For the first time in our seven-year relationship, Wuan got a taste of my culinary skills. It was nothing elaborate – rice, stir-fried vegetables and ABC soup. That was what I usually cook for myself. I wanted to show her how I manage in the kitchen. It was also a refreshing change from her having to wake up at five in the morning to cook for me. I did the washing up too. Cleaning dishes and cooking utensils was as unpleasant as before but that was something that needed to be done no matter what. Still, it was a gratifying afternoon. I hope I can be as upbeat when she goes back to Kuala Lumpur this weekend.

True to his words, Bryan spent his entire day with Reallybites and me traipsing half of the island from Sungai Ara to Tanjung Tokong yesterday. Our lunch at Passions of Kerala at Brown Garden, Gelugor was as filling as it was delicious. I am fond of banana leaf rice and this is an occasional indulgence. Of the many such restaurants that I have patronised, Passions of Kerala still serve the best banana leaf rice anywhere.

Among the places we visited were the Taman Perbandaran (Youth Park) and the beach beside Naza Hotel at Tanjung Tokong. Silently, I was excited to be so close to the sea again. It has been a while. On the way out to the main road, we stoped by the Chinese Swimming Club. That building marked major milestones in my life. That building never failed to invoke sadness in me. That was where I first learnt to swim. That was where I last swam. That was where I broke my neck. Reallybites asked when I was there last. That was the first in twenty two years.

That aside, we went window shopping at Gurney Plaza. I got myself another harmonica at a newly opened music store there. This has a wider range of notes compared to the other two that I currently own. The best thing is that I got a RM2 discount off the regular price of RM12. This is much cheaper than the Hohner that I got at Mid Valley. I regretted buying that piece. The sound was not as good as I had expected from this highly-touted brand.

I was a happy man. Never mind that just a few days ago I was extremely down and inconsolable. Never mind that the new drink at The Coffee Bean, called the Lemon Zest, was too sweet to my liking and one that I will never order again for its unpalatable taste. I found the harmonica that I have been looking for. That made up for all the bad days that I went through recently. Of course, I was also grateful for the company of two kids who gave up the time that they could have spent napping to keep me company. What more can I ask for? Not forgetting all who had left encouraging words the last few days, thank you for being there.

And who did we meet at Gurney Plaza? Another fellow blogger and ex-schoolmate Eugene who writes at Limitations & Latitudes. Looks like it is difficult not to bump into another blogger whenever I am out lately. Very often, too, I have blog readers coming up to me and introduce themselves at hotels, restaurants, shopping complexes and even in church. Blogging has given me more than I had bargained for. It has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. That is a story worthy of an entry by itself. The next entry perhaps.

Koay kak.
Photo by Wuan.

Penang is famous for its hawker food. The dishes do not taste the same everywhere and the ingredients used may differ too. Therefore it takes a little hunting to get ones that are nice and relatively inexpensive. I usually do not patronise the more popular spots like Swatow Lane, Lorong Selamat or Gurney Drive because they are over-rated and more expensive than other places in the island.

Popiah.
Photo by Wuan.

The food court at the Batu Lanchang incidentally is wheelchair friendly and parking spaces are in abundance. Whenever I am around the vicinity and looking for food, I would invariably stop there. Among my favourites there are the koay kak, popiah, che huh and ais kacang.

Ais kacang.
Photo by Wuan.

With this brief introduction of some of my favourite Penang hawker food, I am passing the baton to Minishorts. Thank you all for spending time here accompanying us throughout the Blogathon. For those who have not pledged, please do so now. This is all for a good cause. May God bless you all for your kindness.

* The entry was posted at Bloggers are Morons for Blogathon 2005.

Making steamed buns is as easy as ABC. All that is needed are flour, sugar, yeast, water and lots of elbow grease if you do not have an electric mixer. Below I am sharing the recipe of the steamed buns that I just made. It is really fun and simple. All the ingredients are easily available from the bakery section of supermarkets. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Steamed Buns (Pau)

Ingredients:
500g flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

Mix the flour and yeast thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Dissolve sugar in water. Mix the ingredients and knead the dough with hand or with an electric mixer for 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and does not stick to the bowl. Separate the dough into 40g lumps. Roll to make them round and line the bottom of each bun with a piece of grease paper. Cover it with a piece of clean cloth and leave it to rise for 60 minutes in room temperature. Steam the buns in high heat for 15 minutes. Use a piece of rolled up wet cloth to seal the side of the steamer. Makes 24 buns.

Those cookies are deceptively easy to make. I have been drooling over them for a long time, since when I first saw them at Marita�s blog last year. We did not know each other then. I chanced upon it while blog hopping and have been hooked since. She even baked a cake in memory of Mum. We have become good friends.

When she put up an image of the cookies again recently, I just had to ask her for the recipe. Yes, they are as delicious as the look. Marita is not only is a good cook and baker, she is a good writer and takes some pretty interesting photographs too. Her entries are thought provoking and profound, her photographs no less. This entry is dedicated to the celebration of our friendship. Thanks Marita, for being a friend and more.