beautiful Penang is, something that once being widely spoken of has returned - Hot and Spicy!

        Spices not necessarily to be hotty spicy but they sure give a "kick" in our flavors if used right. That is why Ministry of Tourism Penang Office decided to awake the classic image of Penang - so that people know why she was once a hot chick to many continents and countries.

        This trail, just like the one I had before (the coffee trail), allowed me to experience the subject in every possible way - see, know, touch, and taste. Ever better, we have a guide this time to make the whole trip even more interesting by learning the juicy stories of streets, places, buildings along the way.

        It's called The Spice Trail, ladies and gentlemen (here is the newspaper reporting).

        When you come to Penang. Don't just come and go. Don't just eat and leave. Don't just take pictures and post on FB (*ha!).

        Both you and Penang deserve a real deal in seeing and showing the true beauty regardless you are on a luxury breakaway such as staying in boutique hotel down town, resort style beach hotel by the coast line or spending on budget backpack trip.

         Look for a good guide who can bring you into the core of it if you are not into "find out yourself" type, or dig deep if you are the kind that love to appreciate the city you visit with your own style.

        First of all, look up.

        The buildings built during the time of British Colonial have some "signatures"  - name, logo, numbers and even symbolic decorative. Below are some of the many spotted beautiful buildings along the way of this trail.

(Left: the old logo for OCBC; Top: George Town Dispensary;
Bottom: Coins, Bamboos, Bats (means fortune, endless, joy); Right: year of completion)

        
        Secondly, look for small blue board like this. There are plenty of boards like this in the city, usually located at the either end of a street. Because Penang is a multiracial city and this culture has been around for decades thus you will find different names (in different language) for the same street and the come-about of such names.

        We were walking down the road towards little india and our guide said, "let's cross the street. I want to show you all something".  

        For example, if the street is known as "chicken sale street" to the local Chinese then you can't go wrong with there were plenty of chicken sellers here long ago.

        As we passed the houses in this little street, we reach............... 

BREAKFAST! (*yay!!)

        Malaysian food is so flavorful. Almost all types of food you can find in Malaysia contain spices ("die die" also have got to have spice in one way or another even it is not found in that food itself). For instance, the gravies for ROTI. Spices not only make food tastier, they also make food prettier. Look at the buckets - yellow, red, orange. Don't you just love and enjoy your food better? Don't get scared away, not all red equals to hotty-spicy (just like Jalapeno can be firey even it's green).  

(to be continued)

        

Rice Noodle that Immerse in the Love of a Mother

Soup is the fundamental concern.

Different sellers heavily rely on their secret weapon to stand out of the crowds. After all there are too many hawkers selling the same thing so in order to have their own personality to distinguish themselves from others, they have to put in their signature.

The most common base for rice noodle is chicken soup. I am sure you have heard how cooks repeated "carefully selected fresh chicken is cooked to get the original sweetness of the soup, giving the enriched taste sipping to its last drop". However everybody knows "the original sweetness of chicken" can easily be obtained through something called "chicken stock" today. So how to give the soup a real original touch? This KoeyTeowTh'ng seller has his own personal point.

Instead of ordinary chicken, he uses the ones with wisdom - older hen. This allows the soup to have that exquisite aroma that is totally different from every other chicken soup.

That is not all.

Although what really matter is what the tongue gets, but due to rice noodle has a rather pale look - the white rice noodle in clear soup, it needs something to seduce the eyes.

 

Combining meat balls and fish balls in different sizes, this bowl of rice noodle immediately provide the stimulation, not only that eyes need but also to our taste bud. 

Now this is a complete dish!

Let the smooth and silky rice noodle intertwine with motherly love slowly sliding down through the throat, and get on your feet to the tempo of munching the dente meatballs.

One and only stall in an alley, but is full of regulars and new comers.Where is it? Clarke Street, just opposite the Wantan Mee. That is how near Penang famous and delicious delicacies distant.

Bon appetite!

The Dancing Wantan Mee

Ever thought of the food that you put into your mouth actually becomes image in your head when it runs through your tongue and teeth then slide down the throat?

First of all, you have got to love food. Loving in the sense of appreciating its details, including the texture, taste and picture that you see when you are enjoying it (and I mean not taking the place and people into account yet).

