.
You taste like tong sui
Ripe sweetness at play
You are black sesame
Mung beans oh so dreamy
The ambrosia of erotic hasma
A paradise of six flavours
You are steamed milk custard
A sip leaves me without words
Guiling-gao dark and clear
O sugar-shock me, my dear…
.
Dedicated to my best friend The Diva whose singular obssession with 花生糊 (peanut paste soup) rivals my own brotherly affection for her blossoming bosom. Everything’s sugar+spice when you’re part of The Family.
53 Comments
LOL!!!!! I’m sorry I don’t think that’s the response you expected but..
…I’ve never actually read a poem that contains guiling-gao before….
wow…. so sweet lah….
» Kookymonsta
Oh that’s always a good response — Laughter!
» zewt
Thankfully, not quite at the diabetes-inducing saccharine levels yet. Or is it?
All tong sui shops should paste this up !
Hmmm…I thought papaya milkshake should be….errrr…….for blossoming….errrrr….:p
WHy do I keep seeing a frowning face on one bowl ? Hahahahhaha…..
» tigerfish
Oh, is papaya milkshake what works now? Must tell the Diva about this. She may want to avoid these drinks since she’s no fan of Baywatch-sized, uhm, baubles.
As for the frowning face on one bowl… They say it’s a mystery…
Food. Sex. Poetry.
I don’t need a thing more to be happy. I swear.
hmmmmmmm… now i feel like eating tong yuen instead of tong sui… LOL
Ya lah, there’s a frowning face in the top bowl!
Er, “brotherly affection for her blossoming bosom”? Very suspicious, if not auspicious one…
Hmmmm somehow i do not believe that th poem’s about The Diva… I’m not convinced!
» Sharanya Manivannan
Yes. And they do say: Food is sex is poetry, don’t they?
» BossCat
Oh we always have a bowl of tong yuen to go with the tong sui. A perfect match!
» argussimo
Oh I see it now too! Kinda eerie, come to think of it. How do you guys notice this sorta stuff? Ineffable, it is.
Not suspicious at all, if you only knew the antics we get up to. Our better halves despair of us and have long given up. Best friends are species of their own, really.
» A Lil Fat Monkey
The poem’s more about tong sui, yes. Is that what you meant?
LOL. Poetic mood again?
Hmm… hasma aka fallopian tubes.
Mari mari, kita jemput you makan stir fry fallopian tubes kat Singapura.
kita = camemberu + keropokman hehe…
» keropokman
Well, techinically they aren’t just any old fallopian tubes but the dried fallopian tubes of some froggies. *ribbit!*
But I’ve never heard of stir fry fallopian tubes. Singapore’s getting more exotic by the day! Yes, one of these days, we must! Jom makan-makan di Singapura…
Mmmm your poem leaves me craving for a warm bowl of pak gor yee mai fu chuk or bubur cha cha on a dreary day like this.
woah, a sweet month indeed…
must eat some hokkien mee to neutralise the sweet effect..haha!
keropokman, tambah Nic to “kita”, ok?
» Paprika
We make pak gor yee mai fu chuk (ginkgo nut + barley + bean curd skin) at home all the time. Haven’t tried making bubur cha cha yet. What’s your favourite tong sui?
» Nic (KHKL)
Oooh, Hokkien Mee… I could write an epic as to my love of that dish…
That’s a very original creative piece.
Nic, yes…include you too…
hokkien mee to neutralize sweet effect. LOL…
Mari kita blogger makan-makan sama sama menuju, bahagia.
(hum to the tune of a national anthem of a little red dot country)
» Jemima
Muchas gracias Señora.
» keropokman
How is it that I know the Lion City’s national anthem? I’m such a traitorous lil fella…
hmmmm…. u grew up watching telly broadcasting from over the straits? LOL
long time ago, i read or was it heard that a survey was done by the pejabat pendidikan in johor, that most students knows the national songs of singapura (they tend so sound so catchy and nice) over the national songs in malaysia.
apa jadi? blame the idiot box!
» keropokman
Yeah, I grew up in Malacca and we could receive Singaporean TV signals… Brainwashing, I tell ya! And not just the patriotic songs but the jingles… far catchier.
Blame the idiot box? Blame excellent jingle composers across the Straits.
