Al Fresco Dining the Hawkers Style.

I've had just enough time...  to have my favourite noodles the Al fresco style

Al fresco dining the Malaysian style

In the early evening, in a parking lot on a corner by the side of a busy street of Kuala Lumpur, hawkers were busy setting up food stalls for the night business. Carts and chairs were arranged on every available places trapping cars left behind by drivers that were not aware of or were slow to remove them. Tables and stools were arranged in the center framed by hawkers stalls selling all kinds of mainly noodles dishes in various styles of preparations, “dried” style with black sauce, different “soup” styles – beef, beef tendon, chicken, chicken spare parts, pork, pork spare parts with light soup, curry or a whole varieties of different stocks and flavors. They may be a rice stall such as chicken or duck rice, or a “roti chanai” (Indian flat bread) stall among them as well as various other types of food and desserts. It will not be surprising to find a stall selling a local fried burger or Western food such as Maryland chicken and chips. It was a food heaven.

This is a typical food stalls congregation in any city or towns in Malaysia and they are always crowded and a fun place to be. The scene we are seeing is in the early evening when the stalls is just being set up but already a few early birds are already tucking in. Another hour, and you will find patrons waiting for a seat to be available. No one managed the place but it seemed to be very well organized with each stall contributing towards maintenance of the area for the benefits of all concerned. The prices are very economical and is a fraction of that available in restaurants. The food are generally also quite hygienically prepared and is safe for consumption. This is the favorite form of food consumption for busy Malaysian who are not cooking at home.

Hungering For China & Hairy Crabs

I’ve had just enough time to…   savor the unique taste of hairy crabs

Is this a male or female hairy crab? Read further...

I’ll be going off to China at the end of the week. And right in the middle of the hairy crab season though I’m not going to Shanghai this time where the best hairy crabs are reputedly from or more specifically these two lakes – Lake Tai and Lake Yangcheng. The first time I had hairy crabs was on the way from Shanghai to Kunshan last year in one of the lakes where hundreds of small stalls and larger restaurants lined the shore of the lake selling just one product – hairy crabs! 

 Served and ready to be eaten...

These crabs are not cheap and a single crab can set you back $20 depending on the size. The female crab is best eaten September to October and the male crab is best eaten October to November due to the quality of the roe. And the roe is what these crabs are so highly prized. They are always steamed. I don’t know how to begin describing the unique taste of the succulent orangey yellow roe. It had been described as a delicate lingering creamy flavor. The meat is dipped in sweet black vinegar sauce with shredded ginger. 

A family harvesting hairy crabs

The hairy crabs are so-called because of its furry dark hairs on its claws that looks like mittens. Thus, they are also called mitten crabs. You can distinguish the female by the oval-shaped belly. The males have more hairs on their claws and a triangular designed on their belly. So can you guess if that picture is that of a male or female. Maybe I will get to eat hairy crabs again on this coming trip to Beijing. But if not, I will settle for Peking Duck!

________

A Hairy Crab Vending Machine?...

Chocolate Nightmare on Elm Street

I've had just enough time to...   have a chocolate nightmare

Taken of the chocolate sculpture in a Shanghai Baking Exhibition

A piece too many of any delight

Will a nightmare comes

Creeping, crawling, ready to pounce

Behind your shoulder it silently loom

Every road you take takes you to Elm

Shadow encroach your every step

But the shadow following, what is that?

The chill running down your neck

Is it wintery wind or frouzy breath?

You turn around

There is none

Your relief is short

For the nightmare on Elm has just begun

This is also fully sculptured from chocolate.

The Invasion of the Angry Birds.

I've had just enough time to...   eat a few angry birds.

Taken of the advance force of angry birds that I found in Bidor, Malaysia. They were eaten by me.

Once in a while, we will have an invasion by an alien force that swarm through all our defenses. We were fooled by their disguise, their cuteness and let our guards down. Before we know it, they are everywhere – in the bags we carried, the clothes that we wore, dangling from key chains, hanging from ceilings, there is no stopping them.

First, they stole our children’s heart, then their grannies’ pockets. They decimated our adult’s time and ate at their mind till they yelped at high scores and mourned when they could not bring a building down. They made them into zombies that could only move their fingers to pull at illusionary catapult to send angry birds flying. And crashing. And the monkeys have the last laugh.

I belong to the special force that tried to stem this invasion. I found some angry birds taking hold in a small town called Bidor in Malaysia that is famed for their herbal duck soup. Their evil scheme here was to take over the gastronomy delight of this small town and I was sent to disrupt their plan of conquest. So I did my part to reduce the population of angry birds there by eating them! But there are just too many. I tried my best and live to talk about it. I don’t know about you but I find angry birds rather yummy.

First Taste Is Like First Love.

I've had just enough time...   to taste Taiping popiah again.

Taken in Taiping, of course!

 

First taste is like first love,

You can revisit it.

But it never taste quite the same.

Like if there is something missing.

Or is it you, your taste

Or the food has changed?