Dongzhi or the Winter Solstice Festival - 21 December 2016

Today, 21 December, 2016, is Winter solstice and for people of Chinese descent around the world, today is celebrated as what is known as Dongzhi or the 'Tung' Festival.

It marks "the arrival of winter") and this festival is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese community and other East Asians. This Winter Solstice or Dongzhi Festival is celebrated either on December 21 or 22 of each year. This year it falls on December 21, today.


Most mothers (as like mine too) would be cooking up a storm in the kitchen as this day is a time for a family to get together. It is also the last major Chinese festival of the year, the next one being the Chinese New Year. Incidentally Chinese New Year will be on Saturday, January 28.

Borrowing from Wikipedia on the Dongzhi Festival..

One activity that occurs during these get-togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of tangyuan (湯圓) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion.

Tangyuan

Tangyuan are made of glutinous rice flour and sometimes brightly coloured. Each family member receives at least one large tangyuan in addition to several small ones. The flour balls may be plain or stuffed. They are cooked in a sweet soup or savory broth with both the ball and the soup/broth served in one bowl. It is also often served with a mildly alcoholic unfiltered rice wine containing whole grains of glutinous rice (and often also Sweet Osmanthus flowers), called jiuniang - but this one is probably still practiced in China.

More about Dongzhi - courtesy of Bing..

In northern China, people typically eat dumplings on Dongzhi. Wikipedia has this to say about its origin..

It is said to have originated from Zhang Zhongjing in the Han Dynasty. On one cold winter day, he saw the poor suffering from chilblains on their ears. Feeling sympathetic, he ordered his apprentices to make dumplings with lamb and other ingredients, and distribute them among the poor to keep them warm, to keep their ears from getting chilblains. Since the dumplings were shaped like ears, Zhang named the dish "qùhán jiāoěr tāng" (祛寒嬌耳湯) or dumpling soup that expels the cold. From that time on, it has been a tradition to eat dumplings on the day of Dongzhi.


And more..
Old traditions also require people with the same surname or from the same clan to gather at their ancestral temples to worship on this day. There is always a grand reunion dinner following the sacrificial ceremony.

The festive food is also a reminder that celebrators are now a year older and should behave better in the coming year. Even today, many Chinese around the world, especially the elderly, still insist that one is "a year older" right after the Dongzhi celebration instead of waiting for the lunar new year.



Here in Kuala Lumpur, we are nowhere near winter, of course. It's a sunny day with blue skies today..

KL skyline in the distance. More and more highrise buildings are springing up downtown. It used to be just the PETRONAS Twin Towers and one or two blocks but look at it now, and more to come. The KL Tower is actually to the right of the twin towers covered from view by that tall tree.

I wish you all a Very Happy Dongzhi!

Courtesy of Google images

Still blogging today

A girlfriend once marveled at how I could still keep up with blogging after all these years. I told her 'nothing to it, you just keep on finding something to write, anything'.. tongue in cheek.

But I must admit that I've not been updating this space regularly enough - those of you who have been regular readers would have noticed that. Ooops!

And I've told myself (not once) I shall do better, and I will. I will post more regularly from now on, maybe not daily like the Blog Challenge I did last April, but certainly more frequently from now on.

For starters, here's something wow-worthy, 'The most awesome Omurice in Kichi2, Kyoto, Japan'. Enjoy!

Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated today, 15 September, 2016

Today, September 15th, the Chinese community around the world celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival. This festival is also celebrated by the Vietnamese.

Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival or in this part of the world (Malaysia and Singapore) also referred to as the Lantern Festival (though not to be confused with the other Lantern Festival celebrated on the 15th day of Chinese New Year).

Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th Month of the Lunar year.

The Mooncake Festival is one of a number of traditional Chinese festivals. Malaysians of Chinese descent make up about 25% of the population of Malaysia so Chinese festivals are observed here in keeping up with traditions.

