#vaadai

Friday evening, 6.39pm.

Laura is at the gym, and we, Jeannie and I, that is the Batik Influencer and the Hatted Writer; we are at where the stars go (I presume), Star Bhavan for dinner.

Being the journalist in me, I tend to notice more than the average person. For instance, things are a wee bit slow here. I took note of this the last time we were here a couple of days ago. This is compared to all the other times when we practically did not have to wait too long for our food. They seem short-handedly. However, the food here is always good.

*“Why are we waiting?” in sing song fashion.* 😁

Our food arrived just as I was writing / keyboard thumb-typing (on my Samsung Fold 5) the last line. Jeannie and I both ordered the same: Roti (1) Sardine and Nescafe ice. By just looking at our drinks, you would surely ask, “Is the milk drowning the coffee?”, as the coffee was struggling to have some semblance of its colour, “brown”. The milk seemed to definitely over-power the coffee.

Just before that, we tapau-ed (2) both the kacang vadai (3) and the doughnut (“donut” in American) version. Foreseeing that we…o.k. o.k…. more Iike I will be hungry later on this evening or night. Now, figure this out. I didn’t plan on being hungry later on, but then… the vadai were singing, “take us home” to the tune “Country Roads”. The Nescafe ice must have been spiked, haha.😁😂 Can you imagine the 6 vadai in the bag singing a song to the tune of Country Home? That would be hilarious.

*Notice the vadai goodies in the bag, all set to be taken home?* *And the very light brown Nescafe ice?*

We discussed broadly, what we plan to do at our booth in Amcorp Mall this weekend, that is tomorrow and Sunday. Yes, we will be mending a booth at Booth F1.03 Amcorp Mall. The Batik Influencer will be introducing her latest JEANNIE’S OWN batik cape creations.

The Batik Influencer has introduced, encouraged and helped people understand why batik. So, why batik? Come see for yourself.

*Roti sardine, with spicy fish curry (on the left) and what seems somewhat like “dhalcha”.*

The Hatted Writer (me, of course😉) will be there to talk about what’s next on the idea Sketchpad💡. One of the things that has caught my attention (amongst the many others) is that people are flaunting bombastic english words like nuance/s, exacerbate and stuff like that on talk shows and interviews. These people must be well-grounded in the language and may be seen as sesquipedalian. (4) Some people say that I am a logophile. (5) Really?

I guess in most ways I am a logophile as I find the English language quite fascinating. My interest in the language, to test its elasticity and boundaries, has only been quite recent. I find it more interesting to see if I can refrain from over-stretching the use of bombastic words. In fact, I try to refrain from such words if I can help it.

Come meet us this weekend at Amcorp Mall. This weekend is going to be as “fun” as ever. As everyday is. Looking forward to seeing all of you. 😁

*The semi-visible vaadai, ready for home eating. Eating while in “relax” mode.*

Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 1.03, 1st Floor, West Wing,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: Apr 6 and Apr 7, 2024
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)

NOTES:
1. “Roti” means bread in Bahasa Malaysia.
2. “Tapau” as in take-away or take-out, is used by Malaysians when they want to pack food. The “-ed” (past tense) is to add colour in the use of the word.
3. Vadai also known as vada, wada, or bara; is a category of savoury fried snacks native to India. Vadas are sometimes stuffed with vegetables and traditionally served with chutneys and sambar.
4. A sesquipedalian can be used to describe a person or something that overuses big words. People often assume that if someone gives a sesquipedalian speech, he / she was smart, even if they don’t really know what it was about because they can’t understand the words.
5. What is a “logophile”? A logophile is someone who loves words, enjoys learning new words, and has a deep appreciation for language. Logophiles have an extensive vocabulary and take pleasure in using and exploring words to express themselves effectively.

*Taj Curry House, SS12, Subang Jaya (1)*

The time is 5.40pm, this wonderful Tuesday evening. The weather is quite hot but fine. Over the radio, the newscaster was saying KL (Kuala Lumpur) which is about 20 minutes away; is experiencing flash floods in Cat Road (Jalan Kuching) and certain other areas. Definitely not going to KL. We (Jeannie and I), want to avoid getting caught in flood, no matter how light or severe it is. The thought of chugging along for hours in traffic jams is a put-off.

So, as we head back home towards Subang Jaya, we will go though one of the most severe tests ever known to mankind – “What do you want for dinner?

Subang Jaya is inundated with a choice of types of food, restaurants and food joints. It’s like a snazzy woman who opens a wardrobe with hundreds or thousands(?) of dresses and cries in despair, “I have nothing to wear!”

So, while on the highway, traffic movement was fairly good – slow but moving. Jeannie and I try to have our dinner early, at around 6.00pm – 6.30pm, everyday. As we turn left and get onto the ramp into Subang Jaya; the traffic begins to build to a crawl.

Our (more like my) immediate choice is to go to the Taj Curry House, which is just ahead of us, along our route. Jeannie suggested popiah in USJ Taipan (must mention which “Taipan” as more and more townships are coming up with their own Taipan.) but that would mean flowing with the jam for another half and hour or more.

Taj Curry House it was. For good, simple Indian cuisine. Warning: Parking in that area is near horrendous! One has to be really patient and drive around the area like a headless chicken (Not that headless chickens drive😉) until you find a space.

One of the first thing that greets you as you enter the restaurant, is the wide choice of dishes. For example, they serve curry chicken, fried chicken, chicken varuval and chicken tandoori.

Jeannie and I both went for the simplest of food – roti canai. Made from flour (I think), there is an art of kneading the dough, than turning it round and round while it stretches wide. then, it is fold into four and placed on a hot plate. Roti canai is one of Laura’s (our daughter) favourite food. I like my roti canai made garing – real crisp but not to the point of it becoming flaky.

Roti canai. You can actually eat it with anything. Laura at times eats it with a bit of sugar. All sorts of choices, too – roti planta, roti, sardine, roti telur, roti pisang – the list seems almost endless.

*This is molten lava without the cinders and smoke. But guranteed to bring tears of pain…er I mean joy – it a delicious spicy, spicy hot chili sambal.*

*I decided to have a couple of vaadai for starters. Made of beans mainly.*

*Our dinner. And limau ais (iced lime water) to go with the meal.*

The roti canai is of a decent size. Most other restaurants have shrunk the size of each piece, and at the same time; increase its price. The three side dishes that come with the roti canai are delicious (yes, including the hot chili sambal).

The large onions that comes with the fried chicken, is juicy and gives a balance flavour to the fried chicken. The fried chicken is marinated and prepared well, ensuring customer satisfaction.

This is a simple meal. It was delicious, as usual. Taj Curry House has maintained has always been consistent with its standard of good food. The service has also been good. We usually sit in the air-conditioned section. This has been our “go-to” for dinner over the last few months on our way back from PJ. How much for our dinner today? US$4.45.

Should you visit Taj Curry House? You should. I am sure that you will dine there again and again to try out their whole cuisine range.

By time we were done with dinner, the Subang Jaya traffic jam had eased off quite a bit. Now, that we are back home, we bought a packet of Bombay Mix to snack on.

leatherpotato

The future is now. Live it!

THE BATIK INFLUENCER AND THE HATTED WRITER AT F1.02 THIS WEEKEND

THE TAJ EXPERIENCE