Peanut Root Soup for Growth

It is a Chinese belief that making soup from the roots of the peanut / groundnut plant for children - usually male children - just before or round-about their puberty, will help them reach their full height potential.

I remember my Mom telling me this when I was about 11 or 12 years old. But she never made it for me as I am a girl. They didn't want a girl to grow too tall (hard to find a husband it seems!).

Fortunately, I am considered fairly tall for a Chinese girl, about 5 feet 6 (166 cm).

Having a boy and a girl of my own, with my boy soon turning 12 and with his voice breaking now, my interest in the peanut root soup was rekindled. Here in Ipoh, I asked a couple of friends and one said she did make it for her son.

No harm trying, I thought. A tall boy is better than a short boy, haha!
 
I looked up the net to see if others had tried this soup, and I found lots of people have! Some claim to have grown taller thanks to the soup while others say that it had no effect.

The Star newspaper had a writeup (answering a question) on this some time ago, and I have copied the information below:
I was informed by numerous people within the Chinese community that soup made from roots of peanut will help youngsters to grow taller, especially when given to them during their teen years, but it is not advisable to serve them the soup after they have reached 16. The roots are usually boiled with a young male chicken for three to four hours. Boys whose voices are starting to break are given three doses of the soup. Can you elaborate on this? – G.P. Ng
Not only peanuts popular in Chinese diet, but the seed coat, shell, leaves, stem and roots are useful as well. Peanut is commonly used in making soup. Boiling it together with barley, red date and si seg makes a cheap yet nutritious soup that supplies essential nutrients for the young and aged.

The nut and roots of the peanut are used to make nutritious soups.

The seed coat of peanut, especially those red in colour, is used to treat problems concerning blood and bleeding. Peanut shells are included in prescriptions for treating cough. Boiling fresh peanut leaves in water and drinking the concoction before bedtime is to ensure a good night’s sleep. However, there is no scientific report on how soup made from peanut root would affect the growth of children.

On the other hand, in recent years, several healthful components were found in both matured and young peanut roots. Researchers at National Chiayi University, Taiwan, have identified resveratrol in matured peanut roots (J. agri. food chem., March 2002).

Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant found in red wine. It has been touted as a health component with many healthful benefits including preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

A glucose-specific protein-like substance known as lectin has also been isolated from peanut seedling roots (Indian J. of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Dec 1993). People who are lectin-intolerant may have problems ingesting foods such as soya, wheat and legumes.
Would drinking peanut root soup during the teens help to increase immunity or decrease allergy problems in growing children, promote better health and even make them grow taller? These need to be investigated further. Nevertheless, the soup is very tasty and adults enjoy it too!
*********

I made my peanut root soup with the following ingredients (advised by friend):

• 1 bunch of peanut roots (fresh or dried)
• 1 black chicken (cut into large chunks)
• 7 black shitake mushrooms (the black ones Chinese use all the time)
• 1 litre of water
• salt to taste

After washing the roots thoroughly, as well as washing and soaking the mushrooms beforehand, I put all the ingredients together and boiled for about 2 hours.

My son didn't mind the taste. It tasted rather earthy and "roasted" to me! My friend said to just make this soup once for my son, but after reading the Star, maybe I'll make it for my son twice more. Believe it or not!

(images from annieliciousfood.blogspot.com, treehugger.com, ars.usda.gov)

Grandparents raising grandchildren

I was flipping through an older edition of The Star on my I-pad while waiting for my son outside his tuition teacher's house.

Da-dee-dum, then the article with the picture of a bespectacled Grandma wrapping presents with her grand-daughter popped up. The article was entitled, "Raising grandchildren can be hard on grandparents' health".

I reproduce an excerpt from the article here:
Two years ago, Ruth Maxey was raising six children, including twin granddaughters, a niece and the girl’s three siblings. She was also in her 60s. It got to be too much, and in January 2011, Maxey had a stroke, not long after she retired from a demanding job as a hospital administrator. She has high blood pressure, which is a risk factor, but “I’m sure the job and raising the kids and the rippin’ and runnin’ had something to do with it,” she said.

