Paradise Bird flower

The local people called this flower as Paradise Bird (天堂鸟). There are many species here, this one is one of them. Some people put this flower pot in the new house, especially Chinese. It significant the people stay in the house also like heavenly bird. It means the life also good and beautiful.

The colour of this flowers are striking....yellow, red and green in leaves...The combination of colour were beautiful.

It can grows widely and wildly here, no need to specific taking care of....

The flowers are tough in life....It stands alone in it's stem.

Elderly Chinese birthday celebration

This was the local Chinese 76 years old birthday party. After discussed and agreed the celebration date had been selected by the family members, they went to the spirit medium to confirm again for the celebration date. The family members also went to order the restaurant food, ordered the cake from the bakery shop,bought champangne and red wine too.
This elderly celebrated the birthday with immediate family and tea-time chatting friends only. The birthday party started at 7.15pm in a VIP room in the local Zui Xiang Lou seafood restaurant. The 8 courses that they took like these....The family members also served red wine and champagne, and the restaurant waitress served Chinese tea.
'Happy birthday' song in mandarin language
was sang by the guest and immediate family.
The family members gave cake and two drinking tea cups which put in the small bag as a gift to the guest.
!
This was one of the birthday celebration for the elderly Chinese in Malaysia.

Chinese elderly people birthday

Nowadays, more and more of the elderly ethnic Chinese in Malaysia celebrate theirs' birthday. My friend told me that usually Chinese only celebrate theirs' birthday when they reach the ages of 60, 70 and 80. Some old people health condition is not good, so they try to plan and organize this kind of event. They believe that this kind of happy environment can make those kind of bad luck to be overcome or bad health to be recover. Anyway now, the practise is changed. Some wealthy people will celebrate theirs' birthday grandly and yearly. For which the financial not so good family, maybe theirs' birthday is low profile.

Very commonly that the family member will go to the Chinese God temple to ask whether the elderly people in theirs' family can celebrate the birthday or not ? Of course it's through the spirit medium who convey the voices of Chinese God. Mostly the date of the celebration picked by the family members, then they go for the second confirmation of whether the elderly people in the house can celebrate or not ? If no good, no choice, have to cancel the celebration ; if good then proceeded for the next step.

The family members will go and print the birthday invitation cards after confirmed. After printed, the family members will go and distribute the invitation card and at the same time invite the relatives and friends to the birthday party. Somehow some families just invite friends and relatives orally only.

Meanwhile the family members also started to go to restaurant or hotel to order the food (if celebrate in the restaurant or hotel) or order food from catering service( if celebrate in the compound of the house or public hall). Some restaurants even give the 'food testing' service for the family members who order the reataurant food. They can change the course of food, if found the previous order no good. Mostly 10 person share a table. The courses of foods will 8 or 9.

They will order the cake from the bakery shop. It depends whether they want the western style or chinese style of design. Mostly the bakery shop will deliver the cake, but some need to take by ownself. Some even order the small piece of cake to let the guest enjoy, rather than give the initial birthday cake which had been cut by the birthday people.

The size of the party based on the friends or relatives headcount and also the financial background. Mostly the bill will be pay by all the sons and sometimes involve the daughters.

Shou tao (寿桃) is an important course for the people ages 60, 70, 80. Mostly the family members will order for the guest to take. Shou tao outlook is like the peach fruit. Inside is mostly the lotus seeds paste (sweet).

The birthday party usually held in weekend and after 7 pm. The elderly birthday mostly wear the 'cheongsum' type of clothing. Anyway, some also wear the ordinary clothes. Well ! the birthday party hardly to start on time here. We need to wait for some 'VIP' people.....need to be improve.............

For this kind of birthday party, the family members often prepare Calsberg beer, red wine, champagne, tea, mineral water or soft drink. Beer and wine waitress will serve the guests from the party begin until end.

Some wealthy family will invite local singer and band to do the performance. Some having the karaoke session in the birthday party.

Here, the family members and guests mostly sing the 'Happy Birthday' in Mandarin, English language and Cantonese dialect.

You can also see the 'red egg' being distribute in the party. 'Red egg' is the hard boiled egg which roll in the red colour after take out from the hot water.

The birthday party owner often give the 'Ang pow" which is the red packet with money to family members and guests. Some gives the bowl, mug, tea cups.....as a gift. Some give the 'Shou tao' to the guest.

