NOT a food blog
We are led to a table beside a group of fourteen – twelve women and two men, many of them in fuchsia. Perhaps the colour doesn’t feel as old-fashioned as red. The older ladies are in red; it is hard to break away from tradition. As we partake of the stewed pork knuckles, a Chinese tune sung melodiously at soprano tones rises above the cacophony of sounds in the busy restaurant. I can tell that it is a traditional tune, although I can’t make out the words in Mandarin. My friend tells me that the song is about spring.
The voices rise in harmony. Some of the other restaurant patrons turn around to see where the sound is coming from. The ladies in fuchsia, while waiting for the next dish to arrive, continue singing from their songsheets, oblivious to the disapproving looks. My friend shakes his head and laughs nervously. The nightingales in fuchsia carry on, their sweet voices serenading me through my fatty, sticky char siew meal.
You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep….
The loud sound of fire crackers goes off at 3 in the afternoon. I am jolted from my slumber, a pleasant dream about udon and an udon maker rudely interrupted. The sound crescendoes to a climax after fifteen minutes, and I fall back into my goose-down pillow, willing for a continuation of my dream.
It’s hard to say that I’d rather stay
Awake when I’m asleep
‘Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep….
I haven’t spent time with my friend in months, and he is back for the holidays. We agree to meet at a restaurant at Changkat Bukit Bintang. We have had enough of Chinese food for the season, and seek something different instead. A lion dance troupe makes its way up the stretch, stopping at every restaurant to bless the businesses and to bring them luck and fortune. Two hours later, the clashing of cymbals and drums compete with the music from the surrounding clubs, and all hope of conversation is lost.
Our “reunion” dinner is as Malaysian as it gets. Chinese, Indian, Malay and Lain-Lain are all represented. Days earlier, Hunky, in a drunken stupor, offers to cook prawn risotto, a recipe he has perfected over the years. We bring the yee sang. Paps makes lemon pudding for desserts. The essence of a reunion dinner is present via the creation of new traditions while upholding the old. Laughter fills the air as fireworks light up the sky with the silhouette of the Twin Towers in the background.
For a brief moment, my heart is filled with hope.
Food, for me, is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
Food, for me, represents the love of family, the fellowship of friends, and the community and communality it brings.
Sean
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:24 am
eek. the halloween jack-o-lantern crossed with cny orange mutant butterfly is gonna haunt my dreams tonite
A Lil Fat Monkey
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:45 am
You were having sWEeT dreams about hunk-a-san? Hehehe “I like to make myself believe, this planet earth turns sloooowly”
J
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:03 am
Yay! Gong Xi Fatt Chai, Lovely LL and Hunky-san…. 🙂
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:32 am
Sean: Pbbthhhh.
A Lil Fat Monkey: You laugh at me, ar? *piaks*
J: GXFC, lovely J. 😀
Selba
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:44 am
Nice pictures! 🙂
It must be so great to have a reunion with friends and especially catching up with a friend that you haven’t seen for quite sometimes.
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
cumidanciki
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:39 am
gong xi fa cai oh lemongrass.. ur so pretty!
Bangsar-bAbE
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:01 am
I love what you did with the pictures. Happy CNY to you and BE! 😀
uLi
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:42 am
Nice way of capture the Yee Sang photo 🙂 I like it ^^
Precious Pea
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Gong Xi Fa Cai!!! Great to know you had a fantastic reunion!!
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Selba: Yes, friends are special and I love spending time with them.
cumidanciki: hehe…gxfc to you too sweetie!
Bangsar-bAbE: Thanks! Happy CNY to you too!
uLi: Thank you! Always looking out for different angles. 🙂
Precious Sista: GXFC sista! Yes, my reunion was special. 🙂
thule aka leo
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Gong Xi Fa Cai to you too Meena!!!
Been missing for a while… but now back in full force! See you soon
Life for Beginners
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Aww (sobs sobs) so touching. My own CNY reunions were far more noisy and boisterous, no touch of sweetness at all. (Well, other than the fizzy soft drinks.) 😛
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 22nd, 2010 at 4:08 pm
thule: Gong Xi Fa Cai to you and your family too!
Life for Beginners: Touching? hehe. Just real life observations. 🙂
minchow
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:57 pm
That’s a gorgeous pic LL! I now know what has made me resolve to skip CNY next year.. the absence of reunions in shades of fuchsia!!
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:43 pm
minchow: thanks! LOL…you silly…go start your own fuchsia club. Hmmm…isn’t fuchsia a term used for something else?
gfad
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Reading this felt like I was having dinner with you. It was as if for a few minutes I was reliving the whole experience through your eyes.