I did not know the signals reaches melaka! so, you had one of those super tall aerials on your roof top? :-p
talk about Melaka, some desserts with Gula Melaka would be good.
more about Melaka, are you a fan of Tan Kim Hock durian dodol? Oh man, that reminds me…. the other day I was in a bus and the ‘bau durian’ permeated the whole bus. i thought of your durian post! LOL
» keropokman
My Malaccan house is a double-storey semi-detached with a super, SUPER tall aerial so I grew up on a diet of Channel 5 weekday afternoon cartoons. Hehe.
Gula Melaka yes, dodol not so. I used to get Tan Kim Hock candies all the time cos my grandma’s best friend’s son married the tycoon’s daughter. Talk about six degrees of separation!
Bau durian is heavenly but not when you are stuck in a bus! Suffocation Central!
ah. the MASK, Transformers, Gummy Bears, Care Bears, Smurfts, etc… you grew up on that didja?
endless supplies of candies eh? remember trips to Melaka always have a stopover at TKH.
who wouldnt want some tong sui rite?..
eh dinner for a birthday dinner? plan to explore which area? you can always tell me where u been b4 i start suggesting..i only got a few places i keep visiting for some reason..don’t feel like exploring new things..
chiaroscuro?
» keropokman
Yes! Yes! Yes! All those and more! Even the Centurions and the Visionaries… Gosh, 80’s cartoons are the BEST!!
» lotsofcravings
Probably the KL area. Was thinking of Silk Road at Pavilion. I recall you blogging about that before. And I’m just like you, I do keep going back to a few good places. It’s only natural.
P.S. Done Chiaroscuro already. Feel like trying something new (for us).
Your poem, definitely one of “sugar-shock”!
But tong sui and frowning faces don’t make a good couple, do they?
P.S. Just to butt into your conversation with keropokman (I seem to be doing this quite often lately…) are “the MASK, Transformers, Gummy Bears, Care Bears, Smurfts, etc” really cartoons from the 80’s?! I mean, I grew up with them, and I’m most definitely younger that you are Kenny! They were the lesser known cartoons of the 90s as well!
» Michelle
“… I’m most definitely younger that you are Kenny!”
Oh! Someone kill me now! You just called me an old man, didn’t you? LOL
But yes, I suppose they’re a bit 90’s too. But so addictive… like tong sui.
michelle,
arrghh.. that implies i am an old fart too? (by the way, my fart wont be as toxic as mr mah who adores durian. his is definitely more intoxicating! lol)
Yes, those cartoons were what we watched when we were little kiddos. You mentioned it is the 90s. Hmmm. I realised that my little nephews and nieces must be watching the 3rd round of it. Smurfs and Transformers and Care Bears are the in-thing again! Just look at the toys they sell now at department stores!!
Oh. I suddenly think of Muppets and Muppet Babies. Oh the catchy tune is ringing in my head now… darn! let me drive the tunes to the heads of you all too. suffer with me! LOL
The opening tune of muppet babies…
Muppet Babies, we make our dreams come true
Muppet Babies, we’ll do the same for you
Kermit: When your world looks kinda weird and you wish that you weren’t there
Piggy: Just close your eyes and make believe and you can be anywhere
Kermit: I like adventure
Piggy: I like romance
Fozzie: I love great jokes
Animal: Animal dance!!
Scooter: I’ve got my computer
Skeeter: I swing through the air
Rowlf: I play the piano
Gonzo: And I have blue hair
Bunsen: Me, I invent things
Beaker: Mee mee mee meee!
Nanny: Is everything all right in here?
All: Yes, Nanny.
Muppet Babies, we make our dreams come true
Muppet Babies, we’ll do the same for you
Muppet Muppet Muppet Muppet
Babies Babies Babies Babies
Make dreams come true.
On the contrary, I would much rather that meant calling myself a young lady. But if you insist.. “old man”.
» keropokman
*faints*
Good golly, what other cartoons are there?
P.S. Mr. Mah does not subscribe to flatulence, even after a bout of aromatic durians.
» Michelle
Grrr…
Kenny,
the Grrr.. is so soft! Meeky lion? Or scary cat? LOL
You need chilli crabs.
if she’s sweet like the tong-sui, does that make you lean and mean.. like the yau char kwai?! and i know you dig her blossoming ham chim peng… !
sugar + asian + love = definitely unique poem, i love it!
