Unique chee cheong fun (and other food) in Teluk Intan

We were in Teluk Intan recently for an uncle's grand 80th birthday celebration.

The dinner was held at Tai Chong restaurant, which served up traditional Chinese dishes that tasted great.

As it fell on a Saturday night, we decided to stay the night in TI rather than drive home after the dinner. After consulting some friends, we decided on Grand Court Hotel, the newest one in TI.

It was a clean decent hotel. Just don't expect too much. We booked a family room with 2 double beds. The room was sizeable, but under-furnished. The bathroom was adequate. The wi-fi was not working, much to my boy's dismay!

Most of my friends asked me to try the Teluk Intan chee cheong fun, which is very unique. It has dried shrimps and some form of preserved vegetable embedded into the chee cheong fun. The chee cheong fun is also flat and folded into a square. Lastly, it is not served with any sauce. The preserved vege and dried shrimps lend enough flavour to the chee cheong fun.  I thought my kids wouldn't like it but I was wrong. They loved it.

We bought the chee cheong fun from Liew Kee, famous in TI. They start business from about 530pm through the night until early in the morning. I had read on blogs that you can't eat there but would have to take away. But I was surprised that Liew Kee operates from behind locked gates and grills! Such is the state of security in Malaysia! Really sad.

We also had time for a lunch of nasi kandar from Nasi Kandar Changkat Jong. It's really easy to find this place. It's on the main Jalan Changkat Jong that brings you into Teluk Intan - zinc roofs opposite Dunlop Tyre. Very popular and very delicious. My girl cleaned up her plate with 2 large pieces of fried chicken and lots of papadam!

But a cousin said there is a better nasi kandar in town located at Speedy Road Padang, opposite the Telekom Tower. We will have to try that next time.

The same cousin also informed us about the best Iced Chendol in Teluk Intan which can be found at the corner of Jalan Sitabharam Pillay and Jalan Pasir Bedamar. The mobile stall is next to the TOTO shop. Yummmmyyy, lots more to try out the next time we go to TI.

Tin Chun and Kong Heng - into a new era

Anybody who loves Ipoh food will know of these 2 great coffee shops, next to each other. One of them is also known as the House of Mirrors.

They are both famous for the trademark Ipoh kai see hor fun (flat rice noodles in flavourful chicken broth) as well as the sweet and cold egg custard. Other must-haves are the chee cheong fun, sotong kangkung, satay, popiah, asam laksa and fruit rojak.

The quality of the food remains good, 4 years after my family moved to Ipoh. But most tourists I dare say, would be disappointed with the food during the peak holiday season. Having to cope with the surge in demand from droves of holiday-makers as well as Ipoh-ites who have balik kampung, it is inevitable that the quality and taste of the food suffer. We stay away from these sought-after eateries during the holiday season.

Kong Heng has just undergone a paint job and a management take-over (it happens to coffee shops too). The BIG Group has arrived in Ipoh with Plan B opening up just next door to Kong Heng. (we have yet to try Plan B in Ipoh - I was frightened by all the bad reviews I read online)

Kong Heng was closed for 2-3 weeks and just reopened on 29 August 2013 with the same anchor tenants and some new faces. Kong Heng will also now operate in 2 shifts, one for the breakfast and lunch crowd, the other for the dinner and supper group. The night operations I believe, are in line to liven up this part of Ipoh Old Town at night.

Hibiscus and lily

It's Merdeka Day tomorrow, so it was lovely to see my plant bearing 3 pretty bunga raya blooms. Happy 56th Hari Merdeka Malaysia!

I was further rewarded with first blooms from my lily which I purchased from the nursery a month or so ago.

Your maid and you - a Malaysian experience

My current maid has been with me for 8 years and 4 months. 

Do you think that's a long time? I think so. Heck, most people can't even stick that long in one job.

I've had my share of troubles with maids. My current maid is my 4th maid in the 12.5 years since I started employing a maid to help run my household.

Of the previous 3 maids, 1 went home on account of her pre-existing medical condition (not due to me, to be clear), another went home due to personal family problems after extending her contract with me.

It was only the third maid who drove me nuts, and I cut short her contract. My husband said I was turning into someone else altogether when I got into a rage with that maid. So, it was for her safety and my sanity.

The general complaints about foreign domestic helpers in Malaysia might include:

• dishonest
• rude
• stubborn and unwilling to learn
• incapable of learning 
• language barrier
• lazy
• her work is not at an acceptable level
• her cooking is terrible
• always hungry and over-eats
• steals food
• perpetually home-sick
• unhygienic

What makes a workable working relationship between a maid and her lady employer and the family she works for?

