Potty Talk

21 May

toilet

The first thing I ever heard about Malaysia was about a bathroom.  A friend had gone to KL for work and was describing to me what I can now place as a public toilet at a hawker center.  It was not a story with a pleasant ending, it being a first squat-toilet experience for the friend, and one without toilet paper at that.  So I guess for me, Malaysia has always been the land of the loo.  Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way:

  1. Embrace the Squatty Potty.  I’m in a public place, and you want me to hover my bum in a 3/4 squat over that porcelain throne?  No thank you!  Gimme something you are supposed to avoid touching (in a very anatomical position, I might add) any day.  
  2. Utilize the Hose.  What an invention!  Use it to clean up the public squatter before you lower down, to pre-rinse your cloth diapers, spray out the potty chair for your training toddler, or for yourself in those tender weeks after delivering a baby.
  3. B.Y.O.T.  You always have the hose option, but if you are more interested in wiping vs. spraying, I recommend you carry a small pack of tissue with you to the public toilet.  If you’ve forgotten, check near the entrance to the ladies’ (there is often a large roll there on the wall).  You might want to bring your own hand sanitizer as well.
  4. Pay up.  Yep, sometimes you will be asked for a nominal fee to use the loo in a public space.  Do not take this to mean the bathroom will be spotless, have soap, or tissue inside (although tissue is often for sale from the same folks who collected your cash).
  5. No potty, no problem.  This is for you mothers of little boys.  I’m sure people do this in other countries, but here it just seems a bit more natural to let my boy let it fly outside a closed stall.  Driving down the road?  Just pull over.  Near an open drain?  Even better.  Mommas, you’ll be better off paying up as stated above.

 

Siem Reap, Cambodia

7 May

20130126-IMG_4731

The home of Angkor temples, Siem Reap is a good spot to travel to as a family.  While the idea of temples with children can be daunting, we were able to work out a schedule that kept everyone (a mom who wanted to relax, a photographer dad, and a 3 yr old) happy.  We flew into Siem Reap via KL, and were met by a driver with a sign.  We hopped aboard an air-con Mercedes mini van bound for Siddharta Hotel (highly recommend!).   We were deposited (one of us asleep) onto the fan-cooled, open-walled reception, were assigned a tuk-tuk driver, ordered decent room service while Miles slept off the journey, and relaxed into a rhythm that would take us through our time in Cambodia.

Even with all the development in hotels and the town, Angkor temples are on such a grand scale they were not in any way over run.  We could find little corners to ourselves even at the most famous temples, and I found I enjoyed them.  What Miles loved was our driver Theo (actually Theaux, pronounced Thurrr, but he couldn’t quite get that), the tuk-tuk, and especially the air conditioned toy store I found as a respite from the crowded markets where the shopkeepers constantly touched his hair and drove him to swinging blows in their direction.

My birthday was the last day of our trip, and we started celebrating early as we would spend most of it waiting or flying.  We went out for a BBQ dinner (yum!) and Tim asked “what should we do for momma’s birthday” to which Miles replied: “ride bicycles!”  We hitched onto his idea and went back to the hotel hoping to arrange it.  At 9pm, we requested bikes and they were waiting for us at 8 the next morning.  We rode through the temples in the morning and around the lake, ending our stay in Siem Reap on a definite high.

Penang Earth Momma

25 Apr

20130416-IMG_0889

Happy Earth Day Penang!  Here’s a few easy tips to Green your Penang Life:

  1. Reduce Plastic Bags.  Seriously, this place is obsessed with double- and triple-bagging.  Bring your own.  To the grocery store. To the market. To the mall. To the coconut stand.  Put a couple reusuable ones in your car/bag and USE them!
  2. Bring Your Own Cup. You can save a couple ringgit at Starbucks or Coffee Bean, and save yourself a plastic-bag-with-a-straw situation at the kopitiam.
  3. Pack a Tiffin.  Another plastic reducing technique!  Also, you will look so cool going local.  Added bonus: most are oven-friendly so you can heat your leftovers gently.
  4. Go Local with Fruit.  Swap your citrus and stone fruit for the local heavy-hitters: mango, banana, pineapple, papaya and melons are often local and saves a ton on shipping energy (and on your wallet).
  5. Recycle.  I’d been feeling a pang when my empty Tigers went into the normal bin instead of the blue box.  Then I watched a crew on the back of a sanitation truck picking through the pile and realized recycling in Penang does happen!  Make it easy for them: quickly rinse out any plastic, glass, aluminum and pack it separately in a plastic bag, then dispose with the rest of your trash.  I’ve noticed this bag of valuables often doesn’t make it to the men on the truck, the cleaners or building crew will take it first.  Small steps.

