Food and Festivity

As the current Lunar Year of the Boar draws to a close, preparations are being made to welcome the next twelve year cycle in the zodiac. Festivities begin.

It has been ironic that in summer here, I realise that the lore and custom of the Lunar New Year relate to practices which mostly originate in a freezing cold northern hemisphere environment, for this time of the calendar. This came to me while partaking dumplings in a place specialising in north-eastern Chinese food. I had presumed that dishes from northern China are usually plain and unassuming, short of the Beijing duck and the accompanying wraps. Instead, the dozen or so of us eating at this round table could actually feel the kick of some dishes that had an underlying spicy current. Such food heat, even if subtle, was hidden in the gravy and sauces. It would have been perfect for a snow -laden night in Harbin or Tianjin, but here we were eating all these under a heavy air of thirty degrees, coupled with high humidity. The restaurant's air conditioning was so ineffective it did not matter.

Dumplings signify a good omen to start the New Year in northern parts of China.
My group of diners shared another China favourite - pork knuckle, bathed and braised in a tasty marinade. The eggplants served were not as refreshing as that eaten recently at a nearby competitor shop. I was impressed by the lightness of the lightly tossed black seaweed, served with another vegetable, in another dish. Small bits of pork, stir fried in a hot wok, were eaten with a thin wheat based wrap. Squares of flat glass noodles were mixed in a vinegary mix as the entree. The so-called "north-east chicken" looked tempting on another dining table, but when served to us, turned out to be cured smoked chicken, a bit dry to my southern Chinese preferences.

Two weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to join some close friends in Artarmon to savour the Straits Chinese cuisine of my home island. The chicken curry flavours were the outcomes of a confluence of Indian, Malay, Burmese, Thai, Sumatran and Chinese influences. Other dishes on the table reminded me of what a favourite aunt cooked on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Such soul food brought up sentiments to me that dumplings conjure in the heart and eyes of northern Chinese.

Let the festivities commence!

Oppressive, and not just the heat

The summer air was so still, nothing moved. Not a single leaf budged on the trees. Even the ceiling down lights at home exuded a sense of radiating warmth, besides being mere sources of light. Sweat persistently came down my back and there was no breeze to moderate the effects. Cleaning the car in my home garage was overwhelming with the high humidity. Taking a nap in this weather in the middle of the day was akin to baking one's self, but my subconscious continued to do its work.

Even if it was not night, the subconscious for a while went full speed in re-thinking matters and offering symbolic insights into possible solutions. These involved a set of several characters whom I had initially wished I had not met and known. However, life makes me cross paths with these individuals, so that I have an opportunity to learn - and move on. Now I should count myself so lucky. The more each of them provides me their antics, they have only served to reinforce my convictions that:

- their actions only reflect upon themselves, if only they have the sense to look at their inner selves in the mirror;

- I appreciate so much more deeply and in a more determined way the reliability of my true friends, family and myself; and

- what goes around comes around, and that at the end of it all, it does not matter what role you play in a contrived business or work environment, only what role you play where it counts, in the business of life itself.

I threw back oppression to where it belonged, to its source.

Jakarta di Kingsford

Sepanjang hari dan malam, hujan jatuh tiada berhenti. Beberapa saudara-mara terkumpul dalam restauran terletak di Kingsford, dekat kampus utama Universiti New South Wales. Sudah lama saya tidak dapat peluang bergaul dan makan malam dengan hidangan Nusantara Indonesia. Selepas duduk, kami boleh dengar dan lihat satu saluran siaran TVRI.

Makanan Jakarta ada hubungan dengan makanan dari kampungku diPulau Pinang. Ayam bakar dari Java memang hampir makanan Inche Kabin. Rojak dan gaduh gaduh di jual pun di Semanunjung Malaysia, tetapi cara membuat bihun goreng dan sup bihun berlainan.
Ais campur Shanghai terlalu manis, tetapi dihidangkan dengan buah buahan exotik, seperti buah nangka. Cendol terlampau warna hijau dan tidak cukup kelemakan dengan santan yang digunakan.

Majoriti pelanggan di restaurant itu adalah pelajar universiti dari Malaysia, Singapura dan Indonesia. Hidangan yang mereka makan sehampir dengan masakan ibu bapa mereka. Terdapat beberapa kedai makan ala Indonesia dekat Anzac Parade, dengan nama semacam Ratu Sari dan Ayam Goreng Jakarta. Makanan halal pun boleh didapat di dalam satu atau dua kedai. Negara Indonesia tentulah hanya dekat dengan Australia.