maggie chung
maggie chung
maggie chung
maggie chung
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Buntal!
One of the fishermen in Bakam has several dried specimens hanging from the roof of his stall. And to my delight I came face to face with this rounded and puffed up form of a buntal!! This fish also called Puffer Fish or Fugu in Japanese. While the Japanese have been famously preparing the fugu as an exotic delicacy for generations we Sarawakians only like the eggs and in its salted form. However many have also found a new taste in deep fried buntal but its preparation has to be very delicate as prepared wrongly the buntal is fatal.
I must commend the fisherman for his proactive attitude of bringing good well preserved natural specimen to his stall and making it a living classroom!! Pity he was too shy to have a photo taken. May be next time I'll offer to take a photo with him like a tourist or I can persuade him when I bring this photo and a printout of this posting to him in the future.
The Chinese characters for this fish is River Pig. (Shui Ju) The Japanese actually eat thousands of tons of well prepared fugu every year.
Pufferfish contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in their internal organs, especially the liver and the ovaries, but also in the skin and the testicles. And to be absolutely safe from poisoning only licensed chefs are allowed to prepare fugu. So be warned.
The well preserved puffer fish/buntal specimen hanging from the "kajang" atap or roof of the fisherman's stall in Bakam.
Newly marinated buntal eggs look like this. One pair and not really separated. Today you can buy a pair of salted buntal eggs for about RM10 in Saratok shops.
FromNicolekiss Thanks Nicole!!
Isn't she pretty in blue?
Another pretty puffer fish.
I am writing this post especially for my children who once loved salted buntal eggs. In the early 80's we travelled "up and down" a lot the whole of Sarawak looking at small towns and visiting Kuching and Sibu. We as parents with our own agenda dragged them around everywhere and I am really ashamed of having put them in discomfort and in a lot of personal agonies at time. Perhaps sometimes in danger too. I just hope that as they grow older they too will forgive the nasty nightmarish parts(bad and dusty roads and poor road side food at times of emergency and unpreparedness and of course the occasional puncture) but enjoy the good memories.
One of our favourite places to stop by was Roban near Saratok where we could buy a few tins (!!)of salted buntal eggs and stretch our legs.These eggs were sold not by weight then but by the piece. And then like Santa Claus I would distribute the buntal eggs as gifts to friends and relatives in Miri!! While we would be just so happy to eat one or two of the eggs every day until we finished our stock we would think of other ways to improve our meals!! I really like the way our boy used to ask while we were in the middle of lunch "What's for dinner ma?" He really loves food!
But be assured we were just never too tired of the salted Buntal eggs then. One of my regrets was the digital camera was not invented then. All my coloured photos taken then are turning yellowish brown in the albums like fading memories.
Today alas - we can no longer get buntal salted eggs easily as we don't go to Roban any more. Our friends have moved to Kuching to be with their grandchildren( hopefully just temporarily). I have been thinking of kampong style fried rice served with a sprinkling of fried buntal eggs on top with lots of basil leaves with chopped spring onions and fried onions.
What a pity that these "caviar" of Sarawak may be disappearing slowly.
I can think of Special Sarawak Fried Rice with Five different Kinds of Eggs . What a fusion cuisine it would be - Fresh chicken eggs -Century eggs- Salted eggs- salted buntal eggs- and fresh /salted terbuk eggs!! How more exotic can you get?
I must commend the fisherman for his proactive attitude of bringing good well preserved natural specimen to his stall and making it a living classroom!! Pity he was too shy to have a photo taken. May be next time I'll offer to take a photo with him like a tourist or I can persuade him when I bring this photo and a printout of this posting to him in the future.
The Chinese characters for this fish is River Pig. (Shui Ju) The Japanese actually eat thousands of tons of well prepared fugu every year.
Pufferfish contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in their internal organs, especially the liver and the ovaries, but also in the skin and the testicles. And to be absolutely safe from poisoning only licensed chefs are allowed to prepare fugu. So be warned.