Traditionally, the Mid-Autumn Festival is in celebration of the end of the harvest season. Ancient Chinese emperors worshiped the harvest moon on this day of the year (the Chinese lunar calendar), as they believed the practice would bring them a bountiful harvest the following year.

The custom of offering sacrifices to the moon originated from worshiping the moon goddess, and it was recorded that kings offered sacrifices to the moon in fall during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1045–770 BC).

The practice of moon worship is still practised today, in this day and age. Only the Chinese Buddhist/Taoist community here in Malaysia follow the custom. A table would be set up outdoors with offerings of fruits and snacks and mooncakes, of course, together with lighting of incense/joss-sticks and candles.

Offerings are actually made to a lunar deity, Chang'e, known as the Moon Goddess of Immortality. The myths associated with Chang'e explain the origin of moon worship during this day. One version of the story can be found on Wikipedia, as described in Lihui Yang's Handbook of Chinese Mythology.

After dinner, family members would continue the festivity with more eating, mooncakes being a must-have food item, naturally. Other foodstuff associated with this festival include the pomelo, small yams or taro and water caltrops or ling kok (in Cantonese).

Children will play with lanterns. The lantern, like the mooncake, is synonymous with the Mid-Autumn Festival which explains why this festival is also called Lantern Festival.

Lanterns are traditionally handmade with paper and bamboo strips and lit by a candle. However, lanterns have evolved over the years and contemporary versions are sometimes made of plastic, lit by a battery-operated bulb and feature cartoon characters though traditional animal shapes or the star-fruit are still available.

The tradition of eating mooncakes during the festival began in the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), a dynasty ruled by the Mongols.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people's resistance wanted to overthrow the rule of the Mongols, so they planned an uprising together. But they had no way to inform other Han people who wanted to join them of the time of the uprising without being discovered by the Mongols.

The military counselor of the Han people's resistance army, Liu Bowen, thought out a stratagem related to mooncakes. Liu Bowen asked his soldiers to write "uprising on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival" on slips of paper, put them in mooncakes, and then sell them to the other Han people.

When the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival came, a huge uprising broke out and the Han people succeeded.
Source: China Highlights

Here's wishing you a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

V is for Vegetables

V is for Vegetables.

- Vegetables and fruits are an important part of a healthy diet, and variety is as important as quantity.

- No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. Eat plenty everyday.

A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar which can help keep appetite in check.

Eat a variety of types and colors of produce in order to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. Try dark leafy greens; brightly colored red, yellow and orange vegetables and fruits; and cooked tomatoes.

The above is borrowed from the Harvard School of Public Health website. It goes on with more information..

Eat more vegetables and fruits each day

1. Keep fruit where you can see it. That way you’ll be more likely to eat it.

2. Explore the produce aisle and choose something new. Variety is the key to a healthy diet.

3. Skip the potatoes. Choose other vegetables that are packed with more nutrients and more slowly digested carbohydrates.

4. Make it a meal. Try cooking new recipes that include more vegetables. Salads and stir fries are two ideas for getting tasty vegetables on your plate.


This one is interesting. There' also a suggestion of a Healthy Eating Plate vs. USDA’s MyPlate. Take a look.

This is the Healthy Eating Plate...

And this is the USDA's My Plate..

The Healthy Eating Plate, created by experts at Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, points consumers to the healthiest choices in the major food groups. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate, though it has been revised to reflect some key findings, still doesn’t offer the most complete picture when it comes to basic nutrition advice.

The Healthy Eating Plate is based exclusively on the best available science and was not subjected to political or commercial pressures from food industry lobbyists. Here’s a table showing how the Healthy Eating Plate compares to the USDA’s MyPlate, section by section.

Details on the comparison is available on Healthy Eating Plate vs. USDA’s MyPlate. Worth reading.


Source: Harvard School of Public Health

Chestnuts they are a-roasting

C is for Chestnuts.