It's a heavy down pouring Friday morning. We had a breakfast date with a friend who found this classical and traditional Chinese Wantan Mee that eagerly wanted to share such discovery with us. And so we went.

I'll keep the other details such as the name and the look of the shop secret.

Let us focus on the main topic for now.

The magnificent Wantan Mee.

No stranger to many people in the world, Wantan Mee has been a very trusted Chinese Cantonese Food Ambassador for countless years. So what so special about this one?

The Wantan (dumpling) has to be smooth, that's is the first priority since it is called Wantan Mee (dumpling noodle). So, CHECKED.

The Mee (Noodle) has to be springy and individually separated (that means it has the necessary chewy and cleanly washed away the excess flour with sufficient water). Yep, CHECKED.

A Dry Wantan Noodle is mixed with dark soya sauce and some sesame oil with light soya sauce and sometimes the seller's secret recipe gravy. Things looked as simple as this require years or skill and experience because the moment everything is combined at a nicely controlled proportionate the dish will transform into something extraordinary. Of course, CHECKED.

When the noodle is well cooked and mixed, having the dumpling resting at the side, it needs some other touch up before serving - CharSiew (grilled seasoned pork), boiled green vegetables, and shredded chicken floss.

How often these days you still see a simple dish like this is being treated so nicely before sending down the customer's stomach? It is an art even it is food. Because all the heart in preparing such meal is presented when it is served.

The shiny and shimmering look gives our taste bud a boost and they almost dance in my mouth when my teeth  cut them into smaller pieces.

It is a plate of care-full dish. Because the temperature, the look, and the taste are all carefully taken into account.

Anyway, it would be even better if they can touch up with something very important that will elevate its everything - fried lard, because the aroma that lard creates is totally something indescribable.  Hah, that will be PERFECT!

Where's this shop? Take a little walk near Roti Canai Transfer Road. When you reach Caltex, look for 2 c'clock direction. Across the street by Argyll Road there is a small shop, but filled with people, locals that just sniff out right to find the best things in town.

As We Age, We Forget Things...

            Such as the innocence to feel happy even for a little deed or accomplishment we have done.

            The other day I brought lunch to Joie and John when they were busy working on doing photo-shooting for a pair of lovely couple. I saw them trying capture the "split second" which projects the essence of true beauty and after many attempts where I helped hold up the veil, release it on the count and run away from being caught in the picture I saw one very very beautiful reaction by John, my youngest brother.

            He hold both his hand high up in the sky (with his camera) and start jumping in circles for joy - he has caught the moment that he likes.

            I will never forget that image.

            Often we are overwhelmed by so much expectations to meet and obligations to fulfill we stress ourselves to forgetting a little act of happiness means so much to our heart. It gives us the pleasure that is irreplaceable with anything else.

            It may not seem significant, not to the extend of making big money or paying bills but the accumulated little joyful things are meaningful enough to give us the sense of purpose in things we are passionate about.

            Most of all, it reminds us: we are the difference we want to see.

What I See When I See What I Am Seeing

The past Sunday wrote me a note via my work.

It reads:

There is a place that our conscious mind and knowledge cannot reach. It contains the real and true side of us and it carries its own perception towards things around us. On top of that, it knows what we are yet to know and it will only unleash when it sees you ready.

I did not know what it was trying to tell me until I look at the photos that I captured. And I am totally convinced that it constantly repeating itself to me through various ways.

And then I spend the following few days trying to understand that message.


The feeling is so strong: Something is definitely coming my way.

What do you see by the way?

Freezes time

No one can ever do this, I mean freezing time.

Although much of the intentions are focusing on making some particular special moments to stay without fading (mostly happy times) but none of these idealistic idea has ever succeed in doing so. That makes taking photographs a very useful way of keeping such memory.

Ever since I got a camera of my own, I have found out that the seconds we go through everyday are as precious than any valuable jewelries in the world. Every little split seconds that we spent on doing something or even nothing is not repeating itself anymore and whether we have used it doing anything or nothing is considered done already.

To me, of course I cannot really capture every single second with my camera but I have learned to become more appreciative with the happenings around me. Not to say immersing myself into the moments like an addict but to really see the beauty of it's existence even if it seems meaningless.

caption: 25 years they've been standing there silently
giving all the supports that countless travelers need to get from and to mainland.