The well preserved puffer fish/buntal specimen hanging from the "kajang" atap or roof of the fisherman's stall in Bakam.
Newly marinated buntal eggs look like this. One pair and not really separated. Today you can buy a pair of salted buntal eggs for about RM10 in Saratok shops.
FromNicolekiss Thanks Nicole!!
Isn't she pretty in blue?
Another pretty puffer fish.
I am writing this post especially for my children who once loved salted buntal eggs. In the early 80's we travelled "up and down" a lot the whole of Sarawak looking at small towns and visiting Kuching and Sibu. We as parents with our own agenda dragged them around everywhere and I am really ashamed of having put them in discomfort and in a lot of personal agonies at time. Perhaps sometimes in danger too. I just hope that as they grow older they too will forgive the nasty nightmarish parts(bad and dusty roads and poor road side food at times of emergency and unpreparedness and of course the occasional puncture) but enjoy the good memories.
One of our favourite places to stop by was Roban near Saratok where we could buy a few tins (!!)of salted buntal eggs and stretch our legs.These eggs were sold not by weight then but by the piece. And then like Santa Claus I would distribute the buntal eggs as gifts to friends and relatives in Miri!! While we would be just so happy to eat one or two of the eggs every day until we finished our stock we would think of other ways to improve our meals!! I really like the way our boy used to ask while we were in the middle of lunch "What's for dinner ma?" He really loves food!
But be assured we were just never too tired of the salted Buntal eggs then. One of my regrets was the digital camera was not invented then. All my coloured photos taken then are turning yellowish brown in the albums like fading memories.
Today alas - we can no longer get buntal salted eggs easily as we don't go to Roban any more. Our friends have moved to Kuching to be with their grandchildren( hopefully just temporarily). I have been thinking of kampong style fried rice served with a sprinkling of fried buntal eggs on top with lots of basil leaves with chopped spring onions and fried onions.
What a pity that these "caviar" of Sarawak may be disappearing slowly.
I can think of Special Sarawak Fried Rice with Five different Kinds of Eggs . What a fusion cuisine it would be - Fresh chicken eggs -Century eggs- Salted eggs- salted buntal eggs- and fresh /salted terbuk eggs!! How more exotic can you get?
A Foochow Table made in Miri
This is what I call a Foochow Table with legs which could be folded and a top taht could be taken off when not in use.
Another table top which can be larger for twelve people can be placed on top. With a table cloth no one would know any difference.
Most restaurants in the past like Hock Cheu Lou and Yen Ching had these kinds of t ables. The foldable legs were ubiquitous. And when banquetting staff started to roll out the table tops to the five foot ways bystanders would know that definitely there would be a huge banquet tht day.
The Banquetting staff long ago would be strong men and their attire was simple - Pagoda or Chili brand singlets.
There were many occasions when one single banquet staff could carry a wooden tray with five dishes for five different tables. I used to be amazed how a man could carry five bowls of sharks' fin soup on a single wooden tray on his head!! And then like an acrobat he would bring the tray down to one of the tables and place the bowl nicely at the centre of the table.
There wasn't any food presentation at the beginning of the feast like today. And music which usually comes with the food presentation like Star Wars Theme was entirely different.
It could be "Today I am not coming home" playing at full volume when the first dish came out!!
(I had this table personally made for me recently as my own retirement gift for myself...for old time's sake...It is a disappearing style. According to the craftsman he is too old and no one can make this style any more. The younger generation prefers imported tables from China or West Malaysia.)
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Oldest Kedayan Coffee Shop in Bekenu/Sibuti
The Rosnisa Coffee Shop is the corner shop on the first row of the old wooden shops of Bekenu town if you are facing the river. It is the oldest coffee shop owned by a Kedayan enterpreneur. The shop must be more than 50 years old. I hope that these two rows of shops may be conserved as a special historical tourist place for the future generations. Very quintessential and unique.