You can tell chestnuts are in season when the aroma of chestnuts being roasted is in the air.

One might mistake it for coffee even but then again, one is not wrong. Chestnuts here sold by street vendors are roasted with coffee beans and butter. More accurately, they are roasted in a pan/pot like this.

This is actually an improved method, which is less labour-intensive.

Some vendors still do manual frying the chestnuts in a large wok with coffee beans and butter being the main ingredients that make these chestnuts so attractive to the senses.

The next time you are here in Malaysia, watch out for these. Don't leave Malaysia without tasting our roasted chestnuts. You can find them in market squares. Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur would be a good start to look.

Image source

Friday Frolics - What Flavor Jelly Bean Are You?

Jelly beans are not only colourful and pretty, there is just about any flavour anyone can fancy. This week's personality quiz is just about them, jelly beans.

In the quiz, pick the flavor that would taste best to you right now and see what it says about you. You have a choice of

o Pineapple

o Licorice

o Peanut butter

o Cherry

o Margarita

o Strawberry

o Caramel

o Peach

o Coconut

o Root Beer

o Popcorn

o Green Apple

o Cinnamon

I picked Green Apple and it says..

You Are a Green Apple Jelly Bean

Of all the flavors, you're the most complex and the most real. A little sweet, a little sour, and totally tangy. People can't describe you, but they love you!

Here's the quiz..
What Flavor Jelly Bean Are You?

Here's More Fun Quizzes!

Here's last week's quiz if you missed it:
The Parrot Test and Kuala Lumpur Bird Park
Also..

March equinox and Cooking eggs the alternative way

Hiya! Surprising there's no sun today in spite of the fact that today, March 20, is the March equinox or the Northward equinox when the Sun appears to leave the southern hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from earth.

Source: Wikipedia

In its apparent motion on the day of an equinox, the Sun's disk crosses the Earth's horizon directly to the east at dawn—rising; and again, some 12 hours later, directly to the west at dusk—setting. But an equinoctial day produces several minutes more daylight time than nighttime.

As Malaysia is located just north of the Equator, today is set to be the hottest day in the year due to this equinox phenomenon. Last week, somebody cooked an egg on the dashboard inside the car. I kid you not! Here's proof from The Star.

The heatwave already started a week or two ago with temperatures soaring to 39deg C in the northern part of the peninsula. Here in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, temperatures hit between 31 to 35deg C. Shopping complexes are the most popular places during the day or weekends. Rather, any place with air-conditioning is a go-to venue right now, including the office with people coming in early and leaving late just so they can spend more time in a cooler environment.

Here's how we can stay safe from the heatwave.. (Source: The Star)

Just an idea of temperatures today in and around the country..

Accuweather (source of the image above) says Kuala Lumpur is 'mostly cloudy' today, though I don't see clouds but just a drab greyish/white canvas above. No matter, this happy surfer shall have a happy day. You too wherever you are..

Friday Frolics - What Pumpkin Treat Are You?

Sweet! It's Friday again. How time flies, doesn't it?

We have sunshine again here in Kuala Lumpur. Seems like the air quality in the region is much improved. Even Riau in Indonesia where the fires were raging has a PSI reading of 31 today. Can you believe it? Nice, huh! Lets hope it stays that way though here in Malaysia we are all prepared for the floods normally associated with the year-end North-east monsoon. The people in Kelantan (north-eastern state) are particularly wary after the devastating flood of last year which left many families displaced and much devastation in its wake.

As regards this week's Personality Quiz, since Halloween is just around the corner and pumpkins are associated with Halloween, let's take a quiz associated with the pumpkin and see what Pumpkin Treat we are.

Happy Friday, everyone!

You Are Pumpkin Bread

You are considerate and generous. Your heart warms when you're able to do something unexpectedly nice for someone else. You know it can be a cold world out there, and you have plenty of happiness to spread around. You try to give as much as possible every day, and you know that small acts of kindness can often mean the much. Whether you're being a good listener or sharing a slice of your pumpkin bread, people feel lucky to be able to count on you.