Emergency Phone Numbers

17 Apr

20130415-IMG_0888

I looked out the window the other afternoon to see a full-scale house fire sending a black plume of smoke up into the sky.  My first thought was, call the fire department.  Then I realized “911″ was probably not going to work in this country, and I had NO idea what I should call. We’ve lived here 2.5 years.  Wow.

Lucky for me, Google has all the answers.  A very comprehensive list of emergency numbers can be found here, and here is a short list of the biggies:

  • Ambulance: 999
  • Police: 999
  • Fire:  994
  • Rescue: 991

Also, I’ve seen a great tip circulating on FB recently.  Adding an “in case of emergency” contact in your phone is a very good idea.  People recommend listing it under “ICE” (in case of emergency).  With most phones you should be able to add the full meaning of the acronym in the company field, plus allow for multiple contact numbers, with the primary being your spouse or neighbor.

Nyonya Restaurants

10 Apr

20101227-IMG_5285

Of all the wonderful types of food in Penang, Nyonya is the least obvious, but perhaps the most “Malaysian”.  I’m not trying to make enemies, Chinese and Indian and Thai, etc, etc are certainly authentic regional cuisines, but they are well known and exist elsewhere in plenty.  Nyonya food (also called Paranakan cuisine) is special; you’d be hard pressed to find an authentic establishment dishing it up outside of this peninsula and island combo of a country.

The flavors are astounding, to say the least.  The depth and variety of tastes and textures that come from an unassuming-looking curry are certain to please, or at least peak your interest. It is my favorite cuisine on this island.  Be not afraid of the fish-head curry or the sambal belacan.  And do not skip dessert (durian not required)! Try some of these out, and perhaps you’ll be converted too.

Ivy’s Kitchen is one of my personal favorites for taking visitors.  They have a tasting menu for lunch or dinner, as well as set lunches that are all very reasonably priced.  Dragon Tan, the owner, is a character and sure to help you out with your selection.  This restaurant is pork-free (so not too sure on the authenticity here), but the flavors are all there.

Nyonya Breeze has two great locations (one at Straits Quay) and serves up all the standards.

The Little Nyonya is also very conveniently located, in the basement of Gurney Plaza.  It promises great food, quick lunch sets, and is always packed at mealtimes.  I love that there is this great option at the mall, no need to settle for another substandard chicken restaurant!

Perut Rumah is located in a gorgeous old mansion on Kelawai Rd, across from Starbucks and Gurney Beach Resort.  The ambiance and food make it a good spot to take visitors.

DIY.  When else are you going to have a market supplied with all the standards needed for making your own Nyonya food?  If you are not sure where to get started, let resident Nyonya Pearly Kee guide you through it.  I have her new cookbook (available at Spice Garden) and have been pleasantly surprised how she has simplified the recipes.  The cookbook, Nyonya Flavours has a good guide to all the ingredients.  Just try, and impress all your friends on your next home visit!

It’s been a while since I did a restaurants favorites list, I became discouraged with the difficulty of maintaining them with the constant rollover of new establishments.  Please check first before heading out somewhere, and take this as an outline only.  Also, most of these links are for TimeOut Penang – my new favorite resource!  They also have a mobile app for info on the go, including events around the island.

How to Travel with Kids: Flying

3 Apr

20110816-c 082

Or should we call this post “making friends”?  Flying with your young children is not the best thing about travel.  So, this is a post about survival, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and dealing with the darkness in between.

Flight Timing.  In the event that I am lucky enough to have a choice, I like a morning flight for short distances and a night flights for long ones.  The killer is when you have a 5-hour redeye from KL to Perth.  There is just nothing good about that situation.  See the final tip.