As you enter the shop you would be attracted to the amazing sliding wooden windows which is of 1950's vintage. My grandfather Tiong used to build wooden houses with this kind of windows in Sibu. Not a single hinge is needed and less wood is used. It is amazing that the coffee shop keeps these two panels of vintage windows. It only shows that security is good in Bekenu and no metal grills are needed!! Praise be to the values of these traditional people!!
This fried mee (halal ) is very famous and most people from Miri and Bekenu would make a trip just to have a taste. The sauce is thick a little like carbonera so I think there's a lot of egg yolks in the frying of the noodles. You may have a try of this noodles if you go to Bekenu in the future.
This is no soup kosong ( which is nothing soup for most kolo mee and it is indeed just lots of Aji no moto and pepper and some onion bits). For those who normally do not drink soup kosong you must really try it as it is actually Beef Bone Soup with nicely chopped spring onions and it is good to the last drop too. Don't miss it.
This is their signature kopi susu but it is not strong enough for me. However the price according to the fixture by the Coffee Shop Owners' Association is lower than that of Miri's.
Three packets of tapai (fermented sweet rice) are usually placed in a little dish to tantalise the customers. Besides there are dishes of hard boiled eggs and other kuihs too.
I need to take another shot of the windows ..This is from the back.
Most people would say that no visit to Bekenu is complete without a few moments in this shop.
As you sit down to drink your coffee and wait for the noodles to be served you can see tudung clad older ladies coming in in twos and threes often laughing together and giving great smiles. It is good to know that your sisters in Bekenu feel good about themselves and the world around them. And you also gather that they are really comfortable with the shop. This is indeed their own world - Kedayan land - Kedayan coffee shop. Bekenu is definitely a friendly and welcoming place - it is only half an hour's drive from Miri.
Hajis (MUslim men who have performed their Haj)wearing their lovely embroidered caps take their seats too at other tables and talk quietly in low tones while other gentlemen drink their kopi in silence and cracking an egg or two. They are not shy to make eye contact with you. Pink tudung clad waitresses who are charming and pretty with good complexion come quickly out to take the orders. The quiet towkay is the one who will collect the payments and serve the men. I understand that many land deals are made in this very coffee shop.
If you need a quiet and clean but well patronised coffee shop in Bekenu this is the one to go to. Also you get pretty inspired when you have a slow moving day and lots of time to stir that condensed milk in your coffee cup. The coolness from the wooden walls just sort of make your day!
fashion sketches
Design Sketches - Know the Prime Requirement For Business
A sketch is made of overlapping lines, and it is an art of freehand drawing. Generally, sketches are used to save ideas that are used for a long time. It is very easy to make a sketch, and it saves lots of time rather than making an actual painting on a particular subject.
Generally, sketches are designed as applied arts in the field of engineering and fashion designing. Mostly, sketches are used to create graphics for any business purpose or to provide good looks to the object. In the field of fashion industry, fashion designers create sketches to develop latest styles of dresses. These sketches provide a better guideline about the final look of the products. You will usually see designers prefer dry painting media to prepare the sketches as it saves lots of time and effort. However, you will find many people who are using watercolor and clay to design sketches.Sketch designers may use eraser frequently while designing a sketch. Erasers are very important in subtracting the extra lines and give attractive look to the image. Sketches are used generally for creative work that is done as an initial step of painting. It can be slightly different than the final product as sketches are only the rough work. They are always not as per an actual product, and they are often repetitive too.
Nowadays, if you are able to create sketches in a quick time it is the biggest benefit. Even the police department takes help from designers to create a quick sketch of criminal to find him out as quickly as possible. The sketches are very popular which were designed by famous artists Leonardo da Vinci and Edgar Degas. You will find many sketches that you can use for thoughtful studies and also the casual sketches designed by famous artists.
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