Eating Out
We eat out all the time.
With my friends and just the two of us, also, naturally. That part is easy. My friends enjoy you; how could they not when you make fun of me like the best of them? And me? Well, I enjoy you too. Yes, that part is easy.
Then comes my turn to meet your friends. They’re all down south. JB and the Lion City. We travel down during weekends. Time for them to meet the Boyfriend: me. And I have to admit; I’m more than a little petrified. What if they don’t like me?
Mahjong is played, bowling also. My first time. I’m on your team; you’re the best player, I’m the worst. I am a beginner, after all. Over a hundred points in the first game, your friends think I’m bluffing about never playing. Two strikes, not bad. Then came the longkangs in the second game and the third. I barely scrape some points together. We lose; you friends nod, he’s not joking, he has never played before. We giggle at their obvious delight.
All is good. After the games, after the endless rounds of mahjong where I play devoted manservant pouring the tea and offering tidbits, we go for coffee, for small meals in small cafes, Malaysian-style.
Kopitiams down south aren’t that different from the rest of the country. Everything has been franchised these days, even these remnants of our forefatheryears. The prices may be higher, the portions smaller, but we recognise this. As we laugh and banter, and me humouring them with my Beijing-accented Mandarin, we know. Your friends, they like me okay.
I can breathe now. Your fingers curled around mine, under the wooden table, I can breathe now.
Eating In
We eat in all the time.
It didn’t use to be this way. You can be reclusive but I’ve been accused of being a social butterfly; weeks can go by when I only return to my apartment to drop into my bed, exhausted, gone. Yet when we first dated, you came out of your shell, you came out with me. Dining out was the norm. After all, there wasn’t much food in either of our apartments.
Our larders were bare.
Perhaps they were waiting to be filled, to have our honesties and our passions spent on them, our devotions to grocery lists and googling for one-pot dishes. We cook for each other. We do things for each other. This is one what people who love one another do, surely. This is us feeding each other’s appetites.
There are other desires besides Desire. This is about filling our bellies with the warmth of building the two of us, of building a family of two. Just the two of us. Friends call, plead to be invited over, and we promise then, sure, soon. Not yet though. Now is time for the two of us. Just us.
What is my favourite dish, you ask me. And I wonder. I love my mom’s chicken peppercorn soup, spicy and ferocious… but that’s my mom’s dish. What is yours? What is ours? Could it be that bowl of chicken porridge (thigh meat, not breast, you remind me, ignoring my fondness for the latter), gently simmered over hours on slow heat, served with a smattering of slivered eggs (both century and salted), green, crunchy dou miao, saltyoily eggplant and Japanese saba.
You tell me love is like a bowl of porridge, it takes a long time to make the best, the simplest of tastes. This must be why I like your porridge so much. I can have it any time, I can have it for all the years to come, so long as you continue to make it for me. Better yet, teach me how to make this porridge, let’s cook it together, we’ll feed each other with our appetites and our vows.
69 Comments
Hey Kenny, sorry didn’t get a chance to vote for the story to read or even see you at Seksan’s! Was busy the whole week!
ahh…what happiness! it’s the simplest thing in a relationship that matters afterall… =)
*love is in the air!*..woo woo wooo..(attempting to sing that corny love song to save my life) hahaha…
when u going to bring The One to see all of us foodies?
In and Out complement each other…the food lah! Without the IN, “OUT” food would not be too interesting and exciting to look forward to. But without the OUT, IN food would not be as comforting.
In-and-Out is a popular and delicious California-only burger chain in the US. I thought your post was about that! LOL!
the most versatile comfort food, both for paupers and kings.
simplicity:
a bowl of porridge + pickle chai sim (mustard green)
pompousness:
different types of porridge of the dialect groups + 101 different side dishes.
I never liked cooking. But when it was for a certain Someone, I didn’t seem to mind as much.
Looks like we all love porridge at some point in life.
from hide & seek to in & out to a singular plurality, now. ah, looks like things are definitely going well for ya, dude. excellent.
hey, never heard you speak mandarin before leh. peking mali somemore. this i gotta hear…lol!
oh…you write such beautiful romantic things!! incidentally i just read 27 love songs over the weekend. if i were presented with such a gift, i would be touched to the core and swooning with joy! lol *yes, i am a sucker for romance*
i can feel your happiness. and i’m so happy for you. being in love and being loved back is truly the best thing in the world….
oh, of course siew yoke, char siew and chocolate comes a close second… haha!
glad to hear that your reading went well. cant wait for more updates on that!