At the Airport.  Do everything you can before you get on board.  Use the toilet, let the kids run around, eat something, put on jammies, fill up water bottles, organize your bag, etc.  These tasks become much more difficult once your items are stowed and your lap is filled with a sleeping (or screaming) child.

Choose your seat.  If you are on one of those long-haul flights with a lap infant, do everything you can to get the Bassinet seat in the front row of the plane.  This picture shows my 19-month old sleeping in one (he met the weight limit, and at 20 weeks pregnant it was a saving grace for me).  On flights without a bassinet seat, we sometimes get lucky by booking the window-aisle combo with an empty in between.  For Air Asia and other budget airlines, it can be worth it to go for the “hot seats”, but do choose row 4 or 5 so no one will join you.

Request Special Meals.  Not only is the food better with the special meals, it comes early (bonus for kids) and can be held warm until the meal service is over (bonus for parents to split the eating opportunity).  Personal favorite: Hindu Vegetarian on Cathay Pacific.

Bedtime Routine en Route.  If you do have a flight that goes over bedtime, do everything you can to set the mood.  This kills time and may help your child calm down and go to sleep.  Be sure to pack the essentials: PJs, toothbrush, lovey, and stories.

Utilize the Flight Attendants.  I had the luxury of a Penang-Austin flight solo with my 1.5 yr old a few years back when I was pregnant.  Thank goodness for those flight attendants!  Ask when you need help, or let your kid play in the galley under the watch of a smiling stewardess (if they don’t kick you out).  Someone to keep an eye on the bassinet while I made my 20th trip to the toilet was a blessing.

New Mantra: This flight will end.  Of course, while you are sitting in a seat for one that is occupied by 3, all of whom are crying, that 30% progress over the Pacific ocean does not inspire much confidence.  But trust me.  No flight lasts forever.  You will get through it.  You will get there.  And as soon as you walk over that jetbridge, instantly, it’s over.  Perspective, people, it’s a beautiful thing.

Deliveries

28 Mar

Why get into your car at all?  You’d be surprised at the variety of things you can have delivered straight to your door.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of asking, delivery could be available.  Here are a few of the favorites Dog Friendly Penang and I came up with.  Let us know if you have a favorite to add.

Prepared Food.

Ribs: Tom can delivery cold BBQ ribs with sauce for around 40RM for 850g. He also does pork sausages (plain, garlic, herb or spicy) that’s 20RM for 450g. Tom says his products are 100% natural and contain no artificial flavours or preservatives. You can contact him on 012 473 9155.

Oriental Express: A tasty range of freshly cooked, MSG free Chinese food delivered to your door. The menu is pretty extensive and includes crispy duck with pancakes, crispy chilli chicken, black pepper ribs, just to name a few. A small 3RM delivery charge applies. Phone 014 305 7672/014 305 7673 to order. Closed on Monday’s.

Kapitans: A firm favorite expats.  Although the store closest to Gurney is closed down for now, you can still call the George Town store for delivery. Call 264 1191.

Sri Ananda Bahwan: Another delicious Indian option. Stores in both George Town (264 4204) and Tanjung Bungah (890 9771).

Fast Food:  Most of the major fast food chains, including McDonalds, Nando’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Domino’s will deliver.

Delivereat.my also has some resturants you can order from online and have them delivered.  About to try this out for lunch, I think.

Groceries & Goods.

Bread: Rainforest Bakery will deliver to your door for free. They have a range of fresh baked loaves, rolls and specilaity breads including ciabatta, foccacia and sour dough. They also have a small range of cakes. They deliver Monday to Saturday to your house and also deliver to SCIPS on Tuesdays and Fridays. Phone 261 4641.

Farm Fresh Cow’s Milk: You can get fresh cow’s milk delivered to your door twice a week. The milk comes from Ipoh, is pasteurized but not homogenized. You can text the milkman to order  on 012 452 9845. It costs 7RM/litre. He also delivers honey.

Goat’s Milk:  You can get farm fresh goat’s milk delivered from Joo Joo. Call 017 4167 758 / or 012 4800 259. More details can be found on their website.

Groceries: Cold Storage can deliver your groceries to your door for a fee. You need to ask at the counter and they will arrange. It’s most likely to be the security guard multi tasking, who will turn up at your door.

