Chinese Lions, Kembung and Valentines

Being a Sunday you would expect to have a lie in since it is great tradition practiced all over the world. But for this Sunday we decided to get up early and head down to the wet market in Subang Jaya near our former home. Now back in the United Kingdom(UK) the tradition of the wet market which those in the know is the selling of fish in the open (not in the refrigerator like the supermarket ) has died out save for a few locations such as wholesalers. They do sell vegetables and meat in this market held in the local council car park but it still mostly fish. So the last time I remember a wet market in the UK was when I was a wee lad in the town of Warrington where I spent the first few years of my life. The memory of the smell of fish and sawdust doesn’t go away. Neither does the sound of my grandma cursing in German as I did one of my many disappearing tricks to satisfy my curiosity about something I spotted - but that’s another story. Now if you are like me with an innate sense of curiosity about food then you will search for unusual foods that you have never seen before and thats what I did. Like a irritating six year old kid on a long car trip who says “are we there yet” , I was pestering Mrs. Klite about the different species of fish.
“what is that?”

“.. that’s a fish”

“oh.. what is that there then ?”

“.. that’s another fish”

“oh.. and what about that ?”

roll eyes back “that also is a fish”

“ah.. but what is that?”

“that is fermented prawn paste!”.

That is when I decided I better keep quiet until I found this little gem. I wasn’t sure just by glancing at it and so I had to ask. Now I have decided to play a little game with you all. Have a guess what theses delicacies are and let me know via the comments. First of all they are not lumps of coal, they are delicacies which mean edible. So unless you are pregnant with a craving for coal, coal does not count. Rude comments will be promptly removed.








So after all that we bought some vegetables and Kembung (a south east Asian fish).

I did want to see the Chinese lion dance at Midvalley and One Utama malls but unfortunately I had too much on to go. My sister went and tells me that the Midvalley one wasn’t really great. The One Utama version was advertised for 2pm but when they got there they were told it happened at 1pm, that’s Malaysian time for you ! However apparently there will be a Chinese lion dance at Mont Kiara (the expat area) this Friday, I believe somewhere around 7pm , but if you want to go check the times first, I may have got it wrong.

On the way back from the market we bumped into this little crowd going off to a lion dance in preparation. Once they saw me with the camera they put on a song and dance in the back of the lorry carrying them and said a few American phrases that you would hear in some of the stereotypical sitcoms. I don’t know whether they thought I was a yank(American) even though I have American heritage or they had been watching some Sunday morning sitcom and cartoons. but anyway they looked happy and having fun







I was sent this link in an email today and its probably doing the rounds in the email circles. Its looks an amazing idea to be underwater and watch the undersea life swim around you. I’m sure most peoples first concern will be, is it safe and what happens if there is a leak!

http://www.poseidonresorts.com/index.html


Valentines. To all those out there with no one to celebrate – it isn’t a big deal okay because I’ve been there. Valentine is meant to be to tell someone new that you fancied / fallen in love with them. For your current other half there are 364 other days that you are supposed to tell them and not leave it to this one day of the year! Your best bet is to read up on the origins of saint Valentines and understand what was behind it. At the moment the whole Valentines scene is over commercialised just like the Christmas scene. I believe it can be a bit insulting to spend vast amount on something for your loved ones that 10 times the normal price because the amount you spend doesn’t prove your love, it just looks like you are trying to buy love and its tacky. You want to show your love?

1. Tell your other half that you love them on the other days of the year.

2. Take them out for a meal if you wish, but do it somewhere you both will enjoy without worrying whether your credit card can take the battering. If you are any good, cook them a special meal- read up there plenty of ideas. Something made by your hands and effort shows you care and are prepared to make yourself look silly for their benefit. One tip though – practice a couple of times first!

3. Actually listen to your half, not just “yeah yeah whatever” whilst watching “Neighbours” or the sports channel.

4. Do something different that would surprise your other half, it can be something so small or simple that they wouldn’t believe it at first. I once left a small box of 3 hand made chocolates in an old girlfriends handbag so that when she went rummaging around in something that resemble a Tardis ( Dr Who fans apply only) she found this surprise with a smile on her face when she opened it. The simple things are the nicest.

So for any one interested in what I did with Mrs. Klite for valentines? We tried to go for a simple meal at Chillis at KLCC on Saturday night having spent a few hours late afternoon helping out with her work in her office (that’s how much I care!). Unfortunately Chillis like most other food places was fully booked by couples in anticipation that Monday the Valentines Day it self would be fully booked. We ended up eating in the food court from one of the Indian eat outs which were not particularly generous with their servings. Won’t be going there again. On Sunday after coming back from the wet market Mrs. Klite wanted to make a romantic meal with a fish dish which requires some Daun Kesum ( Laksa leaves ). In my stupidity I had thrown them out the day before, I found them in the fridge looking wilted and a little brown thinking I bought some herbs and forgotten about them I threw them out. Mrs. Klite was very pissed with me, a quick look around reassured me that there were no heavy objects to hand. But for a few hours I was contemplating sharing the front porch with the cats who would probably roll back their eyes and tut at me for missing that one. We made up a few hours later and that I think that hopefully demonstrates one of the aspects of valentines showing that you can accept a loved one for all their faults!.

Music of the moment: Eels – Something is sacred