Ted: No worries, we’ll catch up another time… would be curious to find out which story you’d have voted for though.
spiffy: Yes, the simplest things matter the most. Some times we are so busy we tend to neglect this. This post is about me reminding myself not to.
lotsofcravings: Nice attempt, dude! Karaoke King, are you? Hehe. And who’s saying some of you foodies haven’t already met The One?
tigerfish: In-and-Out is a burger chain? Wow, I didn’t know that. Thank goodness there’s no burgers featured in this post then, else I might get sued or something. But I agree with you… we need both the In and the Out to balance each other and make us appreciate both.
keropokman: Ooh, thanks for reminding me… We need to get some chai sim handy for our next round of porridgey goodness! As for the 101 different side dishes… well, I think I’ll leave the “pompousness” to others and stick to the simple stuff myself.
Michelle: Yes, I’m not a huge fan of cooking either, but when it’s for that certain Someone… I can’t imagine anything better to do on a slow Sunday afternoon…
Nic (KHKL): Ah, we should have conversed in Mandarin then at Precious Pea’s. But I’ve mostly lost my Beijing accent, methinks. Now I just sound a bit odd and not local. Back when I first returned from abroad, I had a hard time convincing folks I wasn’t from Mainland China!
lingzie: Thanks for downloading and reading 27 Love Songs, dear. We’re all suckers for romance whether we’d admit it or not. Hehe.
And who’s to say we can’t have all the love in the world AND a nice helping of siew yoke, char siew and chocolate too? Greed is good when it’s for something this good.
“Readings” went off swell… Will write about it once I get the photos… My camera battery was dead, so I’m depending on the good graces of Lyrical Lemongrass, Nic (KHKL) and the irrepressible Nigel Skelchy for some pix. Stay tuned!
Porridge also.. you can spin into such a hopeless romantic love story… *hats off* socks off* clothes off* everything off* hahahh!
can write one concerning nasi lemak ah? spicy, overpowering, sinfully satisfying.
ahem? Bila our turn to dine in with u two lovebirds?
There’s something indescribably happy and satisfying about cooking /baking for the one you love and watching them enjoy it with you, isn’t there?
You can now cook my Quick Herring (or sardine or tuna) Spaghetti, heh. But I donno how to link it for you. Just scroll down my blog a (s)mile or two, lah.
Ahh, so warm and mellow, like a comforting bowl of porridge! Love and food always go together!
Sorry, I was thinking of some other “Ins and Outs” when I first saw the title! lol
You make me miss Malaysian food so bad…
gina: Wah, clothes also off ar? No wonder my blog is rated PG-13 these days…
An ode to nasi lemak? Oh let me count the ways in which I love Malaysia’s favourite food…
A Lil Fat Monkey: I believe your better half has made arrangements with my better half over MSN. You should pray it’s not my turn to cook if by dining you mean to actually consumed safely prepared food with any semblance of flavour…
argussimo: Quick Herring? Is that faster than say, a red herring?
Camemberu: What other “Ins and Outs”? Colour me curious…
Sharanya: Sorry lah, dear. Well, I miss your performances as much as you miss Malaysian food, more so.
Ah…that wonderful feeling…at times, food isn’t even needed. Being together is enough to feed the body, mind and soul
Bro,
How about my porridge in one of my post? Learn and cook it.
wmw: What you wrote is so beautiful and true. Being together feeds us more than anything else can.
Kok: Hehe, trust me when I say I have more than learned to cook porridge…
You just don’t want us there now do you?
A Lil Fat Monkey: Now whatever gave you that ridiculous idea? I’m, uhm, just concerned about your health and well-being. *sniggers*
Ahemm… who is this “friend” of yours hmm??
