NOT a food blog
In the desolate depths of a perilous place
the Blumerman lurks, with a snarl on his face.
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Never dare, never dare to approach his dark lair
for he’s waiting . . . just waiting . . . to get you.
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He skulks in the shadows, relentless and wild
in his search for a tender, delectable child.
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With his steely sharp claws and his slavering jaws
oh he’s waiting . . . just waiting . . . to get you.
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Many have entered his dreary domain
but not even one has been heard from again.
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They no doubt made a feast for the butchering beast
and he’s waiting . . . just waiting . . . to get you.
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In that sulphurous, sunless and sinister place
he’ll crumple your bones in his Blumer embrace.
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Never never go near if you hold your life dear,
for oh! . . . what he’ll do . . . when he gets you!
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Adapted from a poem entitled The Bogeyman by Jack Prelutsky
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When I first watched The Surreal Gourmet on TV a couple of years back, little did I know that one day, I’d be having dinner and taking a stroll down Jalan Raja Alang in Kampung Baru with that gravity-defying-hairstyled chef himself. Actually, I think I was mostly attracted to his hair and his wide grin. He may have lost that hairstyle, but his grin is certainly still there. I can’t imagine what it must be like for him, travelling from place to place, meeting new people all the time, and having to wear a perpetual smile. Reminds me of my wedding day when I had to smile and thank over 800 people at one of two wedding receptions: whoever said it takes less muscles to smile than to frown must have been a leprechaun high on moonshine.
When asked whether he could handle spicy food, the Blumerman said, bring it on, baby. So nasi lemak at Nasi Lemak CT Garden in Kampung Baru was a breeze in the park for him.
When asked to try the putu bambu at Jalan Raja Alang in Kampung Baru, he didn’t ask for a spoon. Instead, he dove straight in with his fingers, letting the warm, freshly made putu take centre stage, while the proprietors gave an approving nod at the mat salleh eating with his fingers, embracing the gooey stickiness of the gula melaka (palm sugar).
We plundered on with him, taking in the sights and sounds of the market. For me, at least, it was an inspiring experience seeing fresh ulam, bundles of bunga kantan (torch ginger buds, used liberally in local dishes like asam laksa) and exotic fruits – I photographed everything with a religious fervour, almost forgetting that Blumer was in our midst.
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This May, it’s Bob Blumer-mania as Discovery Travel & Living’s BEST OF BOB BLUMER brings viewers on a quirky gastronomic tour. From May 11, this week-long compilation of the best-rated episodes from SURREAL GOURMET 4 and GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT 2 airs every weeknight on ASTRO Channel 707 from 8:00pm to 9:00pm and on Sunday, May 17 from 3:00pm to 8:00pm.
Thank you, Discovery Travel & Living and Compass Communications Sdn Bhd, for inviting us on the jalan-jalan tour with Bob Blumer. I’m still elated.
It was good fun doing the rounds with S, Splashie Boy, Boo_licious from Masak-Masak and Adly from FriedChillies. And hello Connie and Blake!
For a detailed writeup, visit Masak-Masak.
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.
Precious Pea
May 12th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Wahh…fun outing with a celebrity!!! They did any recording to be shown on TV??
Manggy
May 12th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Oh wow! Celebrity alert! I wonder if I’ll ever get to meet my culinary idols? 🙂 Of course Bob was game for spicy food!
How curious– we have a snack called puto bumbong which kinda is reminiscent of what you showed us 🙂
Lyrical Lemongrass
May 12th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Precious Sista: Yeah, it was a lot of fun! No recording, though…phew…altho’ Adly did bring along his videocam, so you may just get a chance to see his video on Friedchillies.com. 🙂 That’s wider coverage than TV, I think, since his viewership is HUGE. (plug for friedchillies hehe)
Manggy: Well, I can imagine the number of celebrity chefs clamouring to go to the Philippines! You’re a celebrity of sorts, too, Manggy, since you’ve been featured in magazines before. 😉 Puto bumbong….I do need to research this further…we must compare notes!
gfad
May 12th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Ooooohh.. I like this guy – he’s funny. And his take on classic recipes is pretty innovative. I still remember his hamburger and meatloaf cake. And who can forget his toaster mobile? 😀
I’m sure he’s nicer than Bourdain, no? 😉
J2Kfm
May 12th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
wait, means you guys get to appear in TV with him?!!! and NOT on any local channels some more?! sweet!
A Lil Fat Monkey
May 12th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
the chicken feet are freaky!!!!!
keropokman
May 12th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
the chicken feet, when it’s made into phoenix claws in dim sum… yum yum….
keats
May 12th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Yeah, nicer than Bourdain! Thumbs up for The Bogeyman poem. Nice accompanying pics too.
Lyrical Lemongrass
May 13th, 2009 at 12:13 am
gfad: Hahaha….never met Bourdain before, so it’s hard to compare, no. Hey, I have Blumer’s recipe book…lemme know if you’d like any recipes, k.
J2Kfm: No, no, dear, I meant appearing on FriedChillies video…which is pretty amazing too. It’s internet TV.
A Lil Fat Monkey: You don’t like to eat chicken feet, bff?
keropokman: I agree…I love ’em too! Put the feet in the mouth, work the tongue a bit, and ptooi, spit out the bones!
keats: Thank you, thank you! Somebody noticed the poem! Yay!
thenomadGourmand
May 13th, 2009 at 9:20 am
can imagine the exercise u got walkin round lugging ur big cam!
so, will we see u on one of the shows??
yin
May 13th, 2009 at 10:41 am
i love the chicken feet shot. it’s almost as if the chicks were dancing a balinese dance 🙂
cumidanciki
May 13th, 2009 at 10:48 am
photo 2, 6 & 7 are bloody genius. My favourites no doubt. all hail… the new queen of horror. ( i looked under my bed twice b4 lights out last night.. just to be sure… )
cumidanciki
May 13th, 2009 at 10:50 am
re othr comments.. sorry la but … bourdain is number ONE , bourdain is NO.1 !!!!!!
