Eat At Your Own Risk.

Leaving raw chicken in the trunk of your car while parked under the hot sun is something you should not do.  Some common sense would tell you that parking the car under the hot sun while you run into the mall to have lunch and buy other groceries is not advisable.  While I have to admit, I was with my friend when this happened, I thought we were going into the mall to quickly grab a couple things. A quick dash to the Jusco to grab the lamb, soda and some chicken drumsticks for the BBQ.  However that was not the plan. The plan was lunch, a leisurely walk to a Korean cosmetic store and then to Jusco for the food items.  I forgot about the chicken as it was not my purchase and my purchase were 3 nectarines, which was fine being left in the trunk.  Could chicken that was left in the trunk of a car for 2 hours be safe to be eaten?  I don't know.  My friends are willing to give it a go.  So I will tell you how it went.  If any of my friends got food poisoning from the chicken. I am going to only eat the drumsticks as it was bought at Jusco and was not in the trunk of the car.  The drumsticks are also marinated separately from the chicken wings so I don't have to worry. But I do hope the chicken is safe to be eaten.  Will warn all my friends before they start eating it.  'Eat at your own risk'.

Traditions and whatnots

In Malaysia, the Chinese have their own way of traditions and believes that most pregnant woman will follow.  While I am sure these traditions and believe has its reason, some of it, I don't understand.  So what I want to write about is the traditions and believes that is imposed on all Chinese pregnant ladies in Malaysia.  While some choose not to believe in it and carry out their pregnancy like the rest of the world, there are some that really stick with their believes and try to follow it this tradition.  Here are a few examples...

According to the chinese tradition, it is ok to eat sushi that contains raw fish.  Apparently raw fish is good for the baby but no octopus or any squid, because it is believed that if the pregnant lady ate a squid or an octopus, the long tentacles will wrap around the baby's neck and kill it while the baby is still in mother's womb.  When I first heard this, I tried very hard not to laugh out loud because this is one of the most ridiculous thing I ever heard of.  How is it, that raw fish filled with bacteria, is good for the baby and squids are bad.  Does it mean after we eat the squid or octopus, the squid/octopus will come alive and continue to grow while makes its way down to wherever the baby is, with a mission to kill the baby??  Seriously?? 

A pregnant woman is not allowed to carry or hold a scissors.  I don't know why but apparently it is not allow.  It is not like the pregnant woman is running with a scissors around the house, but according to tradition, they are not allowed.  I did ask my friend what was the reason, she could not answer me but she still follows it.  So when a stitching in her top came loose, she told me where the scissor was and told me to cut it for her because she is not allowed to hold a scissors.

No soda or carbonated drinks because the bubbles is bad for the baby but for pregnant woman can to drink copious amounts of coffee or any other caffeinated drinks.  Initially I though it was because of the caffeine in some of the carbonated drinks so I gave her a list of non caffeinated carbonated drinks. But she told me the bubbles from the carbonated drinks is bad for the baby.  Why, she don't know.

There are other Chinese traditions to follow after the woman has given birth.  One that I find very hard to understand is that for the first 30 days after giving birth, the woman is not allowed to take a bath or shower.  My best friend E, when she gave birth to her first child, her mother told her she is not allowed to wash her hair, no AC and no fan.  There was a long list of food she is not allowed to eat and she would have to consume a massive amount of ginger.

I think E was able to stand the whole no-shower ordeal for about a week before she could not take it anymore. She locked her door and took a long shower.  Her mother was upset, saying that taking a shower would cause serious damage to her body.  I think in the past, a long time ago, they would use well water or perhaps river water to bath.  The bacteria filled water would had not be good for a new mother. But these days, water are filled through reservoir and now we can hot water whenever we want.  I don't see why these rules needs to still followed.

There are so many other traditions that I think are so antiquated but there are still people out there following these traditions. I do believe in preserving the tradition for the future but  I think some tradition, we could sure live without. Is there any tradition that you find ridiculous, yet you or someone you know still follows it?  Tell me about it....

Just ramblings...

I am on my third blog entry and I really have no idea what to write about. I guess I could write about my other food experiments but to be the honest, I really don't feel like writing about it. Perhaps in later blog entries I will write about my other food experiments. But for now, I really have no idea what to write about.

I have decided that I won't tell my friends about this blog. I think I better keep this separate from my friends.  I wanna try to share and be as honest as I can in this blog and while honesty is the best policy, sometimes honestly also hurts. While I admire some of the bloggers who writes their true feelings, I am, however not that brave.  But I will try.

It is funny how a brain works. While I am writing this, I came up with an idea. Something I can write about and perhaps share with you.  There I was, telling you that I have nothing to write about and pop!  I came up with an idea.  

Anyway, I will start on writing my next entry and perhaps I will post it up later. If you're intrigued, come back and check it out, OK? My dear stranger....whoever you are.  Cause I know someone is reading this....I think.

Making a Mediteranean Burger.

Last week I decided to make something I have always wanted to make. A homemade burger.  Not the bun though. I am really bad at baking.  Anyway I found the recipe in this long forgotten recipe book that was tucked into one the boxes in the store room. I found the book when I was helping my mom clean out the store room.  The thing is, I don't know who bought the book.  My mom said she didn't buy it and, it sure as heck wasn't me.  But there it was, a small recipe book that specialize in lamb.

I love lamb.  Many of my friends don't like it.  They said they don't like the smell but I think the smell is what makes lamb meat different.  So when I saw the recipe for the Mediterranean Burger, I felt I really need to give it a go.  It looks simple enough and I think I can manage it.

It took me several days to get all the ingredients as different ingredients requires me to go to different store. I basically found everything on the list but the pine nuts. I searched for it at all the stores I normally go and I could not find any.  Posted on my facebook asking if any of my friends knew where I could find it, but none of the replies helped. When I was just about to give up I found it.  It was in the nuts section of the store. I grabbed it off the shelve and was so happy until I saw the price.  It was the most expensive item in that section.  In fact it was twice the price of Macadamia Nut.  So reluctantly I placed the pine nuts back on the shelve and find for an alternative.  I picked the sunflower seeds and I got to say, it worked.  So here is the finished result.  Looks yummy, right?

I am not sure if I should post the recipe out on here as I am not sure if anyone is even reading. So I won't post it as it is not my recipe anyway.  Anyway this is one of the few successful food experiments. I do find it weird that no salt was required for this recipe. I do think that if there were a little salt in the lamb patties it would had been perfect.  Other then that, it was yummy.

Perhaps An Explanation Or An Introduction.

Starting this blog has always been something I've always wanted to do but never got around to it. I wasn't sure if I could truly commit to it and post something on the blog as I do find my life rather boring. Yet I had been told in the past, by my friends, that I really should  start blogging. When I ask my friends what they think I should blog about, nobody could give me a straight answer.  Basically just write whatever I feel like.

I am not sure if I could really do this daily or even weekly but I am willing to try.  No harm in trying and I am not even sure if anybody will be reading this.  But I am willing to try. Besides, after being unemployed for so long, I feel I need to do something to stimulate my now slow moving brain. To prove how slow my brain is, it took me a couple tries and with the help of spell check to come up with the correct spelling of 'unemployed.'  Yes....that is how bad it is. So it is time to do something about it. So I am starting this blog.  It might be a boring blog but it is my blog. So I get to write anything I want.  

So if you stumble across this blog by mistake, please take a seat and try to read something. If its not your cup of tea, no harm no foul. Thanks for checking my blog out.

So anyway....here we go.  Welcome to my Blog!!