Penang Global City Centre

It looks like this RM 25 billion grandiose city centre to be built on the Penang Turf Club is "as good as dead" according to the Chief Minister. The plan in its original concept was rejected by the Penang Municipal Council for not adhering to the council's requirements. The project which was announced with considerable pomp by the Prime Minister last year fell through when the developer and the Turf Club committee were involved in a legal wrangle over terms and conditions that were not fulfilled by the developer, as well as objections from non-government organizations over its impact on the environment. Looks like Patrick Lim and his good friend are stuck in a deep hole over the cancellation of the project.

Raw Oyster Alert

This is a follow-up on my post on raw oysters served up by Steamboat Garden. A reader alerted me to the perils of eating raw oysters when she directed me to the website, raw oyster alert . This is what Jennie said:


Check out the website www.rawoysteralert.com. I was shocked to learn that several individuals die each year from the consumption of raw oysters that are contaminated with naturally occurring Vibrio bacteria. Some gulf states have chosen to not take action in order to make raw oysters safe for ALL consumers.

Several years ago, the state of California made a requirement that all imported raw oysters must be pasteurized and since that requirement was put into place there have been NO FURTHER DEATHS in that state.

In order to affect change, consumers need to only accept oysters that are SAFE through post harvest processing or through being cooked. Consumer demand drives the market and the industry would be forced to provide oysters that did not lead to unnecessary deaths.

The website www.rawoysteralert.com has a wealth of information available and also explains how you can help in making the consumption of oysters safe for everyone.

The Month Of The Hungry Ghosts

The month of the hungry ghosts is nearing its end and the hungry spirits of the netherworld, repleted with food, wine and song will be led through the gates of Hell while the living will have a store of provisions, offerings to the hungry ghosts, to last them for quite some time: canned goods, rice, toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, and every other conceivable articles of use. Even the lowly salt packet is a common item of offerings. That reminds me of the recent news report of a timber tycoon in Sarawak, with concessions of thousands of hectares of timber land, who (to add salt to the wound) gave packets of salt as aid to natives who lost their belongings and longhouses in a fire. That inevitably provoked a national outrage that the company had to apologize and later sent in lorries of food and other supplies. A case of too little, too late.

It is anybody's guess as to how much money is spent in buying hell money, giant joss-sticks to be burnt. It is definitely a thriving industry. Throw in the latest fad in providing the departed souls with paper mansions, plasma tvs, Mercedes Benzes, mobile phones, even laptops, and all the creature comforts of this world, and the wastage is colossal. In the name of preserving Chinese culture, the Chinese burn away millions of dollar every year. How many trees are cut down each year, just to pander to this cultural practice of the by-gone years?

Anyway, the month of August is an eventful one. There was a spate of arrests of high profile people over corruption: the arrest of the Director and Deputy Director General of Immigration for kickbacks for fast-track approvals of foreign workers, the continuing saga of Anwar Ibrahim and his accuser, Saiful, the victim who alleged that he was sodomized, the vociferous disruption by self-proclaimed champions of Islam of the Bar Council of Malaysia's forum on the attendant problems that come with the conversion of a spouse to Islam , Mara University College of Technology students staging a mass protest against the Selangor Chief Minister's suggestion to open up the university to non-Malay students by a mere 10%, the arrest of many officers in PUSPAKOM, centres for the inspection of road-worthiness of motor-vehicles, for corruption, and of course the latest by-election at Permatang Pauh, where Anwar Ibrahim won a thumping victory, despite the sodomy charge hanging over his head. There is even an attempt by religious hardliners to prevent the Canadian singer, Avril Lavigne from performing.

While on the international front, the Beijing Olympics kept everybody glued to their TVs; China displayed her superb organizational skills and flexed her athletic muscles; Phelps won a historic 8 gold medals, Bolt, the lightning achieved a triple first, and minion Malaysia could only manage a silver. It is hard to understand that small countries like Jamaica and Trinidad with small populations could achieve so much. It would do well for us to focus on sports that could win us medals instead of spreading our limited resources to train athletes that have little hope of winning. We have pumped millions into sports schools all over the country and yet we have not been able to nurture talents that can compete at international level. What is happening?

Fruit Codes

I was buying some apples when I stumbled upon stickers on some apples that got me puzzled; it used to be that fruits, particularly imported ones carry labels or stickers of their producers. However, this time I noticed some numbers on the label. A google search revealed that these numbers are codes assigned to the ways fruits are grown.

Here is the info:

• Conventional fruit labels: 4 digits and does not start with 9. They start mostly with the digit 4. The apple above is one conventionally grown with herbicides and fertilizers
• Organic fruit labels: five digits and start with the number 9, say for example 99222
  
• Genetically modified fruit: starts with the number 8, say for example 89222.

So, folks check your labels when you buy your fruits.

Steamboat Garden Huitre

Did you know that the Steamboat Garden at Minyak Beku has three VIP rooms for guests who prefer some privacy? The air-conditioned rooms, which can comfortably accommodate 10 people while one can take in 20 diners, are equipped with karaoke facilities so diners could only embarrass each other with their lack of singing ability.

Apart from the usual dishes that go with the steamboat, the restaurant also serves 'huitre' or fresh oysters at RM 6.00 a piece. I for one have never been into eating raw food, including sashimi, but obviously many would swear by their deliciousness. I watched fascinated as John Tan, biting and chewing the oyster with obvious relish, proclaimed in between mouthfuls, the excellent health promoting properties of raw oysters in boosting the libido. He proceeded happily to help himself to another when I refused to be drawn into taking my share.

Huitre or oyster at Rm 6.00 a piece

My share which John later 'appropriated'

The usual prawns, pig liver and kidney, and a kind of shell fish. The white bowl on the left contains crispy fried pork fat for the soup

The popular white pomfret and scallops

Shell fish and pig kidney and liver


The steamboat laden with vegetables, tofu and sweet corn

Beijing Olympics 2008

Some spectacular and enduring images of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. It would be hard for London, the host of the next Olympics, to upstage what the Chinese have orchestrated for the opening and closing ceremonies. Well, I don't think they missed the services of Steven Spielberg. By far, the most expensive Olympics (some US43 billion spent) and most viewed, it also signals the arrival of China, not only as an economic but also a sports powerhouse. But what of all those expensive stadia and venues that normally would become white elephants after the Games. Well, according to one report, there is no danger of that with Beijing home to 17 million people. Many of the venues were also built in universities ensuring that they will be fully used. A substantial part of the expenditure went into building infra-structures that would make Beijing a modern metropolis. Money well-spent according to most analysts.

It is going to be a difficult task for the London Olympics Committee to put up a good show, but who knows?