20110327: Of Food, Taste & Paying Respect to the Dead

5AM prep the food and stuffs for praying.
7:15 car pool with relative.
7:45 left for the cemetery.

This time we went earlier to avoid the crowding, traffic jam, smoke, etc... The weather was sunny though not as hot as today.

Cheng Meng is the time to pay respect to our ancestors and also a chance to meet up with relatives. Pray, cold food, hot weather, smell of joss stick, melting candles, colour papers, burning of hell notes, paper 7-series (as in BMW), LV accesories cloths and other stuffs. I have to applaude the creativity & skill of the people who hand made all the car, house for this occasion. Wonder if they have a blue print for making stuff like this? Or the skill is pass down from generation to generation?

About the food (whole chicken, the fish, some huat kueh cake, ang koo kueh, etc), since the time I was little, it's always have this strange taste after praying. The old saying goes that our ancestors had "blessed" the food.

1) The hot weather & UV rays from the sun might have add to the "mutation" of the taste.
2) The joss stick could have intercepted & blunted our sense of smell for the rest of the day.
3) The food might have been "aged" during the journey in the vehicle (instead of the usual 8 hours).
4) The reheating-up the food for eating later may have caused the taste to change, especially if cook with soya sauce and other stuffs.
5) Some say the taste was taken away. :-)

I'm not sure whether it's a torture or enjoyment to hear family gossips, & seeing some of my aunties, you do tend to realize that people do not change much, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree & it's not a Culture Re-Shock event. Some same generation relatives you haven't seen for a long time, even if you meet on the street also couldn't recognise them. Some mentioned of dream they had report?broadcast? from our ancestors.

In this fast-paced modern age, Cheng Meng festival provides a rare opportunity for that sweet and bitter walk down memory lane for all of us. Hopefully the fond memory will last longer than the viral ones. After all, remembering that catchy song tune: "We Are Family !" & the Blessed Food of course.

20100728: Quote from Resuree

1) Once in a while, need to cut people some slack.
2) Need to cut everyone some slack once in a while.
3) Once in a while everyone need to be given some slack.
4) Everybody need to slack once in a while.
5) "Cut me some slack, boss."
6) "Boss, cut me some slack, I tired OreTi."

I have this thinking when the Sg hawker "forgot" my order & I was made to wait my food for 15 mins. The guy at the next table also waited another 10 mins. "25 minutes too late."
Should I order another stall next time? I've been ordering from this same stall and same people since I can remember.

Nah, then I thought of some quotes in the spare time (refer above).

I reminded again another guy from the same stall, he said the other forgotten, sheepishly. So I wondered what went wrong? Will they include "extra special material" in my food. I saw none, "phew" . . . sighed of relief. LOL ...

Another day passed us by & Life goes on.

2010227: Chocolate & Life

Old friends are like chocolate,
How sweet chocolate can be,
it stung my tongue & I felt numb,
Remembering the happiness that is.

In the spring where the flower bloom
& warm wind blew,
how i learnt sweet & bitter are good for You.

(Resuree Spring of Twenty Ten)

20100220: Chap Goh May... be

Hoo hoo hoo. Last year missed out on this fish-feast due to mum cooking it later. Will be back for eat this year. Roarrrr....

20100215: Happy Tiger Lunar Year

Happy Tiger New Year.
I learn or re-learnt a few things today.
Old friends are like chocolate,
How sweet chocolate can be (partly due to I ate some "super sweet chocolate" today.)
I guess it stung my tongue & I felt numb for a while.
Milk chocolate with over sweet, would be the great companion for aged red wine.
I wonder would chocolate aged as well as wine?
Just some thoughts for the beginning of spring twenty ten.
Cheers.
Revision/Addition1:
Why would they call it re-vision (huhuhu), it's beginning of the year, Ellen has become the American Idol judge. Blah, the world is just spinning they way it were yesterday. What will be going on/doing for this coming year?
1) Change! Change the old habit, change the way things were, change bla bla. Done all of that & then I changed back. Maybe I should change my job, hold that thought, would I change back. LOL.
2) What about "kyouka"? All your shishio did not spend those time & effort to teach things so that you can change you know.
3) Exercise: According to the book of ways, 3 times a week (sorry I strike off food to below, never was a big fan of food 'chuckle').
3) Food, what would be the to die for taste this year? (no idea now, i'm easy to feed)
4) Travel sight-seeing tour, which month? (planning to go on those lockok beautiful once in a life, go one time never want to go back place tour)
5) Money (don't spend)
6) Investment (don't buy)
7) Bla bla bling... (7D? kekeke)

20080805: Apples in a Box

Fruits tend to clutter up and rot in the fridge, I found this box to arrange my weekend food, cleaned and plucked, ready to be consumed immediately. An apple a day keeps the doctor away... soon the clinic will be out of business. :-)