I think, with this current maid, I have mellowed a lot and become more accepting and understanding. I treat her like a younger sister. I talk to her like a friend. I provide emotional support when she needs it. I guide and teach her lots of stuff like English, reading, basic hygiene and science, morals and how to manage her finances. She in turn teaches me folk and traditional medicine from her village, interesting dishes, the way of life and the mentality of people from her village and the other girls who leave their homeland to work as maids abroad.

I am happy to say that after working for me for so long, she has lifted her family out of their poverty trap. She put 2 brothers through school, provided the funds for another brother to work abroad, renovated their family home, bought farming land for her parents, and has learned to put away money in her own name back home.

She has been trustworthy, honest and hard working. Undoubtedly, her salary is quite good compared to other maids. She also has her moods, which I tolerate. Who doesn't have black days? But she knows all this, and willingly and diligently does her work. She learns to cook new dishes all the time. She cooks better than me. And before she goes back to her village for her holiday break, she pre-cooks meals for me to freeze, to ease my load. I didn't ask her to do this. She wanted to do it.

At the same time, I don't behave like some "tai-tai" who won't/ can't do anything in the home. I don't tell her, "Please make me a cup of tea." I know of some people who call for their maids to bring the soya sauce or chilly sauce or some special oil to the dining table when they are midway through their dinner. Consecutively. Not even all at one go. So the poor maid, darts in and out of the kitchen to the dining table (perhaps the fabulously rich or royal families do this, but can't a normal person get off their chair and get these additional condiments themselves?).

I do my fair share of housework. I tend my garden. I tidy up the children's books and toys and their rooms. I tidy up both my husband's and my own study areas. If there is some part of the house that I notice hasn't been cleaned or wiped for sometime, I either mention it to my maid or I clean it myself. If I do the latter, my maid immediately gets the hint, too. That's better than scolding your maid, I think. 

I believe these are the things that an employer should NOT do to their maid:

• limit their food intake (unless they are eating excessively)
• continually criticize them on their cooking, and in front of the whole family
• make them work late into the night
• insist they wake up at 5:30am. It's ok if they sleep in some days.
• only instruct them on their work, otherwise ignore them
• scream at them in displeasure
• think that maids have no feelings
• keep calling the maid to attend to your smallest needs

There was an interesting movie about the lives of African-American maids in the USA in the 1960s called the Help . I really enjoyed that movie.

I don't know when my maid will stop working for me. That day will come I am sure, and when it does, I will miss her.

(image from https://twitter.com/AmazingMaids)

Guns in Malaysia

I used to feel safe in Malaysia. Because we had very strict laws on gun ownership.

We do not have the right to arms.

Whenever I hear of mass shootings in the US, in their colleges or cinemas, for no better reason than an individual feeling depressed or whacked out, I thank God that guns are not freely available in Malaysia.

But not anymore.

I don't know about other Malaysians, but I am feeling very frightened now. Very worried about the state of safety in Malaysia.

The latest victim to be gunned down in broad daylight in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur is Arab Malaysian Bank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi. He was murdered yesterday (condolences to his family). In a busy and well-known area of Kuala Lumpur. Hunt for Najidi's Killer


What has happened to security in Malaysia?

What happened to gun control?

What has happened to the priorities of our police force that has led to the situation Malaysia is in today?

What is our government going to do about it?

Children left in car - Vehicular Heat Stroke

We have all read about the tragic cases of children being accidentally left inside a locked car that is parked in the blazing sun - children too young to know how to free themselves and get out of the car.

The consequence of this, if the child is not discovered soon enough, is death as a result of heat stroke.

It is heartbreaking, a real tragedy.

How do we prevent something like this from happening?

For the parent:
No matter how busy or distracted you are, try to make it a habit to look behind you, at the back seat area of your car, before you leave your car. (Similar to advice for a lone lady driver to look into her car before she gets in, in case someone managed to sneak into the car, waiting to do her harm)

For strangers passing by the car: 
Be a busybody.
If you notice a young child inside a car in the sun, who looks distressed or is sweating a lot, and the car engine is switched off and the windows are shut, be concerned. Do something.

This video re-enactment is sure to move you.

Update

A child was left in a locked car, with its engine switched off, right here in Ipoh.

It was very fortunate that firemen managed to persuade and guide the child to unlock the door. It was also fortunate that someone noticed the child in distress inside the car.

What was the mother thinking!

This news was reported here.

Tee Lin Say, you gotta read this face

Our renowned and home grown face-reader Tee Lin Say stirred up quite a storm with her article "No Benefit Being Fat" where she demonstrated her excellent grasp for words that mean or relate to "fat".

In her professional opinion, she said, among other things, that: 

•  I would personally never bet on a person who is bordering on obesity
• it is always bad news when one has no neck. You know, when a person is so fat that his head looks as if it is directly connected to his body
• you see, when one is too whalelike, one simply cannot function perperly
• keep that waistline trim. It's a huge indicator of how financially well a person does.

