Remembering the Dead!

Only the Chinese New Year and Qing Ming are two very important occasions that bond the Chinese families together.Qing Ming or Cheng Beng happened to fall on April 4 this leap year.The sky is expected to be clear and bright which bears the festival's name.This festival is sometimes called 'clear brightness festival','grave sweeping day','all souls' day' or 'spring remembrance day'.

Chinese families would visit the graves of their ancestors to observe the ritual ten days earlier or after the actual date to pay their respect or to show filial piety to their loved-ones.Normally a date will be set for members of the family to go to the cemetery or the columbarium to pay respect to the patriarch or the matriarch of the family.They would bring along food which their departed loved-ones would usually like to eat while they were alive, joss-sticks and hell money to burn by the grave side.Some richer families burned paper replicas of modern items such as cans of beer,designer clothings, mobile-phones,televisions,refrigerators,paper houses and even luxury cars.To supplement these they even burned a paper petrol station or even a designer's paper bra!

Since my family had all relocated to Penang from the east coast state of Trengganu years ago, we did not visit the graves of our loved-ones but still remember them by setting an altar at the front poach of my mother's house and invited the departed for a feast.Beside the joss-papers,and the burning of joss sticks,we would lay out tray and tray of food that my deceased father,his father and those that left earlier on in time to invite them to eat what we the livings can afford to offer.Normally,we set up vegetarian dishes , a cup of coffee, some fruits like bananas and pineapples etc.After all had prayed,then my brother would take two coins and toss them into the air to 'check' whether all have finished the grand feast and if so by the denoting of the coins,then the joss papers together with the hell notes and whatever paper peripheries would be burned for the deceased.My brother would take a pot of tea to circle the burnt items while at the same time calling our loved-ones to accept whatever were offered by the livings.Of course,once the ritual was over,we too will have a grand feast on the food just to add to our blessings!

For those who visited the graves,they would also bring along the cooked food with roast chicken or roast pork which their ancestors relished together with trays of fruits, to be laid out in front of the tomb.The family members would start cleaning the grave off the weeds and placed pieces of joss-papers all over the grave together with tiny pieces of paper flags.I was told that once the grave was attended to, the relatives of the dead need not have to do this ritual again even if they came to pray later within the set dateline!Once the joss-sticks and candles were lit in front of the tombstone and the food were laid out together with flowers,then the younger family members such as the grand children or children of the ancestor could start lighting up the paper offerings to the departed soul.For most of the graves in the cemetery,new soils or earth would be added to the tomb or grave in the believe that the descendent's would be doubly blessed with further prosperity as the dead was responsible for ensuring fertility in the family as well as in the fields. Sacrificial food and hell notes are offered to the ancestors so that the descendants will receive abundant blessings.

The whole episode sounds like All Souls' day for the Christians but to us Chinese this is the highest mark of filial piety instilled to us by our parents from a very young age to honour our dear departed in the hope that our childrens' children would continue this grand tradition!

A perfect storm!

For many, the Malaysian election results after 8th march could be considered as a political tsunami but to most of us,we would rather associate them with a perfect storm.Many experienced and well-tried politicians were swept into the abyss just like committing 'harakiri' in Japanese. In the aftermath of the storm, my state of Penang fell into opposition grip and so were the other four states in Peninsula Malaysia.Well, what has this got to do with food,one wonders?
Like food, election is just a matter of choices for the voters. Hawkers' food for that matter evolved from the kitchens of our fore-fathers or mothers.Though time tested recipes basically passing from words of mouths(or should I say through many many mouths)that we got the present concoctions that you and I are presently enjoying the tempting and mouth-watering char koay teow,curry-mee, char hor fun, hokkien char and many more!
But What I would like to share here is the Nyonya restaurant presently run by the third generation Khoo family at Nagore road, off Burma road.
To most old-timers, the previousDragon King restaurant at Bishop street would draw packed crowds for lunch and dinners.Since it was then next to my bank,Public Bank,I would without fail came to the same table reserved by the young miss Khoo either for myself or my clients.I did all the bank marketing and entertaining on the same table every working day of the week without fail and on top of that I get more customers to bank with my bank and they were the same customers of Dragon King! This cute restaurant had a very cozy ambience with proper lightings and superb services.I once told my management that to win more customers,one needed to introduce 'service with a smile"concept and I actually picked it up at Dragon King.
Now after more than 30 years,the young Miss Khoo,the previous supervisor of Dragon King Restaurant decided to continue the fine dining but this time, she moved to Nagore road. Many new restaurants serving nyonya food in the mean-time sprang up but ended their natural death due to the lack of customers or due to keen competitions from the hawkers' food. But Miss Khoo's Nyonya restaurant continued to survive and grow.I had the opportunity to talk to the elderly Khoo who said she learned the recipes from her mother who managed the earlier restaurant together with her aunt and a family relations.When Dragon King was at its peak,she managed it but now her daughter( third generation Khoo family) single-handedly cooks, takes orders and does her own marketing.
So when my wife decided to treat Ken and Yukii for a farewell dinner, I suggested we had it at Miss Khoo's Nyonya restaurant!
We started with the traditional Paiti(vegetable mixed in a cup),Roti Babi(pork spring roll),Kerabu Bok Nee(vegetable with dried fungus),succulant Assam Prawn, followed with chicken curry kapitan,Loh-Bak(another pork spring roll) and turnip fried with small strips of squids(Ju Hu Char).Of course,Yukii enjoyed these dishes as they are not spicy (at the most up three ritcher scale!)My wife and I were very facinated with the way Ken and Yukii managed to take out the shells from these prawns.I also noticed they did not eat the red lining of the prawn which is considered a delicacy here and If I were them,it will be very 'adventurous' to attempt to suck out the juice from the prawns' head!
We ended our meal by toppling up with black glutinious rice with suger coconut palm and pieces of mangos (Or Choo Bee pengat)I have never eaten such a delicacy before and all at the expense of the chef herself.
Thank you Miss Khoo for the fine Nyonya food you and your generations have dished up for us from time to time.Incidentally this cozy restaurant is also mentioned on Tokyo Channel 9 TV programme and the traveller's guide book "The Lonely Planet".