Mangiare Bene

An Italian Fare for Eid

One of the joys of celebrating Eid is the chance to sample and savour different types of dishes when visiting homes of friends or relatives. Even more so, sampling and savouring similar dishes but cooked according to each person's recipes and cooking techniques which results in the same dishes having special tastes and aroma. That is the very reason why for Eid alone we have at least four different types of 'Beef Rendang' cooked according to the different recipes of four out the thirteen states in Malaysia.

What is even more interesting about enjoying the gastronomic adventures of Eid is that home owners are now becoming more liberal about the food they serve during this celebration, that is, they no longer confine their menus according to the traditional fare. They are becoming a little more adventurous by serving their guests with more international fare.

This Eid for example I had the opportunity to experience this shift in paradigm whereby my youngest sister served us pizza when we went visiting her house on the second day of Eid. On the following day, my fifth sister went all out to cook a whole spread of dishes which included lasagna and potato salad. This goes to show that, not only are we shifting to a different set of menu for our Eid celebration, but we are expanding our gastronomic repertoire. What's in store for us next year? British fare, perhaps!

Eid Mubarak

A Chance For Family Reunion

Eid Fitr is the day every one eagerly awaits every year, more so for the Muslims who have been fasting for one month prior to that, and also for Malaysians of other races who join in the annual celebration.

Eid is also an opportunity for family members to reunite after a long absence from each other. Each of us have our own responsibilities to tend to, our jobs and careers and also our families to care for, which in a way hinders us from seeing each other as often as we may want to.

Thus, it is not only an opportunity to catch up with old times and updating each other with current developments, it is also a time to just get together to see each others' faces. It is a time to get to know the latest addition to the family, be they nieces, nephews, grandchild or even in-laws. It is definitely a time to see the expansion of the family.

In a nutshell, Eid is definitely a time when every one should rejoice. It should not just be ignored because it only comes but once a year. If one misses this year's opportunity, then one will have to wait another 365 days to do all the things mentioned earlier; which, in essence, is a very long wait.

I Remember Her Well.....

I remember her well, so calm and so cool
Waving goodbye, as I set off to school
She packed some sandwiches in my bag; so neat!
So I won't go hungry, I'd have something to eat

I remember her well, by the door she waited
As I came home from school, tired but excited
I ate the food she cooked; all were so nice
Even when they were just 'kicap' and plain, white rice

I remember her well, when I went to the playground
Watching over me; she'd always be around
And whenever I was hurt, she'd blow it away
Surprisingly enough, it would all be okay!

I remember her well, when she tucked me in bed
Putting a light, fluffy pillow under my head
And every time when I started to weep
She'd say, "Don't cry"; she'd sing me to sleep

I remember her well, every night every day
Nothing I do can ever repay
Even though now, we are no more together
I remember her best, because she's my MOTHER.....

from an eternally grateful son......
......and one year has gone by........

Father's Day

Is there really anything special about this day? This blogger begins to wonder.

Every year we come to the second last Sunday of June and people begin to remember their fathers! The date is so specific that people actually wait for this particular day to wish their fathers and fathers every where 'Happy Fathers day' and to express their love! It is rather sad to think that expressions of love to a father is now confined to one particular day of the year when you really have 364 more days to do so!

I suppose people don't bother to express their love to their fathers the other 364 days maybe because fathers themselves don't display expressions of love to their children. I guess it all has to do with this macho stuff! A father usually suppresses his feelings of love towards his children. He doesn't really sit down and chat his children, let alone hug them, especially not in public. A father seldom makes time to do little things with his children, like reading stories or helping them with their homework. I guess, men in general avoid close proximity for fear of people's contemptuous glances and to avoid being marked as effeminate by the society they live in.

I mean, while we are on the subject of Father's Day, let us ponder why we actually have this day in the first place. Like I said, there is nothing really special or significant about this day when you compare it to Mother's Day! Let's just think about how our society celebrate Mother's Day. First of all, there are so many special programmes like movies lined-up by the television stations to let people know about the plights of all mothers all over the world. At national level, we even organise Mother's Day extravaganzas by having dinner shows at hotels dedicated to mothers, where famous singers croon to mothers all over the country. In fact there are even awards for 'Mother of the Year' (Ibu Mithali) which the government organizes. So special is a Mother's Day.

And then there is Father's Day. Sigh!

The Holiday Exodus

As usual, holidays is the time for people to go back home to their roots to visit their elders and relatives, whatever the underlying reasons may be. I usually prefer to spend my holidays at home, relaxing and pottering around in the small garden or just trying out new recipes in the kitchen. But, once in a while, I get requests from my kids and spouse to travel back to the village and meet our elders there.