Or maybe it’s that see-through gauzy photo effect of yours… 😀
It was great lou-sanging with you. Next time we have coffee, remind me to come in an empty stomach, k?
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Gfad: I want to maintain that we should keep our traditions alive, even if it means that we wear fuchsia coloured shoes. Perhaps it’s a sign of age. 🙂 I loved spending every moment with you. Who cares that it was just at a kopi chain. So what if we just drank Milo peng. It’s the company, sweetie, so thank you for spending that afternoon with me.
fatboybakes
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:18 am
okay, i know its gonna be tooooo deep a post when there’s a word in the title that i dont understand. so l look at pikchers only la hor. gorgeous.
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:38 am
FBB: You dunno the meaning of hope?
fatboybakes
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:51 am
haha, is fuchia a cross between our two friends, fuich and chuisia? how to pronounce ah? foo cha ah? like bitter tea?
fatboybakes
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:56 am
hope? that’s like sh** right? both float….
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:03 am
fbb: a cross between our friends, fuich and chuiz would be a world class orgasm.
Not all sh** are floaters. Depends what you consume.
babe_kl
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:26 am
love what you did wid the pics! fabulous… kung hei fatt choy to you and my foo chow brother LOL
Bob
February 23rd, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Ahem, correction. I was the one drinking milo peng. Haha.
We are really fortunate to celebrate the many colourful bottles of hope in this land of ours. Let’s make sure no one dares to spill them. GXFC! Where’s my fuchsia ang pow? Hehe.
daphne
February 23rd, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Gong xi gong xi! Cant help but giggle with what u did to the mandarin oranges. The best time of this year is catching up with relies and friends and simply taking in the good food!
superwilson
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:13 pm
The pictures are getting nicer and nicer. Envy! Happy Chinese New Year!!
Manggy
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Happy new year to you LL!! 🙂
unkaleong
February 24th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Looking fabulous dah-link. Happy CNY! 😉
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 24th, 2010 at 11:42 am
babe_kl: Who’s foo chow? GXFC to u and ur family too!
Bob: Creative licence. Your drink was our drink. I don’t give ang pows lah. Got same policy as FBB. 😛
daphne: Check out my FB pics to see what else we did to our mandarin oranges. 😉 Hope you had a good CNY celebration. 🙂
superwilson: Thanks! You have great photos on your blog too! GXFC!
Manggy: Happy new year to you, Manggy!
unka: Miss you!! Happy CNY, dear!
cumidanciki
February 24th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
fuchsia is the new black! in fact, lemongrass (the bud) is a lighter shade of fuchsia .. innit? so LL is the new black .. hehe
oh, but I am .. the new blackie! hehe
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 24th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
ciki: if you’re the new blackie, let the whole world be black! yum!
cumidanciki
February 24th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
can i recruit u ar.. black n white minstrel show.. haha
sc
February 24th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
love your oriental looking pictures! very rustic and romantic 🙂 enjoy the remaining of the CNY!
gfad
February 24th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Dahlink, I love mah new shoes. I just made a pearl necklace to go wif mah black cheongsum and pom-pom shoes. One day I’ll do my hair in a
bunchignon, wear the dress, shoes and necklace and take a pikcher for you. 😀Lyrical Lemongrass
February 25th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
ciki: cannn but i don’t have any white bits.
sc: thanks! you have a great cny too!
gfad: You MUST show me pics of your new pearl necklace! You made it yourself? Kewl. I dunno how to knot the silk string for pearls yet. Yes, take a pikcher. I wanna see. Sure like Wong Kar Wai movie ony. 😀
keropokman
February 25th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
U all sure enjoyed the reunion!
“Chinese, Indian, Malay and Lain-Lain are all represented.”
I just watched Avatar this morning. Hmmm were the Na’vi tribe from Pandora also there? hehe…
gfad
February 25th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Yar yar.. your effects are very In the Mood for Love! Just the right effect for the cheongsam photo. 🙂 Then can put up in restaurant with other old memorabilia like charcoal iron and rattan briefcase.. 😀
I did not string myself an expensive pearl necklace ler. Just a simple one with crystals in between. No need for silk strings or complicated knots.
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 25th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
keropokman: No, they were all attending some Umno meeting.
gfad: Yes! I hope Kenny Mah sees your comment. 😀 Too bad I can’t take your photo when you’re all dressed up in your cheongsam. Do email a picture to me, though, so that I can turn it into an old chinese picture for you. Eh, be careful with your necklace ar. If the string breaks, all the pearls will jatuh.