HKKL#6

Malay weddings and fascinating food!

I had distinct pleasure of attending a traditional Malay wedding on Saturday. Well, not totally traditional as it was at the Putra World Trade Center and not in a kampung (traditional Malay village). It was about 500 people and lots of glitz and glamour. See pics to be posted later.

The traditional Malay weddings last about a week with different events including separate events for the family of the bride and the groom. The traditional dress is really lovely and in this case the colours were pink, white, and red. The groom was also wearing pink. Both bride and groom wear white for the marriage vows and then have other costumes for additional celebration events.

I wore a traditional baju kurung. The array of colours of the guests was awesome! Many women were also wearing the kebaya, which is another traditional form of dress associated with all of Malaysia but especially Melaka and Panang.

Got a new camera and it is great! Based on some research I did and the helpful advice of a photographer friend in UK (thanks LR), I opted for the DMC TZ5 or TZ15 (as it is known in Asia). It is a Panasonic with a Leica lens and is known for the best zoom in the compact camera arena. I thought about going for the DSLR but decided they are too heavy and complicated. I just wanted something simple that would take better pics than my other compact.

Yesterday I ventured to the Pasar Bukit Bintang also known as the Imbi Wet Market. I can't say I have ever seen anything quite like this and I have seen LOTS of interesting markets in my travels. It is a HUGE maze of stalls with piles of meats, vegetables and fruit. Tons of fresh fish, chicken, pork, and all the "parts" including gigantic piles of chicken feet. OK, seeing the live chickens right next to the cut up ones is part of eating meat, right? If you are going to eat it, you should know where it comes from and be willing to see it in all stages. I was really too overwhelmed to take pictures but will definitely do so the next time I go.

The market is a never ending maze of tight tables and once I had filled my trusty trolley (brought along from the UK), I headed back home to get all my goods put away. Among my purchases, a kilo of prawns for 18 RM (that's 3 pounds or 6 USD). Not only were these prawns superbly fresh, they had also been cleaned but left with the heads attached. Perfect! I made a big pot of shrimp broth from the heads and some left over veggies in my fridge. I also bought something that looked like clams but after cooking for some time, I could not get the shells to open. I am not sure if I did something wrong or what...anyway, I made some seafood broth from them so it's all good. Bought a bunch of interesting greens, chilis, and some a few other staples. Can you believe it? I'm cooking again and really enjoying it.

I was asked if I have had any food I didn't like. Well, I am getting braver all the time but there are a few things that are pretty scary. One day in the food court area of the building where our office is, I was walking around with SR to see what she was going to eat. At one of the stalls there was a curry with black chunks in it. SR was explaining all the other curries to me and told me that one was cow lungs...no thanks. I am not into organ meats, must be the nurse thing. If you know what some organs do, why would ever want to eat them?

Another untoward food event happened on Saturday while out and about in the little India market. I saw the little balls on a stick and I was expecting the banana fritters but it turned out to be some kind of chicken ball and tasted like lunch meat to me. I gave it to a little dog hanging out by a temple on the back streets of Little India. He seemed to appreciate it. Luckily this was balanced by finding a new delicious treat. After ditching the chicken balls I went to another very crowded stand and asked if the balls were banana and she said, "no, coconut"...and so I got 5 of them for 3 RM. Turns out they were these lucious little balls like donuts with a pile of spicy coconut inside. Delicious!!!

Big work week ahead with lots of activities related to a sales opportunity in Singapore, some consulting activities in KL, and ending the week with a team building event over the weekend in Melaka.

Cheers!