Rectangular shape of plain rice

The plain rice was served in rectangular shape. Rare !

It was seldom see the serving like this. This is a Thai food restaurant. Mostly restaurant serve the plain rice in the round shape. Creative !

Chinese like to serve the rice in round shape. It significant all the way will be as smooth as round shape. Mostly they will put the rice in the small bowl and press a bit, to make the rice had no space between each other. It will make the rice stick together also and the shape is formed.

Then they will put the plate on top of the small rice bowl which had been pressed. Carefully over turn the bowl and plate. Just take out the bowl and we can see the beautiful round shape of rice on the plate.

Somehow in the house, most of them never really follow this kind of serving. Nowadays, they seldom use bowl, Chinese spoon and chopstick to take rice, but instead of that they use the western style of fork, spoon and plate.

Markisa

It is commonly known as passion fruit. In Malayisa also called as Buah Susu "milk fruit". It was originated from Brazil, northern part of Argentina and Paraguay. It had been brought into Malaysia since 1960 from Australia, Hawaii and recently from Africa in 2009. Somehow it growth better for the yellow passion fruit here. The binomial name is Passiflora edulis flavicarpa.

It can growth well in Malaysia. The lifetime of one passion fruit tree is about three years. The young tree started to produce the fruits when it is approximately 5 to 6 months. After the blossom of the flowers on trees, it would started to grow the fruits about 70 days.

The fruit is light and oval or round in shape. The outer skin is very beautiful in colour, a bit pink, purple, yellow and green. It has the thick airy rink and it can become the food for the farm animal. Inside there are juice and also the black seeds. It has the combination of the sweet and acidic taste. Local people believe is good for the high blood pressure people to consume.

It has the high dietary fibre, potassium, beta carotene, vitamin C ...etc. Local people mostly blend the seeds together with the juice to make an ice cube drink. If this fruit juice is added to other fruit drink, it could be directly added the flavour. Of course also good in aroma. Some also produce the fruits juice in the bottle for local people. Here, I bought about 10 Markisa for RM10.00 in pasar malam.

Do not throw away the wrinkle skin markisa, because it is not bad yet. At this time it could be added the sugar level for the fruits. we still can consume them.

Fried noodles

Today I went to one of the coffee shop in 3rd road of Machang Bubok, Bukit Mertajam for a fried noodles (炸面).

It was a very special one. The taste was good. It cost only RM3.50 per plate.

The chef deep fried the noodles then put aside. Took the prepared stock and added some seasonings and cooked with the pork, shrimp, fish meat and mustard. The gravy put on the fried noodles and then ingredients put on top of noodles.

What can I tell you is ......Yummy !

Daun Pandan

Daun (Malay means leaf) Pandan in English is called as Screw Pine. Botanical name as Pandanus Odorus P. Latifollius. It is widely use by Malaysian in cooking and as the medical remedies.

It is easy to plant in the soil and also in big pot in Malaysia, especially in village site, mostly you can see either plant in front of the house or the backyard. It can grow well through whole year and about 4 feet height.

After cut the leaves from the plant, mostly the local people will use it straight forward. They will not put until the pandan leaves dry. It is because no more aroma when it is dry.

It also called as pandan wangi (fragrant). It was widely use in Malaysia for cooking. Mostly local people use it when fresh.

They like to put a few folded pandan leaves and cook with the rice, it will have the good aroma, especially in preparing the Nasi Lemak (local Malay food).

In order to get the green colour for the food, the local people will blend or pound the pandan leaves for this purpose. After blend or pound the leaves, oftenly they will use a clean cloth and put the leaves inside and twist and squeeze it to get the green clour juice. This green colour then will be put into dough to make biscuits or cakes.

The local people also put some leaves inside the sweet soup for tea time, such as bubur cacar, bubur gandum, bubur kacang hijau, sup ubikayu....etc.

It is also has the value as the herbal leaves. Take about 10 leaves and cut into one inch wide and just boil with water. Then can drink as mush as we can. They believe the drink can make them more healthier, they can get rid of weak nerves, no appetite...etc. It also believe to relieve the headache if they cook with the root of the pandan leaves.

They also can pounded the pandan leaves, squeeze to get the juice and put on the scalp to maintain the black hair. It is believe to cure the dandruff problem.