As we travel through Kuala Lumpur we eye outdoor eating places wondering how good they are. Fortunately our friends have generously shared their favorites. On Saturday we had a double treat - a new place to eat and a chance to experience yee sang, a Chinese New Year staple in Malaysia and Singapore.
Kam Kim Seafood is off Jalan Gasing (PJ). In front of the restaurant is a large parking area, site of the Wednesday pasar malam (night market). We arrived around 6:30 - plenty of parking. By the time we left it was a major challenge to work our way out of the lot. (Since we hope to return there, we checked on Myteksi and found many taxis serving the area.)
Swee Lan ordered a new year's meal of yee sang (raw fish salad), venison with ginger and spring onions, lettuce braised in garlic, and sweet and sour fish.The real treat was yee sang, which we had read about and seen on the news. Now we had a chance to enjoy the new year's ritual and "toss yee sang." The salad came surrounded by small bowls containing jelly fish and condiments. We started to record (above link 54 sec) when Swee Lan had nearly finished assembling the ingredients, but we captured the tossing while Swee Lan said aloud new year's wishes. (Families and large groups may be less restrained than our performance as first timers.) The salad was delicious. We learned that restaurants only offer yee sang during Chinese New Year. (In Malaysia once a holiday is over holiday foods, such as moon cakes, disappear. Not entirely true when it comes to western holidays - we can still buy discounted Halloween candy)
We didn't know that venison was eaten locally (it hasn't popped our Bahasa Malay food vocabulary). It is sourced from Universiti Putra Malaysia, a public university. UPM's website subtlety links its deer farm to people's meals: "Unlike zoos, UPM deer farm serves as a research, education, production and for sale." A Google search confirmed that US state universities have similar programs, for example "A university steak to go with that sweatshirt?" NYT article about Washington State University's beef sales.
The four dishes accompanied by small bowls of rice were satisfying (neither too much nor too little food). The food was tasty and Swee Lan told us that the prices were reasonable.
After dinner we caught up with Peter Young, a former boss and friend of Swee Lan, and joined him on his evening walk. Peter came to Malaysia from the UK 60 years ago as a missionary; he stayed on and is a Malaysian citizen. He was the first Executive Director of Malaysian Care, a Christian social work organization, Later he founded United Voice where I met Swee Lan. Before we left he gave us a copy of Peter's Ongoing Pointers, his reflections that are posted on Micah Mandate. We were honored by the gift (one can read its short entries at random), and to have met Peter, a man who has contributed so much to a more just Malaysia.
Swee Lan, far younger than Peter or I, is a great friend and an inspiration. I wrote about her and United Voice in a blog entry on 30 October 2010 Currently, Swee Lan works with Malaysia's Department of Social Welfare to promote supportive employment for persons with disabilities. (When I first met her supportive employment did not exist in Malaysia.) Her team trains job coaches in Malaysia, and recently she offered training in China. Throughout her career Swee Lan's has empowered persons with learning disabilities (same as intellectual disabilities) and facilitated their participation in Malaysia's civic life.
On our outing we also stopped at Swee Lan's home. She has several paintings done by United Voice artists. If you are in the neighborhood of United Voice drop in and visit the art gallery. It will remind you that intellectual disabilities are not indicative of other abilities.
Swee Lan ordered a new year's meal of yee sang (raw fish salad), venison with ginger and spring onions, lettuce braised in garlic, and sweet and sour fish.The real treat was yee sang, which we had read about and seen on the news. Now we had a chance to enjoy the new year's ritual and "toss yee sang." The salad came surrounded by small bowls containing jelly fish and condiments. We started to record (above link 54 sec) when Swee Lan had nearly finished assembling the ingredients, but we captured the tossing while Swee Lan said aloud new year's wishes. (Families and large groups may be less restrained than our performance as first timers.) The salad was delicious. We learned that restaurants only offer yee sang during Chinese New Year. (In Malaysia once a holiday is over holiday foods, such as moon cakes, disappear. Not entirely true when it comes to western holidays - we can still buy discounted Halloween candy)
The four dishes accompanied by small bowls of rice were satisfying (neither too much nor too little food). The food was tasty and Swee Lan told us that the prices were reasonable.
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| Sweet and sour fish |
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| Braised lettuce |
Swee Lan, far younger than Peter or I, is a great friend and an inspiration. I wrote about her and United Voice in a blog entry on 30 October 2010 Currently, Swee Lan works with Malaysia's Department of Social Welfare to promote supportive employment for persons with disabilities. (When I first met her supportive employment did not exist in Malaysia.) Her team trains job coaches in Malaysia, and recently she offered training in China. Throughout her career Swee Lan's has empowered persons with learning disabilities (same as intellectual disabilities) and facilitated their participation in Malaysia's civic life.
On our outing we also stopped at Swee Lan's home. She has several paintings done by United Voice artists. If you are in the neighborhood of United Voice drop in and visit the art gallery. It will remind you that intellectual disabilities are not indicative of other abilities.
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