Merepek

I passed by the shop at about 6.00pm and saw a queue and told myself, “Nevermind….come back later, say, 9.00pm or so." It should be a better time...the dinner crowd should be gone by then and I would be able to enjoy my meal in peace sans people with hungry faces standing round my table willing me to finish up quick. I just hate that.

9.30pm and this was what I saw….the narrow street was practically dark and quiet, save for this corner shop. Just look at the queue spilling onto the road. Holy Honey! What is so special about the food that people are willing to risk life and limb standing patiently at the roadside by a dirty drain? The only way to find out…I go join the queue myself.

After 25 minutes or so of waiting, the young ‘hostess’ pointed out a table that was being cleared. She told me that I can go fill up my food tray while she gets ready the sauce pot. By that time, my tummy was already growling and I was in no mood for niceties. .... I went straight for the food counter and returned to my table with this to be dipped into a pot of boiling spicy peanut sauce sitting on a stove.

Taste-wise, bolehlah. It is similar to ‘lok-lok’ in KL and Penang….only difference is the cooking style. For 'lok-lok', we dip the skewers of food in a boiling pot of water and then into the different bowls of sauces, as per preference. For Satay Celup Melaka, we ‘celup’ the skewers of food in a boiling pot of thick peanut sauce. hmmm...made me wonder what they do with the leftover sauce after each group are done with their 'celups'.

Price-wise, cheaplah……flat rate @ 60sen per stick only, irrespective of meats, gizzards, seafood, fishballs, sotongballs, eggs, taufoo, foochuk or vegetables…. all….semua…hampalang pun 60sen per cucuk nia.

And oh ya….even those sticks of good-sized prawns, which normally go for about RM50 to RM60 per kg at wet markets, are priced the same, a mere 60sen per stick. BUT these extra-large prawns are never displayed at the counters but only offered to patrons who eat a lot of the other types of 'sticks'. The towkay and his assistants will walk around the tables and see how much you have eaten. The more ‘cleaned-out sticks’ you have on your table, the more big prawns he will send your way…...a ‘bonus’ of sorts.

Me? I was rewarded with only 2 big, juicy prawns because I did not polish off that many sticks of the other foods. Suakoo or no-suakoo, I still gotta look after the waistline, right?

I have been absent for such a looonnnnng time that it is not surprising that many, if not all of you would have forgotten who this clueless nyonyapenang is. Nevermind….it’s ok…..it’s my fault anyway, for being AWOL and MIA.

Well, nothing is new actually. I was and am still held up by work which is piling up faster than I can clear…no thanks to my slow-moe style of doing things and also I was distracted along the way…..errr…errmm…there were just too many beautiful and sweet-smelling roses enticing me to take in their lovely scent…mmmmmm….ahhhh…..mmmm….aaahhhhh……mmmmm…..ahhh…..

Oh sorry, sorry….where was I again? Oh ya, I was talking about smelling roses and yes, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet….just bring them on. And for the past month or so, I have indulged and smelt not too few….I have been taking short trips here and there and aitelyu, the ‘overseas’ trip to the Land of The Hornbills with a group of wacky friends was a blast. It’s not merely the destination…it’s the wonderful travel companions I found in Angel, Winn and Sengkor as well the kind hosts, ben-ben and Kenneth and the camaraderie we shared over the weekend that made everything so memorable.

Along the highways and by-ways and the nooks and crannies, I paid a courtesy call on one famous blogger, a taikor in the blogging fraternity. I walked straight in to AhPek’s shop and said to him, “Guess who?” heheehee… Of course lar…he was unable to guess right….he somehow had a mental picture of me wrapped in a sarong kebaya and hair neatly pulled into a 'sanggul' and if I may add, with stained lips too, from chewing 'sireh'. ^o^

A few others too, I believe, also have mental pictures of me appearing in blogger meets looking something like this:-

A couple of months back, I was to meet with this genial gentleman, suituapui. There he was sitting in the restaurant, table facing the door, waiting for a sarong-kebaya clad middle-age nyonya to ‘joget’ through the main entrance. I, instead, waltzed in through another side door dressed in simple work clothes. I guess he was not able to place me then, but I certainly could identify him right away. Believe me, he really is 'sui-sui and pui-pui'.

Sg Petani…..I am not to sure if I have ever visited this place. If at all, it must have been more than 40 years ago. And just recently, I rolled in and met up with Dr Bernard Chan. Thanks Bernard, for the yummylicious dimsum breakfast.

And in Penang, while browsing in Queensbay Mall, I chanced upon another top-notch blogger. I had actually walked passed this table of 5 when I realized the lady and the cute little boy looked sooooo familiar. Ahhhhh….she is the famous 5xMom. Okie…okie…I made a quick turn around…..I must go shake her hands…nevermind, if she doesn’t know who I am. Hehehehe…..It’s a pleasure meeting you, Lilian. And oh yes…..I am guilty of not updating my blog. I plead LAZINESS.

And smelling roses can be sooooo...intoxicating.

Have A Great Week Ahead....Cheersssssss....