NOT a food blog
“Hi. Would you like to go out with us?”
Exactly a year ago, a couple of months after A Whiff of Lemongrass came into existence, I ventured out of my comfort zone and agreed to do the unthinkable – meeting strangers whose acquaintance I had made online. It meant several things to me, but most importantly, revealing my real identity and feeling vulnerable under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes belonging to seasoned bloggers was the biggest consideration. Seasoned as in marinated in hot chili padi with lots of belacan and petai pods to boot! There was Rasa Malaysia (photographer extraordinaire), WMW (human tripod extraordinaire), Boolicious (preeminent food blogger extraordinaire) and the man I feared most (then), Fatboybakes (brilliant wit and sarcasm personified).
“And what’s the name of your blog? Sorry….could you repeat that?”
The words A Whiff of Lemongrass and Lyrical Lemongrass came out rather awkwardly from my lips. I stifled my laughter as I felt silly saying it out aloud (for the record, I still feel silly saying it. On hindsight, I should have chosen a more normal pseudonym….like Tom….). But I shouldn’t have worried. I realised then, as I realise now, that food bloggers are some of the most delightful people in the world.
Precious Pea had just moved to her new place. “Come over!” she said. In less than a year, we had all become firm friends. “I only have simple food to offer.” Uh-uh…….
God bless the chickens that gave up their wings….
…fried popiah…. (this picture is for those (no names mentioned) who took the scenic route to her place via Ipoh and didn’t get to taste this as we had finished it up by the time they arrived)
…minimal oil with loads of seafood, just the way I like it…..
…we all need our vegetables…..
…carbs we love….
…freshly baked chocolate muffins…
…from now on, Precious Pea is going to supply me with her homemade pineapple tarts!….
…Jackson‘s mum made this delicious tapioca cake (kuih bingka ubi)….
…if felt like Christmas again when I laid eyes on the yoghurt cake which the ravenous rabbit, Paprika, had made!
Camera tricks? I think not. Those who were present will vouch for the food that tasted as good as it looked. So to call this food porn may not be entirely correct. Pornography may look enticing on tape, but nothing beats the real thing, spare tyre and all, because it has one ingredient that pornography does not have. Condoms.
Nah.
It’s love, baby. L-U-B, love. Like the food which PP so lubbingly prepared for us.
Like fermented beancurd (i.e. the older the better, not the stinkier the better), these friends are for keeps.
(Also starring, Jason and Teckiee.)
The true test of friendship is being able to type out your friends’ blog addresses when you wanna link them without having to refer to your bookmarks.
The girl from Abu Dhabi may view pics HERE.
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.
dD
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:30 am
Someday, I’d like to be one of the listed online friends too, but i can’t cook 🙁
A Lil Fat Monkey
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:41 am
If you think your pseudonym’s awkward, wait til you have to use mine. Now that’s damn shy to say! And I do hope we can be ‘friends’ too, cause you’ve got some nice tasting friends…well least their food are!
Teh U Mei
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:20 am
Hi! I love your food blog.. the photos are amazing and the writing style great! I have a foodblog too. how do i get to know more malaysian food bloggers and get on other foodblog sites links for more exposure? please check out my site if you have time :
http://www.cumidanciki.blogspot.com
cheers
Precious Pea
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:35 am
Those wings!! Yummy! I still salivate when i see your picture of those beautiful wings! Haha! Really well taken. Do come again for more makan sessions in future yah?
lotsofcravings
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
wahaha..u call that simple food??? you must be joking right?
team bsg
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 am
yr r one of the luckier ones to have made ( nurtured , tasted and kept ) good friends digitally so take it as a super start for more are just beyond the horizon ( altho we have noted of late a gradual online decline from the original old pack from the first strike virginal enthusiastic glitter all round since Feb2007 especially in the last couple of months )
that may be good if the new packs are up and shooting high
knowing how much distractions, seductions and encumbrances there are
unkaleong
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Food…Glorious Food! Heheheh…Can see the drool almost about to drop off Pumpkins tongue
=P~~~
daphne
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 am
ooo… everything looks so wonderfu! ah.. yes,friendship through blogs are a blessing.
fatboybakes
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
scared of me? pffffttttttt!!!!! puhleez!!! roll eyes and farting at the same time.
rasa malaysia
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I want those pineapple tarts like right now…can I be Precious Pea’s friend, too????
One year, time flies. I am glad I kicked off something that blossoms…all one needs is some initiation…hehe.