By the way, sorry cos I was busy on the week after Ivy’s party and forgotten to come in to vote for the Favourite Story~~ Hope it goes well for ya
jason: No worries, I think the voting went on fine… there was a clear winner in “Hide and Seek” — I wonder if you liked that story? Hmm…
drop me a line if u’re down in the lion city– we go makan
Jun: Will do… heading back to Melaka this week rather than S’pore but who knows? The Lion City’s not that far away…
ya, it’s not that far away… you can do a reading here. LOL
keropokman: Hmm, doing a reading in the Lion City? That’s an innerestin’ idea, my friend… No idea what avenues there are for readings though. Anyone willing to host a wee poor blogger and his sappy tales? Hehehe.
hmm why you always have to make me feel hungry la.
aww I wish I can eat again 
equilibrium2008: What do yo mean you wish you can eat again? What’s wrong? Why arentcha eating? *concerned*
dear kenny,
love visiting your site. it reads like … a sexy, contemporary, exciting novel that i can’t put down.
nice job - i throughly enjoy your site.
Meeting the friends of a lover is always a harrowing time. In my case it was English-ed me and the rest of his Chinese school buddies. Terrifying.
Kenneth: Wow, thanks. I mean, really wow. That just cheered me up in the middle of a dreary Wednesday in the middle of a dreary week.
Paul: Ah, same case here. Thank goodness I picked up Mandarin!
It might be possible!
So many readers all here, those who missed Seksan.
Nic(KHKL), Camemberu, Jun….
We can settled in someone’s house, and get Camemberu to make Roti John!
I am sure you can write something abt Roti John and Nic can compose some puisi, syair… :-p
Try meeting the whole family for the first time during dinner. Was nervous as hell…Hahaha… but luckily it was only cantonese and not mandarin. If mandarin, sure i failed miserably. Hehe…
keropokman: Write something about Roti John? Hmm, maybe I can… after consuming the Roti John lah…
spiffy: Hahaha, well, my baby has met “The Family” and The Ever-Present-Ex and The Ever-Present-Ex’s-Ever-Present-New-Boyfriend. Scary leh?
Hmmm… how come your updates don’t appear on my Google Reader anymore?
That would be nerve wrecking! Hahah….
Kookymonsta: Beats me. Are you subscribing to the new blog url though? It might be that you’re still on the old feed.
spiffy: Nerve-wrecking would be an understatement! Hahaha…
hmm I am trying to eat less now. You’re posts are yummy but unfortunately I had my noodles and dumplings already so I think I will save that later for my lunch
Keropokman, actually hor, i was at seksan’s..hehe….i come back to kl on weekends, quite often la
still, i’ll be looking forward to a gathering in singapore! and ok, i will provide some muka tebal syair/puisi, though in the presence of kenny mah, the fantastic writer 
kenny, i hope you are not looking forward to my pics as they turned out rather bad. i’ll be posting it on flickr soon.
lemongrass’ and nigel’s pics turned out much better! i’m so jwelouz! *sad*
Awww, so romantic. Love it.
Referring back to your comment to Nipple Joe, you mean, some of us met THE ONE before? Have I met with THE ONE then?
equilibrium2008: Hehe, maybe I’ll have to remove all traces of yummilicious food from my posts in the future if it’s having such an adverse effect on my readers. I’d have expected you to be eating more, not less!
Nic (KHKL): “Muka tebal syair/puisi”? Surely you’re being too humble, Pakcik Nic… your poetry are the stuff of legends. At least where I come from, hehe.
Be cool to meet up in S’pore for sure. As for the pics, yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to yours before doing my usual collages. What is your Flickr address? You can Facebook me the url if it’s private. (”Facebook me”? What on Earth has my English turned into? Egads.)
Rasa Malaysia: *blushes furiously*
Thanks, dear!
Precious Pea: Now it wouldn’t do to say too much openly, would it? You can Facebook me too, for Answers…
hmm yeah and I should control myself from eating more because if not, i might end up as big as whale la.
LOL.. “facebook me”, that’s common right?
i realise that when i say….
“google me” it means, can you do a search for me (on this word/product…) to someone.
“yahoo me” it means, send an instant message to me on yahoo messenger.
hmmm
pak nik:
wah. tiap tiap minggu balik kay el? tak penat ke?
equilibrium2008: Whales are cute, ya know.
keropokman: Ah, then it’s alright then. Facebook me, people, facebook me! Hehe. (Wonders what Pakcik Nic’s response to you would be…)
malasnya nak kerje…..hahah….
spiffy: Well, it’s almost time to ciao from the office, innit? Just a few more minutes, dear… Bersabarlah…
i’m counting the minutes like nobody’s business now. can’t wait to leave…reach home, makan, shower and climb into bed. That’s my daily routine..if u dun noe.