Visiting my in-law has always been a journey back to nature where the environment is still filled with fresh air and and abundance of flora and fauna. It is a return to a place where I can simply pluck fruits from the tree and be assured they are clean enough to be eaten. I can pluck any vegetable growing by the small creek or under any of the fruit trees and be confident that it has not been sprayed with any artificial fertilizer or chemical pesticides. In a nutshell, I spend most of my time in the village outside the house than inside it. I think it's just me because I enjoy being with the greenery and filling my lungs with the fresh air, amidst the shrieks of my in-law to come into the house!

Well, there will be many more trips to this village, God willing, as long as the elders are still living there and as long as they still have a hold on the land. I guess that is something that they should hold on to, not for their own sake, but also for the sake of future generations.

Weddings

School holidays is not only for us to take time to relax and unwind, and forget about the grueling 8 hours we teachers endure daily at school, sometimes working for six or seven periods on ends and having to face lots of challenges, namely from the students and the administrators. School holidays, however, is also a time when couples who are in love, make a lifetime and memorable commitment by tying the knot. And nothing is more memorable than attending the wedding of your own ex-student. I personally, get a sense of deep personal satisfaction when I see my ex-student making it in life in all aspects; from education to career and from relationships to matrimony. It cannot be denied that as the years go by, I have and will be attending more and more of my ex-students' weddings. If the rowdy students in school add to the number of grey hair on my head, these ex-students who make it in life make the grey hair much more visible. However, my ex-students' success, makes all the grey hair seem worth while.

A special mention goes to Hafida, my ex-student, who got married a few weeks back. I enjoyed the wonderful reception and the food was very much to my liking. May your bond of marriage lasts a lifetime and may you be bestowed with happiness. Thank you for the invitation!

Green Hobby

There is something about gardening that gives the hobbyist such intense pleasure. When all the plants that you have planted a few weeks ago, start to sprout new shoots and begin to show their usable potential, that is when your face begins to light up. Planting herbs like vietnamese mint and curry leaves doesn't actually help you to reduce your household expenditure, but the accessibility of these herbs in your own garden whenever you want to use them in certain dishes, certainly makes one proud that one has put in the effort to plant them. The fact that these shrubs continuously grow also means that if you do not use them in your own kitchen, you can always offer them to your neighbours or friends at your work place. Another thing about gardening as a hobby, is to see something green growing in your garden and in your own way, you are contributing to help make the world a greener place to live in. It can be a good way to instill among your children that they too can make a difference in the future, no matter how small that contribution may be.

Staff Family Day

Family day is something looked forward to by everyone, especially kids. The excitement is even greater when they know that they are going to the beach and spending the night there. This family day was special because it involved almost all the teachers in my school; including their spouses and children. We had many different types of beach games like beach football and tug-o-war for the adults and telematches for the kids and we even had barbecue for dinner. On top of that, no one went home empty handed because there were prizes galore! Thanks to all my committee members for making this day a success!

In Sickness and In Health

It's been quite a while since I have been sick and, of course, am very grateful for the health that God Almighty has bestowed upon me. But, once in a while, you have to become sick, one as a way of purging out the negative elements inside you and the next as a test of your faith in the Almighty. Incidentally, it also helps to give your local medical practitioner a boost for his business. I don't know if you consider it a boon or a bane, but getting a two-day off for being sick can be quite relaxing; away from the hues and cries of the school, especially the undisciplined students! Well, it can be a boon if you are not really that sick, but if you are really sick then getting off work for being sick is not really enjoyable, because let's face it; what is there to enjoy when you are sick. Sick isn't it!

Blood Is Thicker.....

Why do people have family gatherings? Some do it to see how we have all progressed. Some do it to figure out much wealth each one of us have accumulated, and to compare the differences! I, on the other hand, get together with my family just to catch up with old times, to gossip and to just be with them. My get togethers are usually stress-free because we don't talk about things that cause us stress. Anyone who starts talking about distressing things will immediately be isolated, his topic crushed to nothing until he surrenders and join in our topic of conversation. Conversations usually centres around our favourite foods which we prepare separately and bring to share. In fact the food that we bring can be topics of conversations in itself which sometimes can be endless once started. We try not to bring up distressing topics because what is the purpose of family gatherings than to be with the family. Of course with laughter there is also sadness; for the quarrels we once had, for the mistakes we made and for the loved ones we lost. But the once thing we hope not to lose is our family.