Food

This e-mail is making its round yet again.. when we know rennet is not khinzir. See my response below the original mail:

ORIGINAL MAIL
FYI...

Assalamualaikum,
Terima kasih kerana forwardkan email ni, setelah membaca mesej ini, isteri terus ke peti sejuk mengambil bungkusan chesdale yang kami beli,
To our surprise its contain 'rennet' eventhough it was marked halal by NZ Islamic Processed Food Management..
Entah berapa banyak babi telah kami makan... astaghfirullah haana'adzim. .

You'll need:

An electric breadmaker
2 tablespoons milk powder (skimmed, low-fat or no-fat)
150g wholemeal flour
15g oat bran
15g wheatgerm
280g bread flour
1.5 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon brown (or white) sugar
25g butter/butter blend (/margarine
1 teaspoon instant yeast (Mauri-pan, Nona brand, etc)
some lukewarm water (filtered, drinking or mineral)

1. Dissolve the milk powder with about a cup of lukewarm water into a measured jug. Add in more lukewarm water to bring the milk solution to 300 ml.

The year before last, I was invited for a meeting by the Secretary-General of the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry.

The ministry was keen to produce a documentary on our heritage, and the secretary-general wanted some filmmakers to pitch some ideas that could be developed into a documentary.

When my turn came, I pitched the idea of belacan (shrimp paste). The entire group of sober-looking men-in-black broke into laughter. Deep in their subconscious, I was taking the mickey out of them and poking fun with my smelly belacan.

Mention Kuala Kangsar and one of the first things that comes to mind is Malay College Kuala Kangsar. But when MCKK students reminisce about their alma mater, what comes to their memory is a little restaurant called Yut Loy, as M. HUSAIRY OTHMAN discovers

Megat Mohd Shahrin Hamdan says Yut Loy is a students’ meeting place (right), Azemi Zainol Abdin says ‘pau’ like this is not available elsewhere (left)

Governance (eh)

I got this sent to me (on Oil increase)
"sebelum 90 - RM 0.89
tahun 1990 - RM 1.10 (kenaikan RM 0.21)
01/10/2000 - RM 1.20 ( kenaikan RM 0.10)
20/10/2001 - RM 1.30 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
01/05/2002 - RM 1.32 ( kenaikan RM 0.02)
31/10/2002 - RM 1.33 (kenaikan RM 0.01)
01/03/2003 - RM 1.35 ( kenaikan RM 0.02)
01/05/2004 - RM 1.37 (kenaikan RM 0.02)
01/10/2004 - RM 1.42 ( kenaikan RM 0.05)
05/05/2005 - RM 1.52 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
31/07/2005 - RM 1.62 ( kenaikan RM 0.10)
28/02/2006 - RM 1.92 (kenaikan RM 0.30"

Once in a while, you need a nudge, a gentle reminder or a shocking experience to tell you in your face that God is in charge. Having said that, today I experienced a bizarre pizza hut experience.

If it has yet to be done, someone should do a study on how mamak restaurants have re-invented themselves. It could be a lesson in business management in this fast-changing and fickle business environment.

From what were once uninspiring outlets dishing out mediocre fare, mamak restaurants have evolved into a cultural phenomenon.

There seem to be one operating at every corner, much like the pubs in England. In the city and the suburban areas, their fluorescent lights burn bright till the wee hours for a seemingly endless flow of patrons.

In the Klang Valley, at least, their ubiquitous yellow and green signages with its stars and moon logo with distinct Indian Muslim names such as Sayed,Taubat and Barraqah have become an entrenched part of Malaysians, just like the teh tarik they serve. Some have become neighbourhood hangouts and social meeting places.

“These Penang people ah, teruk lah! Either they are on their way to dinner, actually having dinner, or on the way back from dinner!”

So said a friend after coming back from the fair island on a work trip. Well, I guess it’s not just the Penangites. It’s a Malaysian thing, isn’t it? Food is our culture, without a doubt.

I’m sure the average Malaysian waistline has expanded over the decades, for all age groups. Recuperating from strokes and other coronary ailments is fast becoming a national pastime. We even have school children becoming so bloated to the point of looking like Mongoloids.

Today is another hot day. This heatwave will last till mid March, so says the weather report. Summer in Malaysia (which is like everyday) is too damn bloody hot. To dampen this scorching heat, I really need my dose of the 4-inch stick to soothe this burning desire and I can never get enough of this. The mouth-watering, creamy 'ice-cream potong' which never fails to put a smile on my face, even on bad days. Only 3 of us , (good number for any orgy) in the office can be called "The Ultimate Threesome Potong Lovers". Our almost daily dose of the red bean ingested rectangular cut ice-cream on a stick can most aptly be termed, an addiction.

Nowadays, as we go about purchasing the weekly essentials at the local humble 'kedai mamak' groceries or the upmarket Tesco, Giant or Makro, our kids run around with the sole aim of junk food hunting?. Yes the retinue of assorted junk food available of today serves to bring back so many memories. To get it, they bawl, they howl, we howl back and they put up a scene until we as the accompanying adult relents end up paying the few cents for some peace of mind. How many of us remember the days when we sat by the steps opening up a packet of Ding Dang, those blue boxes with a picture of a deformed Doraemon on the front and quickly searching inside for the plastic sealed round choc balls but more importantly for that free little plastic toy inside? It’s like a cheap version of our Happy Meals and serves to bring a smile to any child’s face :)