What Pumpkin Treat Are You?

More Fun Quizzes!

Last week's Quiz: What Flavor Croissant Are You?
And, Happy Halloween too!

Friday Frolics - What Flavor Croissant Are You?

Cool, it's Friday again!

Here's an interesting Personality Quiz for you this week. It's about flavoured croissants. Don't fancy croissants? Never mind, just take the quiz. Find out what it says about you - and it'll be a lot, trust me. Pretty interesting questionnaire too. Enjoy..

Happy Friday!

p/s: We take a break from Haze talk today though it's still bad in KL and all over the country. Singapore is getting it worse today with western Singapore recording a reading of 231. Oh gosh!

You Are a Chocolate Croissant

You are deeply passionate and emotional. You feel everything, and you don't hide what you're feeling. You have a strong personality, but you have the grace needed to smooth over any rough edges. People appreciate your strength. You are sharp and confident. You're always up for an interesting debate, and you have a fun comeback for anyone who tries to insult you. You don't have a mean bone in your body, but you also don't care what others think of you. You think you're living right. You enjoy treating yourself, and you always make sure to do a little something to make the day a little nicer. You understand the benefits of delayed gratification, but you'll have your gratification now, thank you!

What Flavor Croissant Are You?

More Fun, Free Quizzes!

Last Week's Quiz: The Sushi Chopstick Test

Friday Frolics - The Sushi Chopstick Test

Sushi seems to be the type of food that people either love or loathe... with no in between. Select the piece of sushi you are most interested in, and find out what it says about you.

You Are Courageous

You attain mastery of whatever interests you. You are extremely sharp and a quick learner. You are excited by knowledge, and reading is not enough for you. You like to conduct your own experiments. You are a whimsical and idiosyncratic person. You embrace your quirks - they make you who you are. You are inventive, creative, and completely ingenious. You are extremely gifted.

The Sushi Chopstick Test

More Fun Quizzes!

Last Week's Quiz - How's Your Attention Span?

Friday Frolics - What Pasta Dish Are You?

Hah! It's Friday again - makes me kind of guilty that I have been neglecting my blog and you, my dear readers. But hey, at least I get a post up on Fridays, right? Right?

This week's personality quiz is about food, glorious food. I picked today's quiz for the number of categories I saw at the end of it. You could be one of these:

You Are Spaghetti Bolognese
You Are Lasagna
You Are Pasta Primavera
You Are Spaghetti Marinara
You Are Fettuccine Alfredo
You Are Macaroni and Cheese
You Are Spaghetti with Pesto
You Are Cheese Ravioli
You are Spaghetti with Meatballs
You Are Pasta Puttanesca.

See? How fun we all are with such a mix of personalities. Well take the quiz to find out a wee bit more about yourself.

You have a lovely day and an equally lovely weekend ahead.

Kuala Lumpur is pretty hazy today and I hear thunder in the distance which is a good sign for some much-needed rainfall. Hope you are getting better weather conditions wherever you are.

And now, the quiz..

You Are Cheese Ravioli

Compared to most people, you are incredibly laid back and fun. You love loud, crowded dinner tables and cooking with a crowd. For you, a meal is more about the overall experience than the actual food. You enjoy fun foods. You love theme dinners and funky appetizers.

What Pasta Dish Are You?

Lots of Fun, Free Quizzes!

Last quiz The Happy Pattern Test

Kajang and Satay

Looking at the picture below you have to feel sorry for the town-folk in the 'satay' town. Yes, Kajang was hit by a flash flood two days ago.

Why 'satay' you may ask. Kajang, the town about 15 miles south of KL is known for its satay.

Satay (or Sate) is grilled skewered sticks of meat (most common here are chicken and beef) dipped in a peanut sauce. Satay is normally served with cucumber and onions and ketupat (rice cooked in a casing of palm leaves).