My own parents are in their 70s and my mom is still the granny-nanny. She was nanny to my kids until my elder boy turned 7 and my little girl turned 3, then I stopped work and looked after my own  children. At that time, my parents were only in their 60s. That was 5 years ago.

A difference of 10 years makes a big difference in the level of an elderly persons' capabilities - hearing loss, vision impairment, gait abnormalities, cognitive decline, reduced energy levels. A geriatrician said that grandparents face significant emotional and physical challenges as they try to keep up with toddlers, pre-schoolers and teenagers.

I have looked up several granny-nanny stories online, and all the grannies say that while they love their grandchildren to bits, they also admit that caring for them does take its toll on their health and emotional and social well being. Some of there grannies have their grand kids live with them on a full time basis, due to financial constraints faced by the parents or a breakdown in the relationship of the parents. Those situations, I believe, put even greater strain on the grandparents, but things being as they are, sacrifices need to be made.

My own mother dotes on her 2 toddler grandsons whom she babysits, but age is catching up with her. Her movements are slower, she complains of aches and pains, falls sick easily and does not have time for her own social and personal activities. That someone even asked my mom, "But what else have you got to do??" made me mad. That was such an unkind, stupid and selfish question to ask. Everyone has a right to his or her own time, to take care of their own personal matters, to have a morning stroll, chat with friends and go to church. Especially at 74.

I am very grateful for my parents' help in looking after my children when I was building my career, when we could not yet afford to be a single income family. Today, I just want my mother to be able to enjoy her old age, and to enjoy her grandchildren without the burden of caring for their daily needs. 

 

Termite alert!

Yep, you don't want them eating up your house!

Unfortunately, we discovered termites munching on our bed frame in the room downstairs. And our house is just 4 years old.

The discovery of termite invasion

Tell tale signs of wood dust on the floor was the first observation. Being in denial, we ignored it (of course!) at first. But the wood dust kept appearing.

While we were away on holiday, my tenacious maid decided to pry open a section of the built-in wooden frame downstairs and discovered that indeed termites had entered our home. She called us while we were overseas and even sent us a picture through her mobile!

So, upon our return we consulted a couple of pest control companies.

Types of termites

 In general, there are the dry wood termites and the subterranean termites.

The dry wood ones don't do as much damage and are contained (and sometimes come with) within your wooden furniture. The pest control consultant told us that some wood furniture were not treated or dried properly thus harbored these termites, which take a few years before they consume the particular piece of furniture they arrived in.

The subterranean termites are the ones that live in the ground around us and make their way into our homes through cracks and fissures. They leave obvious dirt tracks in your home, making it easy to spot them. These tracks were obvious in our basement.

Termite treatment

Before calling the pest control experts, we did a quick read-up on termite extermination methods.

It seems the method of choice these days is to install termite baits which comprise boxes attached to specific spots in your home with established active termite activity. These boxes contain poisoned food material for the termites to consume which should eventually eliminate the termite colony causing the mischief.

We were told NOT to spry any insecticide as this would cause the termites to stop their activity where you saw them and go into hiding or migrate elsewhere in your house to continue their feeding.

I read that there are currently these brands of termite baits on the market: Exterra, Termibait and Sentricon.

I contacted 2 companies which use Exterra and Sentricon respectively, and they sent their staff to inspect our house and to provide a quote. As for Termibait, I found someone using this system from the net and spoke to him on the phone only, as he does not operate in Ipoh. I must say the Termibait consultant, Jack, was very friendly and generous with his information, despite knowing that he would not be getting my business.

Installation

We had 2 above-ground stations and 12 in-ground stations installed today using the Exterra system. This is another lesson and experience in house-keeping. We never stop learning.



(pictures from http://www.sentricon.com/, http://www.termibait.com.my/4320/, asgpestcontrol.com)

Back from Tasmania

Happy new year! 2013 has well and truly kicked in, and we have got back into the home, school and office routine.

Our year-end family vacation in Melbourne and Tasmania was a nice 3-week long family bonding time, with lots of time spent out in nature, bush walking, doing a scary flying-fox routine above the tops of trees, enjoying Australian food and relaxing!

