Tintin Goes Baba

JT just returned from a long deserved vacation to Meleka and Pulau Pinang in Malaysia.

The trip was a treat for PS and yours truly. We were pleasantly surprised when we reached Melaka. Besides being a clean compact town filled with museums and credible art galleries, we were blessed to meet friendly locals that are passionate about their culture. Our Melekan adventure was also littered with quirky surprises - a good samaritan gave us clear instructions while we discovered the local public bus system, a superb view of the Meleka Straits welcomed us when we entered our hotel room, our observation on how locals can board a bus from some non-descript spots along the street (what PS and I call an "invisible" bus stop), and big fat crows falling dead in front of us while we were seeking shelter under a huge tree. Pinang, on the other hand, was an urbanised city (read: noisy and dirty). Our hotel accommodation didn't help a bit - think Tat Sing rubber flip flops given as room slippers (the last time I saw those ugly monsters were my army days!), and non-existent face towels. We also had the unpleasant encounter of a retired Indian man (out of courtesy, we have to call him uncle) intruding our privacy with incessant conversations on the public buses, so much so we were haunted with the thought of bumping into him throughout our trip.

As a blue blooded Singaporean, our secondary agenda was also to pig out.. ahem.. I mean to appreciate the exquisite Peranakan cuisine. Yes, blame it all on "The Little Nonya" drama serial and the numerous lifestyle programmes spin-offs on TV. It's all their fault that now yours truly have to work off the calories from the Meleka Chendol (thank God for creating gula melaka), Chicken Rice Balls, Pinang Laksa, and all the Nonya Kuihs.

Wait a minute! Can someone please enlighten me why do we call them Nonya Kuihs and not Baba Kuihs?! Darn, gender discrimination even exist in the food universe!