Jian
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
uwoah….goodylicious food wei…and you call it simple =.=
are those cherry tomatoes in the salad? They look so tiny like the size of a blueberry…aiks…terkena ur poetic bug
i luv binka ubi and pineapple tarts!
reminds me about me and durianberry meeting jason for the 1st time…hehe
Nic (KHKL)
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Surprised by her call
Beautiful words on the wall
Friendly smile he had
Nice comments they add
Lovely bunch they were
Worthy friends for sure…
A beautiful party
With that cute doggie
And his lovely Mummy
Where’s the other baby?
Post bust-a-rhyme effect….hehe
kat
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Ya, you should have just stuck with Bau Serai… 😀
You think you felt silly when you mention your blogname, you should try mentioning mine..
“What? Soom wat?? How do you spell that?? What does it mean ah?
Oh my.. pea’s tarts looks fabulous!! And that chicken wing.. such a beautiful even colour!!
I was just thinking the same about FBB and wondering who else could be more fearsome than him that he would be afraid of them… 😀
wmw
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Hahaha….I still remember the first time we gathered and I told you the story about the stingray! LOL!
tigerfish
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
one day, i would like to meet you and Pea too! 😀
Either in singapore or Malaysia (where ever you are)…
Christine
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
wow… the food looks good! 🙂
didn’t take picture’s of precious pea’s hse? I wanna see ;P
terri@a daily obsession
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hi, Ivy mentioned your blog so I dropped by. I could feel my tight facial muscles relax when tt 1st pic came thru. I recognize that pooch!It’s Precious Pea isn’t it? N your pics are excellent. As always, I’d like to know what camera u r using (as if it would help me take better pics).
Kenny Mah
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
First pic made me think out loud: “Oh no! LL’s eaten one of PP’s lil darlings! The Cannibal! The Canine-Eater!”
Ah but. Not. Thankfully.
So sweet this post. (And so nice to call someone else sweet for a change. Hehe.)
Let’s have an exchange, shall we? I intro you to the Monkey Boy, you intro me to the Poet lor… And uhm, you all supply the makan, har? Me just good for makan only.
(But not to be makan-ed. Well, not by you lot anyway. Lols.)
terri@a daily obsession
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
okay, i just read ur proflie info. its a Canon EOS 400 🙂
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
dD: That would be lovely! Cooking skills not a pre-requisite. Some of us do better eating than cooking!
A Lil Fat Monkey: Oh, have you tasted any of my friends then? 😀 Would love to meet up with you sometime. I do believe we have some mutual friends. 😉
Teh U Mei: Thank you!! Well…one way of getting to know more food bloggers is by organising a makan session and inviting us along! hehe. You have a nice blog. 🙂
Precious Pea: Thank you for slaving over the stove for us! Big hug!!
Joe: I didn’t. PP did. She humble girl mah.
team bsg: We’ve had a lot of missed opportunities. When you gonna show your face?
Unkaleong: Yeah, really glorious food, Itellyew. If I had waited a split second more, I’d have captured the drool falling….so cool hor.
daphne: And best of all, one doesn’t need to meet up in real life to form good friends. Exchanging comments online is also a great form of friendship, no?
fatboybakes: like your farting is gonna make a difference. Now I’m even more scared coz u smell.
Rasa Malaysia: I still remember your first words to me. It was “Hi, are you wmw?” LOL. Thanks for initiating that first meeting!
Jian: Yeah, I do believe those were cherry tomatoes. The bingka ubi was damn good, I tell ya! So…how was your first meeting with Jason? 😉
argus
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Waaa… so nice! Simple food is often the best, ya?
As for blog handles, thank Dog I’m just ‘Argus’.
Henry Yeo
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:14 am
no Wii?
A Lil Fat Monkey
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 am
OMG! Am I being pimped out by some mutual friend (that one I’ve not tasted before, and has no intention of doing that either. Skinny ribs ain’t my thing)
Yea, a dinner with fabulous food and your royal highness is an honour. Get the skinny ribs of your court to hook it up! 🙂
white on rice couple
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Oh looove the cute doggie!!! Such a happy one too!
Glad you were able to meet with your blogging friends. We are thinking of planning some type of party for some local ones closer to us too!
vkeong
February 23rd, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Aaaaa! The pineapple tarts look so goooood! They are my fave! And so much pineapple jam on top! Waaaaaaaaaah
Jian
February 24th, 2008 at 12:39 am
woah those tomatoes are even smaller than grapes! O.o
hahah quite weird and exciting at the same time…meeting net fren when mom always warn “Don’t simply meet ppl from the net”…we ignore it and meet all the way in Ipoh when i dun even know how he looks like 😛 cuz forgot to check the profile, oni have his hp number……very nice guy because he was willing to fetch durianberry and me all the way back to our hotel where ah kua-s stay XD RM45 per nite so kenot complain :S
i knew him thru vkeong’s blog 🙂 oh yeah back then he was still skinny…hehehe guess u guys really fed him well…
teckiee
February 24th, 2008 at 5:01 am
hm… let me see if i can type out everyone’s URL the next time I want to link.
jason
February 24th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I can type the URLs! Wanna see? 😛
Dear sister Lemongrass, your pictures are getting better and better lah, did you select some to print them out and hang in your kitchen?