We went on 3 short boat rides during this trip - at Strahan, Port Arthur and Bruny Island - and my son developed a love for fresh raw oysters! Much to the surprise of everyone, as we think this culinary appreciation usually kicks in during adulthood. My little girl refuses to touch the stuff!

Australia is as my husband and I know and remember it from our student days - a familiar place that we like to go back to. With its weather, geographic closeness to Malaysia, excellent range of international-standard cuisine, abundance of outdoor activities, cleanliness and general safety, it is a sure bet for family holidays. Except for the strength of the Australian dollar!!! It's getting expensive to go to Australia.

The Hollybank Treetop Adventures  was a unique experience for us, a little scary for my 7-year old girl. She and I doubled up - we had our individual harnesses but shared the same heavy hook that clasps us to the cables- and as we zoom down the steel cables, she would hook her legs around mine and sit on my lap.

My boy did very well as he didn't double up with an adult and did all the 7 high-wire canopy rides by himself. I knew he was nervous and the whole family encouraged him. Due to his weight (under 40 kg) and the strength of winds that day, he only made it halfway down 2 of the longer cables; he was taught to do the "walrus", basically trying to wiggle yourself forward until the guides waiting on the other end of the cable can slide their locking-mechanism towards your hook, clamp on and reel you in like a fish. On the longest cable ride, my son couldn't walrus forward very much, so he had the privilege of being "rescued" by his guide - the guide hooked himself back onto the other parallel cable and climbed out towards my son to clamp the locking mechanism onto his hook. There my boy was, dangling very very high up above the tree line but calm.  I was very proud of him.

We had a different, and less frightening, tree top experience at the Tahune Air Walk . It was pleasant and refreshing to walk amongst the tops of the tall Australian trees on securely constructed steel bridges.

My little girl took one of her longest walks yet - when the family took in the sights of Cradle Mountain-  6km around the Dove Lake Circuit. Poor baby, and she was having a stomach bug too at that time. We stayed at a very charming log cabin at Highlander Cottages, complete with a fireplace, bunk beds and visiting wallabies every night. 

These were a few of the main highlights of our 2012 family holiday, and I am grateful for the good health and safety of my family then, in 2012 and pray for my family's well being into 2013. As well as good wishes for health and happiness to all my friends and readers in this year of the Snake.

(pictures from Hollybank, Tahune FB page and http://www.cradlehighlander.com.au/)

Holiday checklist

It's the year end school holidays and like many families, we will be taking the family for a vacation. This time we will be gone for about 3 weeks.

Truth be told, I actually find vacations tiring.

There is the pre-vacation preparation and the post-vacation recuperation. I don't know why certain people love traveling so much. Guess I have never been much of a travel bug, especially for far-away long haul holidays.

First when you arrive at your foreign destination, there might be the jet lag to contend with. After being cooped up in economy for hours, I usually feel lousy. If you can afford to travel business for long haul flights, please do!

Then there's the multiple unpacking and repacking for the family as we move from place to place. Not to mention making sure there is the daily ration of drinks and snacks when we are sight seeing, as well as the jackets, hats, sun block and safekeeping of the passports; all of which come under my purview.

I thought as I prepare for this vacation, it would be useful to post a holiday checklist or travel checklist. Hopefully my kids will understand it's not just all play for mommy on holidays!

Holiday documents

• book the air tickets
• book the hotels or serviced apartments
• if it's a self drive holiday, book your car in advance 
• make sure passports are valid
• keep photocopies of your passports, in the unlikely event you lose your original ones
• apply for visas, where needed
• buy travel insurance

The home

• pay all bills - water, electricity, phone etc
• tidy up the garden
• get someone to look after the pets
• stock up on pet food
• fix anything around the home that needs fixing - leaky taps etc
• unplug electrical connections that will not be used
• empty the trash cans
• lock up doors and windows
• leave some curtains open
• leave some lights on timer
• if you feel it might be safer, move your valuables into your bank deposit box 
• leave house keys with a trusted neighbour, friend or relative

Packing

I guess apart from your clothes and shoes and cold-weather gear:

