Not your history teachers
I was listening to the breakfast show on Mix FM with Ika, Serena C, and Pietro this morning and they came to touch on the history of China. It does seem like they have actually did a bit of “research” on the topic (maybe less than 30 seconds), so it certainly wasn’t something completely random.
Pietro was basically quiet this whole time, I actually respect his ability to know when not talk as a DJ, and certainly his wisdom on not to make up history.
Unfortunately, the two ladies had mouths faster than their brains this particular morning. The topic has to do with the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.
Firstly, they credited the Great Wall of China to the emperor, which was at best, half true. Most sections of the fortifications and connections of the wall done by Qin Shi Huang did not survive until today. Whatever we see today are mainly from the work done during the Ming Dynasty.
The highlight of the “lesson” was when they ladies claimed that Qin Shi Huang used the great wall to fend off attacks from Genghis Khan‘s Mongol troops. Qin Shi Huang was the emperor from 247 BCE to 221 BCE. At the time, the wall was mainly used to protect the kingdom from the Xiongnu people up north. Furthermore, Genghis Khan was not even born until 1162 AD. The ladies conveniently ignored more than 1,300 years of history to put these two very different periods together. Amazing isn’t it?
I wish these DJs would just put in 10 minutes with wikipedia before babbling out their lessons. Though talk is cheap, and you can say whatever you want to say. However, a DJ on public radio does and should hold some responsibility in their speech. Making sure the facts are correct is a start. Otherwise be like Pietro and know when to stop working the tongue. This is not a mamak discussion session with your pals after all.
I was actually quite embarrassed.
It’s been quite a long time since I met this friend of mine, Drika (don’t really care if I can use his name here); and we decided to go for dinner after work last night. Since we had to pick up his special one at PJ, I figured it might just as well we try the interestingly named Restaurant Bibichick, the Nyonya place I saw on Ho Chak series on TV8.
these two diners were certainly happy
The restaurant is clean and decorated minimally but comfortable. There is a suspicious looking corner with a drum set, I sure hope there’s no karaoke session during the weekends, some Jazz would probably be fine though.
For the three of us, we ordered the recommended mango fish (with mar yau), honey squid, fried chicken with Bibi sauce, and a plate of vegetable.
mango fish, honey squid, vegetable, and chicken with Bibi sauce
While the vegetable is somewhat average, the other three dishes were all actually very good. The mango fish dish is prepared with the fish cut in small fillet (while retaining the whole fish) and deep fried, before pouring the mango sauce and shredded mango on top. The structure and taste of the fish actually matches the mango sauce very well, nice.
The honey squid was awesome too, reminds me of the honey chicken I had Kampung Atap. Last but definitely not least, the fried chicken with Bibi sauce actually tasted very close to belacan fried chicken, but with a slightly more complex taste. The girl had like 3 big pieces.
The bill came to around RM 80 for the three of us, including drinks and a 5% service charge. The biggest item being the fish at RM 32.50, the other dishes were priced between 8-15 ringgit, which were still reasonable for an air conditioned restaurant, and comparable to the Nyonya Restaurant at the other side of the same shop lots
Address:
No. 17 Jalan SS 2/30
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
GPS: 3.113498, 101.621003
Tel: 017-319 6191
Scouring for lunch one weekend afternoon, we somehow arrived at PJ old town food court. Since my house mate recommended the chicken rice, we did not bother to really look for anything else over there.
the girls are enjoying their lunch
This Kie Kee chicken rice stall has been in operation for many years, and actually serves more than just chicken rice. They have roasted pork (siu yok), bbq pork (char siu), chicken with mushroom, and even curry chicken and curry pork. Of course, the standard steamed chicken and roasted chicken are available, there’s porridge too.
I ordered a plate of dark meat roasted chicken with siu yok, while the other noobs had chicken with char siu, and siu yok with curry sauce. The food were actually rather good, the chicken prepared boneless, and the pork tasted like how they should be. Most importantly, the chili sauce was really nice. I maintain that one of the most important ingredients for chicken rice is the chili sauce, this place didn’t disappoint.
roasted chicken, roasted pork, bbq pork, curry
While many other places sells chicken rice for no less than RM 3.50 for a plain chicken and rice dish, and RM 4.00 to RM 4.50 for combo; Kie Kee only charges RM 3.50 for combo and RM 3.00 for a normal plate. Pretty cheap for PJ standard.
the food court is situated opposite the bus terminal
Give it a try if you are going to old town. There are a couple stalls that sell Chinese satay, and the ais kacang is very delicious too.
Address:
Intersection of
Jalan Othman & Jalan Selangor
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.087519, 101.645948
The first time (and incidentally, the last time) I went to Jack’s Place was sometimes in 2005. The reason it took me so long for this second visit was not the lack of quality in their food during the first visit, but rather my general absence from the malls in weekends since working at KLCC. Why head to the mall during weekends when I am walking in one every on single working day? Anyway… I shall not digress
as I ponder what to order..
The ambiance at this little restaurant is actually very nice. Not very brightly lit, but gives one a sense of relaxation, I prefer it to the rowdiness of Fridays or Chili’s. Since it was an afternoon, we took advantage to order from the very reasonably priced set lunch menu. I got a NZ Rib eye, medium rare, and the hot chick ordered a Dory fish set with the option for lobster soup instead of the standard mushroom cream.
I also asked for my steak to be served on a normal plate with the sauce separated instead of the sizzling plate. This is to prevent the meat from getting cooked all the time while I’m trying to have my lunch. I also believe that good steak should not be tainted by some “brown sauce”.
this medium rare was a little too rare, but juicy nonetheless
Our two main dish didn’t take long to arrive, but the server actually forgot to serve the soups until I reminded him. We ended up only getting the soup more than half way into the meal. I guess the service standard in Malaysia still has a long way to go.
While pretty juicy and actually rather tasty, the medium rare here emphasized the word rare way too much. You can probably see it in the picture above on how pink the meat was. The Dory fish (and chips) was a pretty good dish too, but the serving size was a bit overwhelming.
While the mushroom soup was pretty average, the lobster bisque was actually very nice. There were chunks of lobster meat to chew on while you savor the rich creamy taste of the soup. Pretty good for only an additional RM 4 upgrade from the standard set lunch.
the hot chick wasn’t complaining
Including a 10% service charge and the standard 5% government tax, the bill came to around RM 55. Pretty reasonable for a satisfying lunch. Jack’s Place does offer a pretty extensive menu that can be found here. The lobster and crab stuffed mushroom appetizer is not to be missed if you are prepared to shell out some RM 18 for it.
Address:
F346, First Floor Rainforest
1 Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing)
No.1 , Lebuh Bandar Utama Damansara
47800 Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.150050, 101.615939
Tel: 03-7725 1433
The Oral Stage, is back again with their latest project, Screwed. From their site:
The Oral Stage enters its fourth season with an all-new line-up of original shorts and monologues, a contemporary take on the timeless issues of identity, gender, relationships, meaning and purpose. Screwed reinforces the fact that being human is nothing short of being screwed, after all.
When: April 19th – 22nd 2007 @ 8.30 pm, April 21st – 22nd 2007 @ 3.00 pm
Where: The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) at Sentul (map)
Tickets: RM27 (Adults), RM17 (Students, senior citizens & the disabled)
Ticket contact and directions: KLPac @ 03-4047 9000
There is also a performance in Green Hall, Penang from May 4 to 6. For more information, check out their blog entry here.
It is great to see this group flourishing, I’ll be at the play this Saturday, you should too! After all, Spidy and Pirates aren’t here yet.
