Sleepy Rebel

Lisboa

2007-01-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

Just what I needed: in the middle of multiple migraine-inducing multi-million (or is it billion? I stop counting when they put more than three zeroes in a line) pound transactions, we were shipped away to fabulously cold Portugal for a "team-building retreat". It's really an excuse for us to get drunk together. I shouldn't complain. But, still, why would anyone want to imbibe lethal amounts of alcohol and make a fool of himself in front of work people?

Food-wise, I had loads of bland haute cuisine courtesy of the Firm, so much so that I didn't feel the need to take pictures of my food despite my being very Asian like that. The only food-related comment I have is that having grown up with mega delicious chili-infused "Portuguese" fish from Petaling Street, I was profoundly disappointed that they did not make fish like that in Lisbon. Sigh.

Here's a picture of the famous nipple building:

Copenhagen Trip

2007-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

Overworked and frustrated with life, I decided to head off to schmancy Denmark for a weekend trip. Staying true to my foodie roots, I had an all-you-can-eat herring smorgasbord on my first evening there. Yummy as they were, I had enough pickled herring to last me a lifetime (I think I can still smell the herring in my breath three months down the road). Price: 50 pounds!! Granted we had some delicious wine to wash down the herring, it was still rather dear.

It didn't strike me that I was in Scandinavia until I saw a poster of Scandinavia's most groan-inducing export: see if you can recognise this metallic blonde who made annoyingly popular jingles back in the nineties. And, god forbid, he's still learning to rock.

And here's a photo of a strange scone:

Apom? Apam? Apong? Just pancake lah

2006-07-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Only two pieces left in the plastic bag: To eat or not to eat? This little concoction has more name permutations than Imelda Marcos has shoes. The Penangites also call it ban chean kueh. Whatever it's called, it's basically flour, eggs, margarine, sugar and peanuts cooked in teeny weeny woks. Sometimes they might come with sweetcorn or bananas and even tuna, ham and cheese or meat floss. Personally I like the plain one best. Simple boy with simple taste.

Homage to Jessup 2005

2006-07-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been more than a year since I took part in Jessup (an international law debate for the uninitiated). Why is this picture relevant? Well, the 2005 Jessup problem dealt with a nighttime pirate attack on a commercial shipping vessel and the subsequent environmental damage from a nuclear spill in international waters. The vessel carried mixed oxide fuel (MOX), a supposedly highly radioactive combination of plutonium and depleted uranium. I find it funny that I found the MOX carrier in the photograph parked on a Malaysian highway stop, right next to a lorry carrying cages of ducks.

Borough Market

2006-07-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

I love spending my Saturday afternoons in Borough Market hunting for and sampling interesting new food. The wholesale market operates on all weekday mornings, but the retail market (for foodies like me) only operates on Fridays and Saturdays. The best time to go is in the morning before the lunch and tourist crowds. Practically speaking, nobody's going to be able to drag me out of bed on a Saturday morning. So I tell myself that part of the fun shopping in the afternoon is mingling with fellow food connoisseurs.

Here are some pictures I took at the market.

I absolutely adore succulent scallops seared to sheer scrumptiousness like these ones. A little bit of history: the scallop shell is the traditional emblem of Saint James. Legend has it that St. James once rescued a knight covered in scallops. What you want to do to a scallop-covered knight, I shall leave it to your imagination.

This is a pretty juicy ostrich burger. Unlike other ostrich meat that I'd tasted, these weren't gamey at all.

Not for the faint hearted, the market also offers fresh rabbit meat for 2.50 pounds. Don't bring your nephew who's fond of Bugs Bunny there!

Coke Susu

2006-07-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

Back in my scouting days (some ten years ago!), we used to head to the foodstalls just outside our school and next to the National Stadium to get a DIY energy drink: Coke Susu. One part condensed milk, four parts Coke. The result is not a lethal laxative, but instead a smooth and thin caramel milkshake. Try it one day and you're guaranteed to be sugar high for the rest of the day.

Bibliophile Malaysians

2006-07-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Whoever says Malaysians do not read has never been to the Central Market in Kuala Lumpur.

Urochrome Pepsi

2006-07-28T11:53:00.002-07:00

Granted I haven't been back to Malaysia for a year, but have the good people at Pepsi Malaysia misplaced their tastebuds or at least temporarily lost their sense of colour? I was walking down the drinks aisle at a supermarket in Penang and I saw two new ranges of Pepsi. Given the oh-so-exciting innovations of vanilla coke and cherry coke, the drinkmasters of Pepsi must have been pressured into releasing brand new Pepsi drinks. And the best that they could come up with are Urine-Coloured Pepsi and Coffee Pepsi?

Culinary tour of the north

2006-07-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

My friends know that one of my main hobbies is obsessive picture taking of my food. Since I went for a culinary tour of north Malaysia last weekend, our mouths can only water away at these beauties.

Herbal duck noodles soup. Tantalising and yet calming bowl of wholesome Chinese herbal soup served with a luscious piece of duck drumstick.

Oyster omelette (蚝煎)
Starch, egg batter, oysters, grease and loads of chili sauce. Yummy!

Assam laksa. This is definitely ranked way up there as one of my favourite dishes of all time. Assam laksa is a sour fish-based soup served with thick rice noodles. Assam is the Malay word for tamarind, which is commonly used to give the soup its sour flavour. The main ingredients for assam laksa include shredded fish and sliced vegetables such as cucumber, onions, red chillis, pineapple, lettuce, mint and pink bunga kantan (ginger buds).

Rojak (left) and Tau Foo Fah (right)
Rojak loosely means eclectic mix in Malay. Rojak in the food sense means fruit and vegetable salad served with prawn paste (sounds foul, but tastes heavenly). Tau Foo Fah is technically coagulated/curdled soy milk, which doesn't really sound that appetising. Think of it as soy bean jelly which has been enjoyed by the Chinese for centuries.

(Clockwise from top left) Fried bean sprouts, Assam Fish and Kerabu Prawns
Fried bean sprouts means fried bean sprouts; Assam fish means fish with assam (tamarind) sauce; and Kerabu prawns means prawns with kerabu (sliced cucumbers, shallots, lime juice and the indispensable belacan). Phew, that's exhausting!

Yawns! The SleepyRebel writes.

2006-07-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many people began their blogs with "This is my first posting...". In order to keep up with my street cred, I shall remain rebellious and leave my first posting with this: blehs.