A Whiff of Lemongrass

It is ironic that after over a month-long buildup to Christmas, everything’s put away in boxes in anticipation of the next major festival here. Lucky bamboo plants are already up for sale, and gaily coloured boxes of yee sang (or at least what tries to pass off as yee sang in its colourful artificial glory) are displayed prominently in supermarkets. Hello! Chinese New Year is more than a month away. Give me back my Christmas! I’m not done yet.

Before I get caught up with the CNY festivities and the feastings that follow, let’s do a quick roundup of my Christmas week. When Bald Eagle and I are not traipsing the planet at year end, we normally spend our time at his parents’ house in Kajang. Christmas dinner this year was with a difference. Recognising the family’s roots in Kelantan, there were no turkeys or mince pies or plum puddings. This was a traditional Kelantanese Christmas dinner in all its juxtaposed imagery. We feasted on typical Kelantanese fare of steamed nasi dagang (a reddish brown glutinous rice) served with ikan tongkol (albacore tuna) in a creamy curry cooked so perfectly by my mother-in-law. To add to its authenticity, Bald Eagle spoke Kelantanese for a good 5 minutes. If I closed my eyes, I would have thought I married someone else. Well, sometimes, with all his impersonations, I am not quite sure of the man I married, but…it’s too late now, isn’t it? 🙂

As a celebration of the traditions we hold dear, Bald Eagle presented us with a box of Goldilocks Polvorons which he brought back from Manila. His addiction to Goldilocks’ Mamons (beautiful fluffy cakes) and Polvorons is a result of his 3-year stint in Manila several years back. I can understand his love for these confections. The Polvoron is made of toasted flour, butter, sugar and milk (and probably a whole host of unmentionables…err..I mean, secret ingredients) and has a powdery texture which means that if you don’t pop the entire thing in your mouth, it will disintegrate in your hands. Quite a messy affair if you want to exercise decorum (i.e. taking ladylike bites). For Christmas, they coat these delicious biscuits with chocolate and decorate them with pretty shapes and colours.

Christmas with the bloggers was more of a riot. The food bloggers booked the entire restaurant (My Elephant in Section 17) and as an added surprise, came up with a list of “awards” for those who were present. Some of my favourite awards are:

Masak-masak – most idolized blogger. Woohoo! (she received a “masak-masak” set to keep her occupied when her oven ever gets broken)
Precious Pea – with her obsession over crabs, it was obvious that she was going to be crowned Queen to King Crab. (prize: pepper crab flavoured instant noodles)
WMW – the Human Tripod blogger – see her photography skills with just a camera and her wrist! (prize: an empty box to replace the use of her limbs)
Kenny Mah – most flirtatious blogger (but of course) (prize: condoms – will come in handy, I’m sure)
Lianne – the enlightened blogger, for moving from an obscure blogsite to a mainstream blog this year! (prize: a lightbulb)
Teckiee – the blogger with a gender crisis. Not sure why, but some people think she’s male. But seriously, she’s sometimes confused as well with XX/XY chromosomes (prize: a pair of boxer shorts)
Jackson – the blogger most recognised in KL, Klang, Shah Alam, PJ and some say even in Bangkok. (prize: disguise sunglasses)
Jason – the blogger with the most kissable lips! (prize: lipbalm)
Joe – the blogger with the best nick earned – Nipples. (prize: a baby pacifier)
Tankiasu – the activist food blogger (prize: a “cert” of a certain political party)
Kampungboycitygal – sweetest blogging couple (prize: a packet of sugar)
Nic – most poetic blogger (prize: a childrens writing set)
SC – almost a vietnamese blogger – visit her blog and you’ll know why! (prize: almost vietnamese coffee)
Kusahi Keat – best male cook blogger (prize: a spatula)
Paprika the Ravenous Rabbit – hungriest blogger (prize: a bunch of carrots)
Friedchillies.com (Adly) – spiciest website (prize: a bunch of chillies)
Big Boys Oven – “One of the best bakers in town” blogger (Gardenia buns)
XiuLongBao – Former Malaysian Blogger now going down south (Prize: Malaysian flag)
Christine, Ai Wei, Yin and Jun – sweetest female bloggers (prize: sweets)
Ekeng and Riz – most handsome male bloggers (prize: sweets)

I almost fell on the floor laughing when they gave me the Celebrity Blogger of 2007 award. Well, I was touched too, as the girls (Precious Pea and WMW) had gone through the trouble of downloading a newspaper interview, printing and laminating the article. And Kenny Mah delivered a lovely speech to me. *blinking back tears* I do have the dearest blogging friends in the world!!

Unfortunately, I was too caught up in the fun to take any photographs, but do visit some of the links above to see what they have to say about the event – A Very Retro Christmas 2007!

Until my next post, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a Blessed Christmas (yes, it’s still Christmas in my heart and in my tummy) and a Very Joyful New Year 2008! God bless all of you!