Fruit & Veges: A few of the stall holders at the Pulau Tikas wet markets will deliver to you. Well known vendor Dallas is one of them and can be contacted by calling or texting 012 429 9772 with your order. I’ve been told that Dallas will also pick up things from other stalls in the market and deliver with your veges. You can also text your order to Choo in the morning for a post 2pm delivery on 017 4488 553. Choo is part of the brother/sister team vege stall at the front of the market, opposite the lady selling chicken.

Meat: Fresh Yields stocks a variety of Australian lamb, beef and other products and will deliver. They are located at 144A Jalan Anson, George Town. You can email them at freshyields@gmail.com for a full product list. Phone them on 228 4252.

Pork: Ang (pronounced Ung), who is located in Tanjung Bungah will deliver fresh pork, with no minimum amount for delivery. Contact Michelle Richardson via the ARC Community Liaison email for details.

Fresh Salmon: Local ‘salmon man’ Johnny Bamford can deliver fresh salmon. You can have it anyway you want; cutlet, fillet with or without skin, sashimi. Prices start from 25RM for 200g. He is an honorary member of the Hostie so can also deliver there if it’s more convenient. Contact him on 016 481 1994.

Newspapers: It’s possible to get the local paper delivered daily. The two main English papers are the New Straits Times and The Star. There is usually a delivery man for your area so it’s probably easiest to check with the doorman in your building or ask your neighbour.

Wine: If you’ve purchased more wine than you can carry from The Wine Shop, on Lintang Burma they will happily deliver your purchases.

Liquor: Kuanchan liquor, located next to The Wine Shop will deliver liquor as well as cartons of soft drink. Located on Lintang Burma. You can contact them on 227 0578.

Water: If you prefer to drink filtered water you can get it delivered through Stanley on Stanley 644 8557. There are a number of other supplier. Building management might also be able to help here.

Gas: you’re bound to run out of gas in the middle of cooking dinner but fortunately there are a number of gas delivery services that will get you fired up again in no time. Try 228 3650 or 226 0060. It’s a good idea to check with your building management for the ‘man’ that services your area.

Spice Garden Cooking Class

21 Mar

20130203-IMG_0766

 

I recently went for two cooking lessons at the Tropical Spice Gardens (TSG).  This was fun for me as a foodie, and a great experience for my visiting guests.  The class starts out with a tour of the gardens.  We had a different guide each time, one abbreviated tour and one more in depth, and I really enjoyed seeing the spices and ingredients growing.  After a quick stop for herbal tea we were off to the cooking school for our lesson.

The instructors work on a rotor basis, each doing 1-2 classes a week, and there are no lessons Mondays.  There are Malay, Hawker, Chinese, sometimes Western, and Nyonya lessons available, the latter being taught by Penang’s famous Pearly Kee.  The space is well equipped and supported.  The dishes we cooked came out beautifully and we all shared lunch in a hill-top open air covered eating area within the gardens.   Bellies full, we enjoyed the gardens for a while, sliding down the massive slides & ladders course and swinging on the Giant Swing (new favorite spot in Penang!) before heading home, dinner set with the leftovers from our cooking.

As you can see from the above photo, I had a little sous chef with me.  My son, 3, attended the class.  At first, the instructors were unsure of how having a child in the kitchen would go, but in typical Malaysian style began to fawn over him and soon he was our class mascot!  I’m not sure how happy TSG would be with me promoting this as a child-friendly activity, but for the 2 times I went, it worked out perfectly.  I will postscript that by saying Miles is passionate about cooking and will easily spend hours in my kitchen with me cooking and baking.  Consider your child, and don’t discount them when planning for the cooking classes.  For me, it made the experience even that much more special.

Cutting Tropical Fruit

13 Mar

20130311-IMG_0793

The first time I went to an Asian market, I learned a really cool way to cut pineapple.  My guess is that a lot of people have this experience.  Here is a how-to guide to cracking some of my favorite fruit:

Pineapple

  1. Slice off the top and tail and stand on the now-stable base.
  2. Run your knife down the side removing most of the skin, but leaving the brown “eyes”.
  3. Cut diagonally to remove just the eyes, about three at a time, saving as much flesh as possible.  Corkscrew pineapple!

Serving idea: Grilled, then cubed and mixed with chili, red onion, coriander, salt & lime for a salsa atop grilled fish or with prawns.