If you are visiting Malaysia, don't leave home without trying our satay. They are easily available from roadside foodstalls to hotel restaurants. A picture tells a thousand words.. here's a thousand words (courtesy of Google). Yum!

Friday Frolics - What Fine Herb Are You?

Chives I am..

Selamat Hari Raya to you who are celebrating.
Happy Holidays to the others who will be enjoying the extended weekend nevertheless.

You Are Chives

You are a complex person, and you are more versatile than others expect. You do a lot of things well. There are two sides to your personality: one is all about art and color, while the other is all business. You are very resilient. It is hard to keep you down, and you know how to overcome almost any obstacle. You are balanced and understated. You have a compelling depth, but you don't broadcast it to the world.

What Fine Herb Are You?

Fun, Free Quizzes!

Last week's What's Your Decorating Style?

Friday Frolics - What Salad Dressing Are You?

Ah, it's Friday again! Nice.

This week's Personality Quiz is about Salad Dressing. Take the quiz to find out what it says about you. Mine makes me laugh here..No one knows quite what to do with you! Oh dear!

Happy Friday, everyone!

You Are Blue Cheese Dressing

You are a bold person with even bolder tastes. You don't shy away from things that are novel, unusual, or different. There is nothing subtle about your personality or palate. You always go for the wilder choice whenever possible. You get bored easily, and you may even experiment a bit to keep yourself entertained. You are all about interesting and unusual combinations. You have quite a personality, and you are very unique. No one knows quite what to do with you!

What Salad Dressing Are You?

Fun, Free Quizzes!

Last Week's Quiz: The Five Factor Emotional Intelligence Test

Most expensive burger in the world

This 140 gramme (about five ounce) patty at more than 250,000 euros ($330,000) to produce, must make this the world's most expensive burger.

Lab-grown burger - The Star

On Monday, yesterday, scientists were set to unveil the world's first lab-grown beef burger, serving it up fried to volunteers in London in what they hope is the start of a food revolution.

Mixed with salt, egg powder and breadcrumbs to improve the taste, and coloured with red beetroot juice and saffron, researchers claim it will taste similar to a normal burger.

BBC News has had exclusive access to the laboratory in the Netherlands, where the artificial meat was produced.

Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University, whose lab developed the meat, says it is safe and has the potential to replace normal meat in the diets of millions of people.

This new food source could potentially address the environment issue of global warming caused by the growing demand for meat which is putting unsustainable pressure on the planet, both through the food required for the animals and the methane gas they produce.

In a video, Prof Mark Post of Maastricht University who led the research, explains how the burger was made and reveals the freezers full of ingredients.

Although it is very expensive, the costs of cultured beef are likely to fall as more is produced and the team claim it could be available in supermarkets within 10 to 20 years.

Yum or no Yum?


Source: The Star..World's first lab-grown burger to be tasted in London

Wine and dine at Hakka Republic Wine Bar & Bistro

Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee

Popping over to Menara Hap Seng at Jalan P. Ramlee for the first time the other day, I was surprised to find a cigars outlet there. Cigars Lounge is conveniently located on the groundfloor near the entrance where TGI Friday's and Starbucks Coffee are.

The shop was closed but you could see the different cigars and cigar paraphernalia on display through the glass including pipes and cigar-cutters. There are not many cigar shops in town so this could be your new source if you are looking for liga undercrown cigars, for instance(?).

When it comes to food, Menara Hap Seng could be having one of the best food outlets in Kuala Lumpur.

Hakka Republic Wine Bar & Bistro is the place but don't let the Chinese name fool you, says one Tripadvisor reviewer, because Hakka Republic is a stunning European restaurant serving great food with a touch of Asian fusion such as miso cod. The fois gras is not to be missed. Thursday, Friday and Saturday has fun live music.

Another reviewer says: Be sure to sit at the front section, the rear section has very noisy air conditioning. For a tuesday night I was the only diner up to 9pm.