Barbie
May 13th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Did he dive into the nasi lemak with his fingers too? The chicken feet pics looks like some scene from a movie where scary beings are reaching out for u! *shudder*
thule aka leo
May 13th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I’m not really a poetic guy 🙂 but I love everything that you wrote in your blog… one of the earliest blogs that I read ever since I joined blogspot community… lol!!!
By the way, of all the Discovery Travel & Living celebrities, I gotta admit that I know Bob Blumer the less compared to Anthony Bourdain, Samantha Brown, Andrew Zimmer, etc… sigh!
Angeline (Compass)
May 13th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Nice! glad you had fun.
Tks!
Lyrical Lemongrass
May 13th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
thenomadGourmand: What big camera? LOL. Very light leh.
yin: Hmmmm….never thought of a balinese dance…how creative of you! 🙂
cumidanciki: My favourites are 2, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12. Horror? LOL….thanks to you la….you’re the genius! 😉 As for Bourdain….nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh.
Barbie: He followed our example (use fork and spoon hahaha). Yeah, the chicken feet are pretty scary. You should see the number of pics I took….all from different angles…haha. Call it an obsession with chickens.
thule aka leo: Awwwwww….that’s really sweet of you! Thank you!! 😀 Yeah, I know what you mean abt Bob Blumer, but there’s something about him that got me hooked to his shows. I think it was his smile. And his recipes make you think out of the box.
Angeline: Thanks, Angeline! We had a lovely time!
Paprika
May 13th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Am sure nothing is too spicy for him lah. Did you see that episode of him participating in a chili eating contest? CRAZEEEEEE! I love him but my sister L-O-V-E-S him more! heh heh
Bangsar-bAbE
May 13th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Brilliant shots, and very well focused! The pics of chicken feet and neck sends a shiver down my spine! o_0
And when do we get to see you on the internet??? =D
Lyrical Lemongrass
May 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Paprika: No, I didn’t see that episode, but I believe ya! Oh dear…don’t tell your sister or she’ll never say hi to me again!
Bangsar-bAbE: Thank yew thank yew! Yeah, they’re kinda creepy, even in real life. Good scene for a horror movie. See me on the internet? No need la…we’ll leave that for the visually pleasing ones like you. 🙂
A Lil Fat Monkey
May 13th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
See, I’m not the only one who thinks those chicken feet are what horror flicks are made of!
Plus, me no like to eat the feet. McCutie on the other hand is a FAN!
Henry Yeo
May 14th, 2009 at 1:23 am
guess we have to get you Curtis Stone and Anthony Bourdain next.
jason
May 14th, 2009 at 10:37 am
The carcasses are creepy but hey, that’s a cool outing!
Chin
May 14th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Food nightmare and a pleasant outing!
sc
May 14th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
looks like you guys had loads of fun.. and these pictures looks like it’s straight from discovery channel! 🙂
Nigel
May 15th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Woo hoo! He’s really cool! Love the toastermobile and his new show! Would love to meet him sometime!
HairyBerry
May 15th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
so aptly la, the poem. like kena captured by Bob Blumer in his toaster mobile, only to return as a fan of his dishes liddat. haha! yeah, been watching some of his shows on tv and i must say he’s more real than some of them chefs cooking in tv studios. that’s cool.
kampung baru market is such an inspiration, i agree. we should refresh our senses in wet markets like these, especially when we are tired of those clinical hypersupermarkets. what’s more when there are good makan stalls like CT Roses around! 😀
Dharm
May 16th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Humppph! I am sooo jealous! Jealous about the Belvenie too. Life is not fair!! Maybe I should start blogging about other peoples food instead of sharing mine… incidentally, posted a Mutton Varuvel in case you’re interested… but who has time for me now when you rub shoulder with the likes of Blumer…!
kampungboycitygal
May 17th, 2009 at 9:56 am
whoa that’s awsome! is he cute? haha
tongue achee
May 17th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
chis…i would have come along if i wasnt hosting party for you flerssss….you coulda at least brought him back with u….
greetings from perth….
Argus Gigglus
May 18th, 2009 at 3:57 am
Hilarious – the juxtaposition of your pictures and the Bogeyman poem. First time I heard of Mr Blumer (that’s coz I live under an Alphorn) but he reminds me of a cuter Ted Danson.
Hey, are you gonna appear on that episode, LL? 🙂
Life for Beginners
May 18th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Ah you lucky peeps! I think he’s one of the most endearing and sincere of them foodie/chef personalities on TV. Miss that HAIR though… 😛
Alexandra
May 18th, 2009 at 11:50 am
ohh you lucky lucky lady!! woulda been cool to meet him 🙂
lotsofcravings
May 18th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
haha i finally caught one of his episodes..NOW i know who he is..
unkaleong
May 18th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Caught him on the tube y’day hurling haggis! Hehehe as per Joe, this pleeb finally knows who he is.
backstreetgluttons
May 20th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Ah ! to be in the exalted company of the fast and the famous , is indeed the dream of many a young foodie.
Way to go ! da resident Queen…
fatboybakes
May 20th, 2009 at 10:49 am
nipplejoe, i also never watched his show before leh…..
Tummythoz
May 20th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Did not grasp poem will be quite sinister until that upside down chicken pic. Gory. Until my nx meal. =)
Rama V
November 5th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
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