• toiletries - tooth brush, tooth paste, soap, face cleanser, moisturiser, shampoo, sun block, lip balm
• hair dryer
• hand sanitizer to be used when you are on the go
• wet wipes (for those with kids)
• tissue (lots of them for my family)
• medication as needed
• vitamins and other supplements as needed
• bandages
• wound care creams
• favorite pillows or bolsters for the kids
• books, Ipad, smart phone, chargers, adapters
• rain coats
• umbrellas
• hats
• backpacks
• flash light
• some card games for dull (or rest) days

 Phew! I think that's the main lot. Happy holidays everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


(pictures from silampuneon.com, ten2oneentertainment.blogspot.com)

A Secret Garden in Ipoh

I have always lamented the lack of good quality western food in Ipoh. Although there are more choices in this category now, they still lacked the touch, taste and look we were looking for.

Until we tried the Secret Garden.

The Place

It is located in an old refurbished bungalow that has been allowed to retain its original appearance and architecture more or less intact. Many people love these restorations to old structures rather than extensive renovations, and so do I.

The bungalow is charming inside and pleasing to the eye. It is located on Lorong Cheah Cheng Lim, on the same road as Qdees Kindergarten and the newish Banyan Spa. There is ample parking space, and this road is usually quiet, which makes the place even more appealing.



We learned that the Secret Garden has been in operation for more than 2 years now, and offers dining as well as hotel services, although we did not inquire about the latter.I heard about this place over a year ago but between husband, kids, routine chores, dogs, house and garden, I didn't get the chance to try it out until recently.


Our food

My little girl had the Cappuccino of Mushroom (RM13.90), which was served in a cup on a ceramic tray accompanied by a bread stick. The soup was thick and rich, and had a nice fresh mushroom taste to it.

Hubby had the confit of salmon dusted with coriander powder (RM25.90), which surprised even him in terms of the serving size - 2 thick slices of lightly smoked salmon. I had a small piece to taste and it was perfectly acceptable, bearing in mind that I do not generally like smoked salmon. 

The Secret Garden salad (RM20.90): fresh greens tossed in tangy dressing, accompanied by thin slices of bacon and hard boiled egg on the side made for my healthy appetizer.

Both my children requested steak, so it was chargrilled sirloin steak (RM40.90) for my boy and chargrilled rib eye steak (RM45.90) for my girl and me to share; done medium and medium-well respectively. Although, we suspect they got the cooking directions mixed up for the 2 pieces of steak. Small matter. Both steaks were sufficient in size, flavourful and fragrant. Delicious down to the last bite. Hubby had spaghetti with grilled bacon (RM24.90) for his main, and was satisfied with his choice.


By this time we had to leave for an appointment and had no time to sample their desserts. The dining area in the right wing of the bungalow now hosted 5 tables, at 1.45pm, which was reaching full capacity. There are more tables in the left wing of the house, as well as al fresco dining if one is so inclined, preferably at night.

We enjoyed our lunch. The ambience was  pleasant and relaxing, the service professional and the food good. The prices are also not exorbitant. We will definitely return to try out the rest of the menu.

(pictures courtesy of http://reiko67.blogspot.com)

Hong Kee Muah Chee and Fah Sang Wu

I read about this little stall that has been operating for ages in front of their home in Pasir Pinji from the Metro Perak.

I love sweet peanut paste soup (fah sang wu) and finally had the opportunity to find this stall last weekend.

Well, at first my husband and I drove right past it. Then we stopped to buy some chicken rice for my  maid, and I ventured to ask the vendor if she knew about Hong Kee.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "But it's not good anymore and too expensive!" quipped her husband. Both husband and wife looked disapprovingly at me. "It was good when the grandfather was making it, but not anymore."

Turns out that the stall we drove by on the road side was the right one, so I bade farewell to the chicken rice vendor, and hubs and I turned back to Jalan Queen.

We bought 2 serves of the peanut soup and 1 serve of the muah chee. Despite the writeup in the Metro and other bloggers' comments, the food turned out to be a huge disappointment. The small single serve of peanut soup goes for RM2.50 and the tiny serve of muah chee also goes for RM2.50!! So that small amount of snacks I bought cost me RM7.50 - wow, in a place like Pasir Pinji. Talk about jacking up your prices.