Yet another reviewer, from London, says: Every time I go to KL I make it a point to go to Hakka Republic, for one reason - the food. Great selection to suit just about any palate. I have tried steak at several 'famous' restaurants, including Cut, but Hakka's is consistently the best. The prices are no different from other western-style restaurants in KL, maybe even lower....

There you have it - Hakka Republic is the place to check out the next time you are looking for good food and some fun live music.  They serve wine by the glass too from their very large collection of liquor that you cannot typically find at other restaurants or bars, although there are some selections that require purchase by the bottle - additional info from a Tripadvisor reviewer from Dallas, Texas.

Here's the address:

Hakka Republic Wine Bar & Bistro
1-3 Jalan P. Ramlee
2nd Floor, Menara Hap Seng
Kuala Lumpur 50250, Malaysia
Tel: 60 3 2078 8908 or 2078 9908

Opening times: Mon-Sat, 11am-3pm, 5pm-12midnight 

5 Tips to avoid heartburn and indigestion

Have you sometimes experienced heartburn and indigestion after a hearty meal? Perhaps it was the chilli from the curry laksa or the assam gravy from the assam fish meal?

Here are 5 tips from Marica Caposaldo on how to avoid heartburn and indigestion as well as the kinds of food to avoid and the food to replace them with.

5 tips to avoid heartburn and indigestion

1. Avoid alcohol and stop smoking. It’s ok to have a drink from time to time, but don’t overindulge on alcohol. Try to find the drink that makes you the least acidic, and always eat before you go out. If you are a smoker, try to quit. Start with a daily cut down, and see if it makes you feel better. Once it does, you won’t want to go back to it.

2. Don’t overeat. Try to have smaller meals spread out during the whole day, and try to especially avoid eating too much in the night, before going to bed or right before lying down. Take a walk instead.

3. Avoid drinking soda and coffee. They’re not healthy anyways, so you might as well avoid them as much as you can. Alternatively, drink your coffee with a lot of milk, and drink your tea once it’s cooled down.

4. Stay away from spicy and fatty foods. You will want to keep this in mind, if you don’t want to roll around the floor in pain. Don’t eat very spicy foods at all, and cut down on the fried foods as much as possible.

5. Work out more. This applies especially if you are the right candidate to shed some pounds; but generally speaking, exercising increases your metabolism, which in return will help your stomach work better.

Ultimately, if nothing works, and you are experiencing some excruciating pain and discomfort, there is still hope. In case of emergency, try Gaviscon.

Gaviscon is a medicine that fights indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux. It helps keep acid down in the stomach, where it belongs, by creating a foam barrier on top of the stomach acid. This foam barrier helps reduce the number of reflux episodes and provides longer lasting action against heartburn and indigestion than ordinary antacid products. And the best thing about it is that it works in only 3 minutes, and provides a long lasting relief of up to 4 hours!

You can get it in the form of tablets, liquid, and liquid sachets. Take a look at the list of products here.

Stay healthy..

Friday Frolics - Are You Creamy or Chunky Peanut Butter?

Peanut butter sandwich. Yum! I like my sandwich slathered with that thick layer of gooey goodness. Coffee. Must have coffee to go with it. Creamy peanut butter is my preferred choice but this week's Friday Frolics quiz says I'm Chunky Peanut Butter.  Take the quiz to find out what's yours.

Happy Friday, everyone!
It's still a hazy Kuala Lumpur today.
Hope the weather at your end is what you want it to be.

You Are Chunky Peanut Butter

You think there are many true paths in this life. You don't expect anyone else to follow yours. You are a very visual person. You don't judge a book by it's cover, but you definitely notice the cover! You are shy at first but talkative with people you know extremely well. You open up over time. You are always keenly aware of your environment. You notice every sight, sound, and smell.

Are You Creamy or Chunky Peanut Butter?

Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Last Week's Personality Quiz: What's Your Personal Style?