Is it? Is it? *note to self: check facebook more often to get ANSWERS*
Yes, very the super-’pat’.
spiffy: That’s some daily routine. I’d like mine to be:
1. Wake up.
2. Brush teeth.
3. Long hot shower.
4. Breakfast.
5. The seven other meals I take every day.
6. Long hot bath, soapy bubbly boo…
7. Brush teeth.
8. Sleep…
Ah, one can dream…
Tummythoz: Yes, very the super-’pat’ indeed.
hahah…seems like urs is slightly interesting than mine.
1.drag myself from bed at 630am Max
2.Brush teeth
3.drive the long way to work
4.lunch
5. go home
6. same as before..
hahah… okiee… i’m leaving like now. finally! take a great evening dear! =D
keropokman,
tak penat. seronok sangat! saya dah 2 bulan tak balik kampung (atau bandar) sebab ada peperiksaan dan kerja. sekarang ni, saya nak balas dendam lah! main and makan sepuas-puasnya. haha!
nasib baik saya pulang dengan bas. kalau pandu kereta, mesti dah gila sebab dah tak boleh isi minyak kat JB! eh, fasih kamu berBM. orang malaysia (seperti saya dan camemberu) jugak ke?
met d?? aiyoh me bad memory, u got to stick it right infront of my face!
Profusely romantic..Hehehehe…
You should try my Nasi Goreng… Fingers licking good….
my fellow friends got stomachache on the nex day…Hahahaha
spiffy: Have a safe journey home, my dear!
Nic (KHKL): I didn’t know Camemberu was Malaysian! And your Bahasa is admirable… I gave most of mine back to school after the SPM examinations aeons ago…
lotsofcravings: Hmm, maybe you’ve met, maybe not…
moja: Aiyo… did you lick your fingers BEFORE cooking that nasi goreng? Little wonder your pals got a tummy upset the next day…
Love how you’ve edited the pics. As my tealady would say, Manyak Cantik.
Hey, can share your porridge with me ar?
Lyrical Lemongrass: Thanks, dear… I like the first one, but I thought the second pic was a bit chaotic and dark. My next batch of pics (for the next entry) will be more straightforward. (Hopefully more der-rama also. Hee.)
As for porridge, strange that you mentioned it since I made another pot of wholesome ginkgo-salted-and-century-egg-chicken-porridge. Yummy… Where were you leh?
Thanks for saying that I am cute ahahaha….
Hmm have you visited my site today? I guess you should take a look on my post regarding streetfoods. Do you also have those foods there?
equilibrium2008: No, I’ve not, dear. Not feeling well. Gonna rest some more before my trip back to Melaka for my mom’s birthday.
Pak Nik: (aiyo macam the Kelantan PAS leader like that)
BM masih boleh tulis sedikit lah. Tapi kebanyakan sudah pulang kepada cikgu.
Ya, Camemberu and saya dari kampung yang sama!
Hmm why la? You need to rest well okay…. muuuah..
keropokman: A complete unrelated aside — your usage of the word “kebanyakan” made me wonder if it also means “abundance”, which is a great way of feeling about life. Or food. Abundance in or out. Inside the home, together, or outside, with friends. Okay, completely off topic di…
And I’ll ask this in Pakcik Nic’s place: Which kampung is this? You just mean from M’sia, or a specific town? (Very the kaypoh suddenly.)
equilibrium2008: Resting now, thanks!
Kenny, are you really dating? or this is just another romantic fiction of yours? I am confused *as usual* If this is real, I am really happy for you here :)) And hope to meet the lucky lady one day
seowyin: Real is unreal; unreal is real… who knows what is truly true? Muahahaha… Glad to see you drop by, dear.
I’m confused.
Simon Seow: That’s okay; the condition passes on quite swiftly most of the time. If it persists though, do consult your family doctor.
Wow - I haven’t visited here for a while and your site looks fantastic! Can’t wait to check out the rest of your site!
wokandspoon: Well, welcome back and hope you keep returning, dear. Yes, do check the rest of the site out too!
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