» keropokman
Meeky lion sounds about right, haha. And chili crabs even more so. Yums…
Can’t wait till I get down to S’pore to meet you guys!
» cumi&ciki
I’m like yau char kwai as in I’m full of oil and fats. Just check out my love handles — you’ve got your ham chim peng right there!
And aren’t ham chim pengs sorta flat? Don’t they only “blossom” in hot oil? LOL
» rokh
sugar + asian + love = like some porn title, actually. *runs and hides*
silk road sounds good..then again a special dinner shud nvr b at a shopping complex..personal preference..
i heard the ciao, ciccio n etc r brilliant italian restaurants..
somewhere along changkat bukit bintang? tengkat tong shin?
did u ever get to try max kitchen? bermuda n onions? the neros? if chinese food..eastin dim sum was fab hehe…
» lotsofcravings
That’s a nice list of restaurants! Will go through them all and see what’s the best option. Danke schön, mein Freund!
An ode to mung beans
LOL! Kenny! U outdo yourself with this poem. It’s hilarious.
» Paul
Mung beans are da bomb! (Literally, after mass consumption. Hehe.)
» daphne
Thanks, dear. Glad you like it.
hahaha…farnee one. I never see poem with guiling-gao:P
You love poems alot , dont you:)
malaysia shakespear?:P
haha! rhyming with tong sui???!!! what’s next???
the ambrosia of EROTIC hasma? LOL. that’s a new one.
never realise these chunks of repro organs can be sexy …. =P
» pinky
Oh I love my farnee friends more than I love poems, that’s for sure.
» J2Kfm
Hey, amphibious reproductive organs — what’s not to like? LOL
I’ll definitely be smiling recalling this post the next time I eat a bowl of Tong Sui! :o)
» wmw
You do that, dear, you do that.
I’d like to have this one. hihi.
Care to tell me how it is being cooked?
» equilibrium2008
We just use an electric slow cooker, nothing fancy. Oh, and we leave the ingredients to simmer slowly overnight. That helps a lot. Makes all the difference!
this is such a hairy berry type post ….no offence meant to you, of course. i am sure you are equally poetic.
» fatboybakes
None taken. This less an attempt to emulate Hairy Berry and more of one simply to worship my best friend’s womanly wiles…
Oh, one cold winter’s day I put together a slapdash tong-sui but it tasted pretty OK:
Boil till soft — cubed sweet potato (and/or whatever gourd you have in the house) in two bowls of water with a teaspoon of grated ginger and 4 tsp of raw sugar. Adjust according to your taste.
» argussimo
Yes, the ginger’s a must. I usually just use slices of ginger though (to be removed before serving). And rock sugar rather than white sugar.
Wow, what a great poem! I was actually smiling as I read through it. The poem seems exotic to me because I don’t know what a lot of the ingredients are. But I love the line about the “ambrosia of erotic hasma.” Really well-written! It creates a tempting, yet flirtatious mood through the words and rhythm. You make Malaysia seem so romantic! My imagination is craving the answers to such questions as, “What is tong sui, and what is guiling-gao? What do mung beans taste like? And why do people always say ‘lah’ in your comments?!! It sounds so glamorous…”
Actually, I’m traveling to Malaysia soon! As in, two weeks from now! Is there any chance that this up-and-coming writer would meet one of his fans? (I fear sounding stalkerish.) You seem so in the know about places to see, great food at great restaurants, and there seem to be so many interesting people around you! I’d like to see the world of Mr. Mah! So I figured, hey, when else would I be able to match a face to the amazing prose?? Of course, it that’s a strange request, maybe you could just offer some of your native knowledge to this fish out of water??
Thanks for a great poem and keep up the good writing! I really enjoy reading it.
~Katie
ps Please check out my website to further confirm my lack of stalker qualities.
Thanks!
what was she doing at the last photo! hmmmm . .. .
» Katie
Heya… Sorry for the late reply… Been spectacularly busy and not even blogging of late. Thanks for such sweet words in your comments. “Lah” is a very Malaysian figure of speech — you’ve gotta be here to hear us use it for a taste of our local flavour!
And I’d love to meet someone new, especially another entrepid backpacker after my own heart. Do you have Facebook? You can add me on Facebook and we can take it from there. Have a safe trip to Malaysia!
» big boys oven
What is she doing indeed… Hmmm…
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