Happy Duanwu Festival or Dumpling Day!

Source: Redcook.net

The Chinese community celebrates a number of major festivals in a lunar year. We celebrate one today. Today, we celebrate Duanwu Jie/Festival - which literally means double five as in fifth day of the fifth month. It is also referred to as Dragon Boat Festival as racing dragon boats is one of the activities connected with this festival. The island of Penang holds annual dragon boat races and has been doing so for three decades. This year's races were held last weekend at the usual venue of Teluk Bahang Dam in Batu Ferringhi.

Besides the legend, Chinese festivals are usually associated with a specific food item. The food related to this Duanwu Jie is the conventional triangular-shaped rice dumplings or zongzi as they are called in Mandarin. Traditionally, these rice dumplings are made at home but these days, you can buy them from foodstalls in markets and eating places. They are now available all year round.

Zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo, reed, or other large flat leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling, usually the latter.

If you are interested to try cooking/preparing zongzi, here's a traditional recipe to try on how to make savoury rice Zongzi.

And here's a recipe for making Alkaline Zongzi with Red Bean Paste Filling.


Also, see if you'd be able to get an egg to stand up. It is believed and proven that eggs can stand up on this festival or rather during summer solstice at noon. Try it and let us know.

Here's the proof..

Source:Cultureofchinese.com

Happy Duanwu Jie or colloquially, Happy Dumpling Day!

More information:
Dumpling Day or Duanwu Festival - June 24,2012
Dumpling Day - A Chinese festival - June 6, 2011

Food Panda is in town!

I have sometimes wished that I could have food from my favourite restaurants delivered right to my door-step. Have you had moments like this too? Now we can if we are living in the Klang Valley including Cyberjaya, Putrajaya and Klang.


Foodpanda can see to it - every meal, every day of the week - rain or shine! How convenient is that!  We can  now enjoy different cuisines, different flavours delivered piping hot right to our door-step!

Whether it's succulent barbecued chicken wings from Tony Roma's or Japanese food from Sushi King or plain ole chicken rice from The Chicken Rice Shop, all these are just a few clicks away! No registration needed.

Who or what is Foodpanda? Foodpanda is a food delivery service with online menus that cover a staggering range of cuisines including Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, European, Korean, Middle-eastern, Indonesian, Punjabi, Malaysian, Swedish, Sri Lankan, Malacca Portuguese and more from 290 restaurants in Malaysia.

Ordering is a simple process: Simply enter your post code and search for cuisine type, restaurants or even your price range to narrow down your search. To further filter the search, you can also indicate the type of food/restaurants, e.g., pork-free, organic, and so forth.

Currently, food is delivered on a COD (cash on delivery) basis only.

Want to have ready food at your home the minute you arrive home from work? Can do too. Download the Foodpanda mobile app and you can make your order when you leave the office and you will have food when you get home.  All this made possible with their mobile app for iOS- and Android-based mobile devices. Download the Foodpanda mobile app for that time-saving convenience.

So the next time you don't feel like cooking or just craving for your favourite restaurant food or latte from Starbucks, or have friends drop by or family visiting from out-of-town unexpectedly, holding a party at home or in the office, or even staying in for lunch in the office and tired of the same takeaways, think Foodpanda! The options are endless!  What's great too is that the regular menu price applies.

These are but a few of the restaurants on the Foodpanda list:

and others including:

Tony Roma's
Sushi King
PappaRich
Rama V
Starbucks
Modestos
The Olive Tree
Secret Recipe
Portuguezze Kitchen
Old Town
Brussels Beer Cafe
Obriens Irish Sandwich Cafe

Besides home delivery, Foodpanda Malaysia has also launched a new feature – Take Away and Pre-Order which allows you to order food 2 days ahead.  You get to skip the queues and collect your pre-ordered food directly at the restaurant.

Foodpanda is also available in a number of countries including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Foodpanda, I like!