I don't know if Lin Say is naturally caustic and was just being her honest self or if she actually thought she was writing an entertaining piece or perhaps she was just seeking exceptional attention. 

Whatever her motivation, she has had to issue an apology.


Her rudeness aside, Lin Say should know that there may be more people of larger stature who, contrary to her views, do lead the good life. I know of one.

The person, in Lin Say's books, would be fat and carrying around dead weight. But despite that, Lin Say, this person is married to a very loving spouse, who did not run upon seeing her. If he did that, they would not be together today. And this person also happens to lead a very comfortable, care-free life with nothing wanting in the material sense. In addition, this person is an animal lover who rescues strays. Aren't these good attributes?

Perhaps you might wish to revise your face-shui techniques. Good luck for your next article.

No Benefit in Eating in a Changing Room

SK Seri Pristana in Sungai Buloh is now very famous - for the wrong reasons.

Reports have spread far and wide about how the school has apparently forced its non-Muslim students to have their food during recess in the changing room/ shower room. Not a very pristine environment.

Whatever "room" it is, it is not a place children should be made to eat in.

Parents and other people are (rightfully) angry at the seemingly utter stupidity of the said school's Principal or management or whoever it was that was in charge.

It must be a very small and inadequate school if what the school authorities said is true; that the canteen has been closed for renovation. Therefore, we are made to believe that there is no other suitable hall or room or rest area more conducive for the children to eat in.

And of course, some will choose to politicise the issue too.

Like Mazidul in his blog http://www.mazidulakmal.com/2013/07/pembetulan-fakta-dakwaan-kononnya.html, who wrote (quote): Gambar dipaparkan oleh blogger pro pembangkang itu seharusnya diteliti dan disiasat kesahihannya. Jika benar pelajar makan di  bilik air, mengapakah perakam  tidak memuatkan gambar mangkuk tandas?   (The picture that was uploaded by a pro-opposition blogger should be viewed with caution and thoroughly investigated. If it is true that the students are made to eat in a bathroom/toilet, why was a picture of a toilet bowl not shown?) 

So, are we to surmise then that Mazidul himself is pro-government if he accuses the blogger of being pro-opposition? Should we then read everything that Mazidul writes about government actions/ policies/etc. with caution and that it should be disiasat kesahihannya too?

And Mazidul Akmal is supposed to be a journalist reporting in a factual unbiased fashion.

Well, everyone has their own bias and prejudice. Just admit it. 

We can only ask that the educated ones control it - you will have your gut and irrational emotional reaction first. Hopefully, with education or exposure or even just plain age, your brain then kicks in with logical and detached analysis and logic.

42 Foodies

This is a fairly new restaurant serving Italian food.

It is located in Fair Park in the row of shops behind the Petronas station. It's quite easy to locate.

I read about it on FB as the Canning Garden ADUN had written about lunching there, and hubby's friend from KL also happened to try it out.

As with many new restaurants these days, 42 Foodies had opted for a simple look with clean lines and minimal fuss. Being a weekend, a reasonable crowd had come in for lunch.

I had the pasta vongole. The clams we get here in Malaysia can't compare to the clams used in this dish when we were in Rome. The stock also lacked the rich-garlic-clammy taste that made it so delicious when I had it back in 2004.   

Hubby had a seafood aglio olio spaghetti which he said was alright. But their grilled beef burgers were a big disappointment. Priced at RM19, they are not cheap and you would rightfully expect it to be made by the restaurant and not commercially bought. Well, the burger patties looked home-made but they were quite tasteless, and seemed to have a very low % of meat in them. Definitely not worth the price.

All in all, we were not impressed. 

Teach For Malaysia

I became aware of this initiative through my wonderful, gregarious niece.

She is a law graduate and potential lawyer, but put aside her legal ambitions to contribute in a noble and meaningful way to the future of the nation's youth, by becoming a Fellow in the Teach for Malaysia program.

TFM reaches out to high-need schools, aspiring to reduce the widening education inequity so that every Malaysian child has the opportunity to be educated, and to be edcuated well.

I am so proud of my niece to have embarked in her journey to make a difference in her lifetime to her country and the children of Malaysia whose lives she will touch.

And to all the other TFM Fellows, bright young minds from the different races of Malaysia - you are wonderful people who make the world a better place.


Here are some of their inspiring stories:
http://aproudtfmfellow.wordpress.com/about/
http://teachingchampions.wordpress.com/
http://www.scoutnetworkblog.com/2012/02/9217/teach-for-malaysia/

Update

Teaching these days is not seen as "the" profession to be in. Everybody is gunning after investment banking, medicine, law, IT. Just look at all the top scorers in our SPM or STPM. How many say they want to be teachers?

But we do need good, passionate, intelligent and qualified teachers if our future generations are to be educated well. Which parent does not complain about the state of Malaysian education?

Therefore it is so refreshing to read When Your Child Teaches For Malaysia.