I don't like the style of muah chee here where the dough is cut into pieces and then rolled/ mixed into a mixture of ground peanuts and sugar. I like the muah chee-KL-style much better, where the dough is shaped into a ball and the peanut/ sugar mixture is placed inside the ball. It's done inside-out here. 

The peanut paste soup was smooth, not very sweet and lacked the fragrant aroma of peanuts. I couldn't finish everything so I stored the leftover soup in the fridge. I had it the next day - I observed that the soup had turned lumpy with a thick layer floating on top, much like melted ice on a frozen river in late spring. Looks like peanut butter.

(pictures courtesy of syjsaw.blogspot.com)

Chee Cheong Fun at Yei Lock Coffee Shop

Soft, smooth, white, with or without dried prawns.

If you are a fan of chee cheong fun, I would like to recommend that you try it at Kedai Kopi & Makanan Yei Lock on Jalan Kampar in Ipoh.

We decided to try out this place for breakfast on the suggestion of my dad, who was visiting us from KL. He had heard about it from a friend of his in KL. With no name (as usual), all we had to go on from my dad was that it was on Jalan Kampar, the second block of shops from the MGS roundabout, somewhere in the middle of the row, with a siew yoke stall inside. Well, we found the right place.

The chee cheong fun stall vendor is a lady, and she was very busy. But service is fast, and the steamed flat rice noodles were nice. Everyone agreed.

Actually I am not sure if this coffee shop is more famous for the chee cheong fun or for its Hainanese paus (steamed buns), as there is a big sign hanging outside the shop advertising the paus. They have a very good variety of them: char siew, curry chicken, red bean, kaya, coconut etc. Apparently there are 8 varieties in total. I bought some back for tea but can't comment because my kids, dad and maid finished the lot! I guess they were quite good.

The roast pork was only a 5/10. There are plenty of other places in Ipoh that offer better roast pork.
(pictures courtesy of food.malaysiamostwanted.com)

Relationship checklist

I was reading an old copy of TheStar today, as I have been rather busy and preoccupied of late.

I came across the column, But Then Again, and couldn't help smiling. I cut out the article straight away for my 11 year-old boy to read. Kids are starting younger than their parents in most things these days, including having an interest in the opposite gender, and therefore will quite possibly start dating sooner too.

Anyway, the columnist Mary Schneider wrote about the Relationship Checklist. I couldn't agree more.

Do you remember when you were so head over heels in love with your boyfriend/ girlfriend that heart ruled over head, even over the sensible, level-headed and seasoned advice of your parents, who had eaten more salt than all the rice you have consumed (Chinese saying to describe the wisdom of the elders)? Well, now you're married to the person of your choice, and I really hope it has been a bed of roses for you so far.

Sure it's great falling in love. As Mary said, if it's a fling then there is no need to have a row of boxes to tick off. But if you plan to make this special person a permanent feature in your life, till death do you part, then practical and seemingly small matters are actually a big deal in everyday life!

I am not sure how many wives share negative and now extremely tired feelings about these:

• toilet seat issue
• bad urinary target
• cut finger nails left on bed-side table
• used clothes left in a pile
• bottle of shaving foam, bottle of hair oil, tube of tooth paste all left lying on the counter top
• my car keys are in his pocket (don't ask how come) and he has gone to work, so I have to retrieve my spare keys in order to drive out
• it's ok if he goes out without his wallet (because I have mine) but not the other way round as I get lectured
• he hates waiting for me and the kids to get ready to go out, but when we're ready it's ok to make us wait while he finishes chatting on his multiple online forums
• drinks from multiple cups/glasses and leaves them all on display on the counter top
• different views on education, family/ extended family and spiritual issues
• who always has to win in arguments

So, those cute little transgressions aren't so cute anymore years later? Right you are.

I will be sure to let my kids know about the checklist when they are considering a serious long-term partner in the (I hope distant!) future.

