I called Kok Mun for dinner yesterday evening to share with him the Chiangmai sausages that my colleague Mrs Tan gave me. He deserved to have a share of the Chiangmai sausages because Mrs Tan got the sausage skin from him.
Actually, my colleague Mrs Tan has been asking me to try and get her some sausage skin (which is made from the epithelium of pig intestines) before Chinee new year because she couldn't get any in Singapore. I asked Kok Mun where can I get sausage skin in Johor Bahru. He went to the market and asked some butchers and housewives and concluded that the source of sausage skin is from Ipoh. Nobody sells sausage skin in Johor Bahru.
I called my mother who used to make Chinese sausage during Chinese New Year long time ago. She asked around and found out that nobody sells sausage skin in Ipoh nowadays. In fact, in the old days, the butcher would only sell you the sausage skin if you buy the meat to make sausage from him. Unlike some ten years ago whereby you could see homemade Chinese sausages being hanged in front of many households for drying before Chinese New Year, nobody make homemade Chinese sausages nowadays. When I asked my mother why people don't make homemade sausages anymore, she replied that there are too many thieves nowadays who will not hesitate to steal the sausages.
When Kok Mun went home for Chinese New Year, he found some sausage skin in her mother's kitchen. Leftover from umpteen years ago. He gave it to me and asked me to pass it to Mrs Tan. I told Mrs Tan that she is lucky that I could still manage to get her some sausage skin as it is a rare item even in Ipoh now. Perhaps she will have to get it from Thailand next time.
I thought Mrs Tan would make Chinese sausage but she made Chiangmai sausage and gave me some. It definitely did not look appetizing. Well, it tasted quite okay. Typically Thai taste with turmeric and other spices.
Every Friday, we will meet in Restoran Mun Heng to drink tea. Usually, Kai Fong is the one who will call us up around 930pm. But now, he is busy with work in KL and will be busy for quite a while. Good for him! I think he must be the loneliest guy bored with married life in the world. Occasionally, he would call Kok Mun or I and said "Hey, I am driving around with my wife and the kids and do not know where to go. Can we come over to your place?" Of course, Kok Mun and I will tell hime off. "You see how good a friend is he.", Kok Mun always said. "When he is suffering, he wants friends to suffer with him." or more comically in Cantonese "佢一個人受難就好啦，仲要我地同佢一齊受難喔！" Of course, accompanying wife to go back to in-law's place to Kai Fong is like serving jail sentence. "Doesn't he has a pretty wife?", I asked Kok Mun. Kok Mun replied, "Even if you eat abalone daily, you will get bored too!". Of course, of course, I guess you really have to work on a relationship. Attraction and desire are two factors that excite men. After years of marriage and with age, even if a man wants to try his best to fulfill a husband's duty, his body will be honest biologically. In this respect, I could perfectly empathize Jack Neo. How could a middle aged man resists temptation that knock on the door? Even my late father couldn't. The sad thing is women are very unforgiving and won't take lightly of this. Men too! Isn't it? My parents' relationship in the last few year was a testimony. Jack Neo's wife should understand that his husband actually loves and cares for her. I have a former colleague who committed suicide last year because her rich husband has a woman in China. I was really shocked when I heard the news because just barely two years ago she organized a karaoke gathering for all of us who worked ans studied in the lab last time. With her two sons studying abroad, one in US and another in Australia, I guess probably she was under depression. Anyway, Kok Mun is the type who think that going to tour is most enjoyable and best with friends, not with family.
We always meet in Restoran Mun Heng because the food is good and the price is reasonable. Kok Mun always know where is the best price to shop. The restaurant's shrimp fried rice is very good. Most of all, the shop is near to Kok Mun's house and Kai Fong's house. However, the standard of the restaurant fluctuates. Sometimes, the same dish turns up below expectation. In addition, it is always run out food. No more kway teow, no more tilapia, no more kai lan. So, once a while, we will buy our own vegetable or fish and asked them to cook. There are quite a few restaurants nearby too. Two doors away, there is a mamak store and there is a satay stall too.
The vegetable in the picture above is neither broccoli nor cauliflower. It is a cross between the two. It is called Romanesco broccoli, imported from China. (Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesco_broccoli) Kok Mun bought it from market. It costs RM14 per kg, double the price of broccoli, triple the price of cauliflower. It tastes good stir-fried with fish sauce.
The shrimp fried rice yesterday was below standard. It usually comes with generous amount of large shrimps. Shrimp fried rice should have the fragrance of fried rice.
Ever since I came upon squid steamed with soy sauce in Pangkor, I have recommended this way of cooking squid to my friends. The texture of the squid is just right, soft and a bit crunchy, not rubbery like those overcooked curry squid in some Restoran Nasi Kandar.
