Confessions of a City Slicker

It didn’t matter that today was supposed to be a public holiday but my company doesn’t recognize it. I take comfort in knowing that not every company recognizes today as a public holiday and that some of my friends are working too, some far, far away from home.

It didn’t matter that in the whole row of offices this side of the building, only my office is opened. When you are working near a hypermarket and the restaurants downstairs are bustling with activities, it’s not that quiet.

It didn’t matter that I am a Lone Ranger in the office today because one colleague is out of action, the other one is working from home and the bosses are all travelling. I actually enjoyed the solitude and got some work done in spite of the longing to eat snake.

It didn’t matter that both the parents are not working and were enjoying an afternoon nap when I went home a while ago.

Nooooooooo, all that didn’t matter at all.

What did matter was that you chose today, this afternoon, to come pouring down. You just can’t help rubbing it in my face, can you? You just had to drive home the fact that while I could have been cosily snuck in bed in this pefect snooze weather, I’m busting my ass in the office.

You had two perfectly good days to show up. Two whole days where I could sleep in. Where were you????

I must have passed by this place countless times when I visit the craft & sewing materials shop in Rangoon Road. Can’t say that I’m surprised I missed it because other than the name, I can’t read what the rest of what its sign says because they are all in Chinese.

A big thank you to the good folks of Penang Tua Pui for korek-ing this place up.

Since my other tham chiak friend can’t make it with me, I dragged my parents there for lunch today. On the recommendation of the Tua Puis, here’s what we ordered:

From L to R: Steamed Fish with Hor Fun, Fish Head Bee Hoon with Hot & Sour Soup, Fish Head Bee Hoon with Clear Soup

Since none of us are big eaters, we stopped at that. I saw other side dishes ordered by the rest of the patrons like steamed vegetables with meat floss, sweet & sour pork, bitter gourd with egg and fried noodles.

The steamed fish with hor fun seemed to be unique to Penang because I’ve never seen other places offering it. It’s the usual steamed fish in soy sauce dish that you see in most restaurant but with hor fun added. You have to make sure that you mix the hor fun and fish well with the sauce because otherwise, there is not much flavor.

The bee hoon comes in a big clay pot, the size depends on the number of people ordering it. We were going to order a three person portion but since the lady taking our orders mentioned that the clear soup version is also available, I decided to order that one for myself and let the parents have the hot & sour version.

It turns out the hot & sour version was superior because the clear soup was rather bland with very little flavors if you take it without the help of soy sauce and pepper.

However, I do wonder why they call it fish head bee hoon when all the pieces of fish in there were fish fillet.

It was already full house when we arrived at near 1 pm. We were lucky to get a table because we were a small group. Other bigger groups had to stand at the entrance and wait. But, in spite of the big crowd, we didn’t have to wait long for our food.

Parking, however, is a different thing because there weren’t much space left. Either we have to park far away, park at the next road and walk to the place or dump the car illegally at the roadside. There is a parking lot in Lorong Selamat which is just next to Rangoon road and it is near an alley that you can use as a short cut to the place.

My advice will be to go there early to avoid waiting for a table. Just look out for the big yellow sign board on the left side of the road. It is just two or three shophouses away from the big coffee shop at the junction of Rangoon Road and Macalister Road.

I must make a visit there again to try out their other dishes.

Here’s my little Mee dozing on my lap. Making visits to my apartment for her nap has become a nightly activity. We can’t help inviting her in, not when she looks like this through the front door

Sometimes for added effect, she’ll place one paw against the glass door and that will be the end of our resolve. Our hearts will melt and in she comes.

Unlike most cats, though, she doesn’t like her belly rubbed. It’s strange, because I’ve seen a lot of cats with their eyes closed, heads thrown back in rapturous abandonment and purring like an engine as their bellies are rubbed. Not her, though.

As I write this, Mee is tumbling around with our floor mat and our rubber door stop, her toys when she visits.

She’ll tire out soon enough and find a place to sleep. Sometimes it’s the bed in our guestroom or one of our dining chairs. If she’s feeling especially affectionate, she’ll come meowing at me to put her on my lap as I watch TV.

Later tonight, when she has slept enough, I’ll take her downstairs for her nightly patrol with our security guards.