Papaya

  1. Top and tail your papaya.
  2. Remove the skin by slicing down the sides with your knife. (You could use a peeler, but I like taking off a slightly thicker layer, crunchy papaya is not so nice).
  3. Quarter, then use your knife to cut out the seeds and pith by slicing diagonally into the center of each quarter.

Serving idea: Ice cold, with salt & lime.

Mango

  1. Slice off the “cheeks” of each mango by cutting downward around the center seed, much closer to center than you would think.
  2. For chunks, place the cheek skin side down in your palm and score in a criss cross pattern.  For a whole cheek, skip this step.
  3. Scoop out the flesh out with a large flat spoon.

Serving idea: Stirred into red curry prawns a’la Nigella Lawson.

Passion Fruit

  1. Cut in half.
  2. Scoop & enjoy.

Serving idea: Atop crushed meringues, with whipped cream.

And why, you might be asking yourself, would you venture to cut your own fruit when all the stalls can do it for you?  Well…there are a host of reasons, most of which I disregard in a time crunch, and most of which are related to cleanliness.  My favorite reason: to avoid cigar ash on your pineapple.

photo (22)

Luang Prabang, Laos

4 Mar

20130122-IMG_3665

Our most recent family travels took us to Luang Prabang, Laos.  Our itinerary was based on the strong recommendation from a friend, and I will pass along the same encouragement to add it to your travel wish list.

Luang Prabang (LPB) is a pretty chill place.  It is small (walkable to everywhere), and there are no big hotels or restaurant chains (yet).  Each day started with the alms giving: a processional of 200 saffron-robed monks collecting the staple sticky rice and other small food offerings from believers who line the streets at dawn.  First we would hear a deep drum, then a pot banging, and the monks would soon come barefoot and silent along the road, opening their metal pots discreetly to accept the rice offering that would make up their two meals for the day.  Very photogenic, very serene.  By 7:15 it was over and we were settled in the garden of our guesthouse at Lotus Villa ordering omelets, baguette and coffee for breakfast.  January temps were in the 60s (brrr!) and life felt pretty good. Can you see why we liked it here?

We had two outings planned.  The first was so wonderful, I could have gone straight home after and called it a trip!  It was a “rice experience” put on by the cooperative farm called Living Land Lao.  After 7 years of living in Asia, we finally learned everything there is to growing and harvesting rice.  We germinated seeds, guided a plow behind a water buffalo (one member of our party rode the buffalo), stood knee deep in a paddy to plant seeds and weed, used a sickle to harvest the grain, beat it free of the stalk, removed the husk with a pestle-mortar, sifted it and steamed it.  Then ate it. The guides were fantastic, enthusiastic local young lads (with heavily muscled calves) who loved our son and took him on as a little mascot.  Certainly a highlight.

Our other outing was a birthday visit (the boy turned 3!) to the Elephant Village.  We booked a private half day excursion that included time riding elephants, feeding elephants, photographing elephants and then riding them again.  A riverside buffet lunch was included.  I would recommend spending the little extra for the private tour.  We arrived early and by the time we were settled on our elephant quite a crowd had arrived and was waiting with the group tours.  Half day meant we missed out on bathing the elephants, but we were crashed out in the car for naptime on the way back.

My personal highlight was the food.  Who’d have known, Lao food is spectacular!  As I mentioned, the staple is different to other parts of Asia – it is rice, but sticky rice that is formed into balls in the hand and used to soak up the delicious sauce of the dish.  Other key components to the cuisine included buffalo meat, smoked eggplant, tamarind, lemongrass and bitter greens. There is also a noodle soup called khao soy that is served all day, even for breakfast, which is a spicy broth with rice noodles, pork mince, and lots of fresh herbs mixed in.  Yum!  Given another day in Laos, I would have certainly planned a cooking class, likely with the restaurant we went to and loved, The Tamarind.  Be sure to have dinner here at least, and do book a table ahead of time!

We had 4 nights in LPB, but could have easily stayed a week, checking out the markets and eating through all the delicious food.  Flying here was a bit tricky, we tacked it onto a trip to Siem Reap, so flew Lao Airlines direct from there, but you could also get there through Bangkok on just 2 flights.

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.