Ehh… I’m not that scary la, right?
Big Boys Oven
February 24th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Such a salivating feast and yet so simple!
Mei
February 25th, 2008 at 7:01 am
makan session can! but i can’t cook to save my life.. so it’ll have to be some place public ;P any suggestions on venues?
yammylicious*
February 25th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
i’m darn hungry for all the food!! =( jealoussssssssssssssssy
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 25th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Nic: The first time’s always the sweetest. 😉 And the other baby? I thought it would be an overkill. You can find more pics on Precious Pea’s blog.
kat: YES! I’ve been trying to explain to FBB that he’s the scariest, but Nooooo he doesn’t believe me! P/S I still dunno how to pronounce the name of ur blog. 😛
wmw: Those are the kind of memories I’d like to forget, but they keep haunting me. Heeheehee. U spoil market for the fishies, leh.
tigerfish: That can be arranged, for sure! Just give advanced warning. 🙂
Christine: Precious Pea will kill me if I put up pictures of her house. Suffice to say that it is very beautiful. I love the spacious kitchen especially. 🙂
terri: Hi and welcome! Precious Pea mentioned your blog too with a specific warning…that I’d be very very hungry just from looking at your blog. She was right, of course. 🙂
Kenny: Dog meat? Nah….that one you’ll have to refer to another food blogger amidst us (no names mentioned). As for your introduction…thanks….but looks like he’s initiated the meeting already, so I guess you’re…err….redundant? 😛 No lah…you’re my Kenny benny….will always need you around, even though you’re just skin and bones.
argus: Thanks for putting a smile on my face! Is Argus a common doggie name? You’re the first I’ve come across. If I had a dog, its name would be Tom.
Henry: Of course there was Wii. Those addicts!
A Li’l Fat Monkey: Hehehe. I think he’s set up something already, eh? If you and I don’t favour ribs, who’ll have him?
white on rice couple: Oh the dog’s happy, alright! He belongs to food blogger Precious Pea who dotes on her two doggies! We dote on them too. 😀
vkeong: That’s the advantage of homemade pineapple tarts. I still remember the yummy tarts….Mmmmmmm!!!
Jian: LOL…Yeah, Jason’s a real sweetie. We adore him too. He still looks skinny to me, though! hahaha.
teckiee: hehe. Don’t stress yourself out. 😛
jason: I’m not one for printing photos…so much effort! But having said that, I may just do that one day, especially with photos of family and friends. Not food la. Nanti look like a Flavours magazine shooting site only! And no, you’re not scary, dear. You’re a good guy.
BBO: Yeah, food made with love tastes great.
Mei: Venues? Anywhere oso can wan. From roadside stalls to 5 star restaurants…what’s your pref?
yammylicious: awwwwww. Poor girl. *hugzzz*
Mei
February 25th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
how about the george and dragon at bsc? any weekend oso can.. hope all your kaki can make it.. they sound like a swell bunch 🙂
email2me
February 25th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Home cook foods always the best!
Jian
February 25th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
aiks really? but his face looks rounder now…wahahaha…jason scary???wuahahaha….
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Mei: Will get in touch with you…hopefully soon. 🙂
email2me: I totally agree!
email2me
February 26th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Count me in for next food bloggers meet up ….. 😀
Lyrical Lemongrass
February 26th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Jian: You mean Jason cannot be scary meh? 🙂
email2me: Will do. 🙂
Jun
February 27th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
i guess i felt a bit awkward too the first time meeting u guys cos by then u guys had already known each othr, and i felt like a stranger intruding on a family xmas dinner ;p but i was surprised by the warm hospitality even tho it felt weird saying “oh i’m from durians to floating pies”…:/
Mama BoK
February 28th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Isn’t it awesome..! to have such great friends.?? with the same passion.. 🙂
Steven Y
February 29th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
One word ~! Superb~!!! I bumped into ur blog awhile ago while i was surfin around and the pictures did captured my eyes first. And than i began to swallow my saliva watchin at those delicious food and the way u describe the dishes really makes me wanna run to the nearest restaurant to try it out (btw, i did~! haha~!!!) so keep up the great work that yer all doin n do drop by my blog (well sort of) and give me some feedback. : ) Cheers!!!
J2Kfm
March 8th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
hey, u have a great food blog here, all the photos are so vibrant and delicious! pls check out my blog if u r free, and throw unlimited brickbats … haha