yesterday, i was craving for banana leaf rice. sooooo badly. before those inquisitive busybodies can have the opportunity to ask, i will state that i am not pregnant. nedeh.
for no reason whatsoever, i just felt like some delicious indian food, served on the banana leaf, the purpose of which is to add ambience or flavour, i have never figured out. i can almost taste the rich curry and the crunchy papadums. i must have it at all cost.
so, i made a date with hubby and mummy dearest to embark on the mission to source for my delectable treat. most of the places that i know of has closed down or moved. hubby proposed an indian restaurant nearby. but indian food is different from banana leaf indian. and what is the difference? *mimicking hubby's gruff tone*.
for one, there is no papadums. okay, if you ask for it, i am sure they can whip some out from some hidden god-forsaken place (no indian restaurant can get their operating license if they do not have some papadums hidden somewhere in their eatery) but it's still not the same, ok? and what is the difference? the difference is in asking for it or it becoming part and parcel of the meal. ask somemore and risk a quick clobber on the head.
the second difference is they don't have the condiments or little appetiser-thingy that they put on the top of the banana leaf. usually they are some kind of spicy-herby potato, cured cucumbers and etc ( i can only name these two because i am writing about this post-event lah).
and the biggest difference, for the ignorant people, is the absence of the banana leaf! ta dah! profound, wasn't it? so, smart hubby dearest cajoled me to go to the nearest indian restaurant (and hence easier travelling distance and parking for him). but didn't i say that it is different? waiiiiiittttt, not yet finish the sentence..........and bring my own banana leaf rice. *&%^%$@@
after some bashing, twisting and clubbing on the head, he finally conceded to have lunch with me at a club that was once famous for its banana leaf rice, many many moons ago. ahhhhh! one step closer to my banana leaf rice. this arrogant place only accepts members and their oh so valuable membership card. riff-raffs like myself are kept out and looked upon with disdain. aha! but since my secret weapon, mummy dearest, has that powerful tool, i have the luxury of indulging in my craving. ooohh, the saliva is starting to form in the corner of my mouth.
i shall not elaborate too much on the actual lunch, for the benefit of readers who have not taken their meal of the day. but i shall say this; the curry was thick and hot, the fried chicken aromatic, the rice soft and warm and the curry sauce yuuuuuuummilicious. oops. i did say i won't elaborate on it, didn't i? haha. call me wicked. anyway, you get the gist.
fast forward 15 minutes later. three big stomachs protruding and three empty banana leafs. burrrrrrrp! you know what is the best thing in the world? when you suddenly have a craving and you get to fulfill that craving without much delay? (for once you let the desire cool, it's not the same anymore). almost like scratching an itch. ok, come bill time. wellllll, i may be a filial daughter but since this is a 'members only' club, i don't even make the effort to fight for the bill with my mother. she reached for her member's card and passed it to a wandering waiter.
he came back to inform us that the card is a very old one. uhhhh, hello, we can tell from the afro hairstyle my mother's picture was sporting. sooooo? well, it seems that it can't be used anymore. we have to take the card to the office and get it updated. immediately. right now. this instant. otherwise they cannot swipe the card and we cannot pay for our food. which is all fine with us since the food is safely tucked into our tummies. but being decent folks, we naturally insist that we must pay for it. on the other hand, that filling curry and mountain of rice have made my behind quite big and heavy and me a little lazy to track all the way to the office, wait whilst some clerk, who probably is also out for lunch, fix the card and then track all the way back. we wanted to settle the issue by paying cash but it seems that it was not possible. club rules. yes, but my behind is also very lazy. my rule.
with a little persuasion, a little manja and a little 'so-what-can-you-do-i want-to-pay-but-i-don't-want-to-trek-to-mount-everest-and-back' attitude, she finally told me to wait for her in the toilet in a low conspiratorial voice. quick sex in return for lunch?!?! to an overweight middle aged indian lady? i am not that desperate!
anyway, in a situation that feels a little like an undercover spy or gangster movie, cash changed hands in a dirty and narrow hallway. ahhhhhh...the beauty of malaysia and its ever flexible people.
so, that was a fulfilling and satisfying lunch.
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12 comments:
and the money went into his own pockets!
clap clap clap. you banyak cepat hari ini.
naturallyyyy lah. when i walked out of the place, i was afraid someone will run up to me and said i have not paid for the food.
Good one, this! Din noe got other banana leave rice fan (albeit a transient one) out there. Here, BLR is synonym with Race Course Road of little India. Next time in KL, I will buy.
BTW, did you get a discount since the payment was "under table"?
hehehe. very clever. i glanced at the bill, and it was for $38. since i only paid $30, i walked away like a cheshire cat.
hmmm.. craving again?
and I tot only Pregnant women will have craving for a particular food.
I rem my sister haunted the whole family for durian when she was having her first baby.
hmmm.. undertable dealing.. poor store owners .. loss both customer and cost.
dear lilian: *drooling* next time when i go, ok? or better still, dhl to me. hahaha
oh i see, no wonder i felt like some beef curry is missing, but thought that couldn't be right since indian don't eat beef.thanks for info.
dear robin: hmmm, never had cravings when i had babies.nowwww, it's a different story. like now, i can do with a *slurp* ais kacang. salivating as we speak. i tot owner quite happy what. no need to declare to club, who prob takes commission from total sales. somemore hor, their cost veli low one. i eat slightly into their profit margin only lah. few pieces of chicken, 4 small thin fishes, smaller than my fingers, some vege - infact i think i was overpriced! kekekeke
That's it. I'm going to have banana leaf rice for dinner TONIGHT!!!
And BTW, M'sia is the only country in the world where you can speed, get caught and get away unruffled. *winks*
Hot spicy BLR served on the table, discounted bill coolly paid under the table. You are damn terrific!!
Ha..ha..ha.
tot she asked u to put the money in a plastic bag, wrap it and then put inside the toilet tank tim..
dear titoki: hmmm...is that a hip hip hurray or a no-no? it does enable us to be more efficient, i mean we pay a fine, albeit a lesser one and pay it on the spot. less hassle, time efficiency, productivity.etc. but it's also corruption and greed. so, good or no good from our point of view?
dear licky: heh heh. now you know not to go out for food with me. if my plans fail, we may have to end up washing dishes.
dear seng kor: i guess since she is preparing the food, it may not be a good idea for her to reach inside a toilet tank. ewwwwww. hmmm, maybe that's why the BLR was soooo yummy.
There was once APEC was held in NZ. The whole of NZ was in high security alert. Each and every hotel is beefed up with tonnes of security measures and officers. The Brunei King was there too. On the day he left NZ, to show his gratitute towards the officers who were looking after him during the APEC meeting, he gave them some 'ang pows'. These good old honest NZers officers returned the money back to him. How suave. ;p I think without corruption, M'sia will be a better place to live in. Everything is black and white. Yes or no. Simple and efficient.
that would be an ideal world. sometimes i dream of starting my own ideal island, where everything good and beautiful will stay. no greed, no jealousy, no crime, no fear. but humans will always be humans. even in liberated countries like USA, corruption is everywhere. i'll bet there is corruption in new zealand's politics too.
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