After a little thought, I have a preliminary checklist for my girl (which I will probably edit and update as the years go by):

• so you think he's cute and funny and smart. Is he also hardworking, doesn't give up on things easily?
• is he even tempered and able to share his feelings, rather than the strong silent type?
• does he like surprises? Does he like giving you surprises?
• what are his views on finances - does he save, does he think of investing, will he support you and the family willingly should you choose to stop work in the future?
• does he dream of retiring at age 45? (if he's made his fortune by then, to last till you are both 85, then fine)
• what are his hobbies and outlets?
• does he like children? Or does he just want a couple-hood existence forever?
• will he share in household and family responsibilities and chores?
• how does he treat his own parents and siblings?
• is he well mannered?
• try and gauge the size of his ego (because it only gets larger)
• observe little things like: does he pick up after himself, level of personal hygiene, toilet habits. Can he cook to save his life??
• it would be nice if he could change the light bulb or squash a cockroach

 For my boy, my preliminary checklist is:

• so you think she's pretty, cute when she pouts and sexy. Is there anything else under her fancy clothes and stylish makeup? In her brain and in her heart, I mean.
• I hope she is sensible as a wife makes up the backbone of the family (and extended family)
• Is she a shopaholic? 
• how does she treat her own parents and siblings?
• Is she well mannered?
• Are her parents supplementing her income because she can't see that too much expenses and too little revenue lands her in the red?
• Does she demand gifts and flowers to be reassured of your love and affection? Goes for the latest in makeup, handbags, shoes and pouts when you don't buy them for her? It may be cute when you're dating, but consider her pouting for the next 10 years
• Does she want children (assuming you do too)?

(pictures from http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/love.html)

Loreal Revita Lift White

I have to admit, I am on a face cream hunting spree!

Something about the words "lifting", "firming", "revitalise", "V shape" just grab me. Oh no! Is this a sign of an impending mid life crisis?

I actually bought Loreal's Revita Lift before I bought the Bio Essence Face Lifting Cream with ATP.

That in itself probably shows that I wasn't very satisfied with Loreal's cream. I haven't abandoned it completely, but I have now chosen to use more of Bio Essence and every couple of days alternate it with Loreal.

Loreal's Website

I was reading up on the product on Loreal's official website, which then directs you to its brand website, that splits further into countries.

Here, I have a problem with Loreal.

It divides the world into Asia, North America, South America, Europe and Asia. I'm Malaysian, so I click on Asia. The choices I get are: India, China (mainland), Taiwan and Japan (Hong Kong's site is under construction). The pages for China and Taiwan are in Mandarin, and of course Japanese for Japan.

Now I use English, so which part of Asia do I fit into? Obviously India! For some reason, the page for India is in English. I imagine Loreal had some trouble finding translators for Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi and the many hundreds of other mother tongues used in India.

There is something wrong with Loreal's language and geography sector directors. What are they trying to achieve by having such specific country and language splits? Am I to expect Thai for their future Thai Loreal page, and Bahasa Indonesia for Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia for Malaysia? They should look into this.
   
Revita Lift Anti Wrinkle and Firming Day Cream with SPF 18

Sorry for going off on a tangent there.

Back to Revita Lift. The sales puff promises fewer wrinkles and firmer skin in just 2 weeks. The Indian web page promises fairness, radiance, anti dark spots, hydration and anti wrinkle effects.

The directions are to apply the day cream on the face and neck and allow it to settle. When the white pearly smooth cream is absorbed by the skin, it has an instant natural whitening-look effect, leaving a thin and fresh protective layer, with micro-particles, which can evenly reflect light.

The cream comes in a nice, round and heavy tub.

My experience

I don't have wrinkles, but it has been more than 2 weeks. My skin does not feel any firmer, nor do I see any other physical alteration to the skin, except for some small pimples breaking out!

The cream is very heavy. It is sticky to the touch and you really do need to give it quite a lot of time to "settle" into your skin. It did not feel refreshing on my skin at all. The whiteness of the cream on my face is, in my opinion, too white and unnatural. Protective perhaps, natural no.

I will try to finish this one tub of Revita Lift White and see if there are any further results. I doubt I will buy this particular cream of Loreal's again.
(pictures courtesy of Loreal and allthevanity.com)