Trying new stuff can be daunting. We can be so comfortable with the chicken rice store that we always go to. But, after days and months of eating that, it can be boring.
What used to taste like something cooked by the angels in heaven will eventually turn out to be unappetizing and sickening. That's when we are motivated to go hunt for new kind of food elsewhere. The journey to satisfy our palate.
That's exactly what happened. Stepping out of the comfort zone to find new eats. We're like adventurers of taste. So, me and bro went to this particular block that we seldom pass by to look for food. There's this Korean restaurant that seems new. The food pictures are cool. But, we didn't go for that. On the opposite side of the street is a Chinese restaurant serving chicken and duck rice. There's also other variety of Chinese food. That suits our craving at the moment. We ordered duck rice and a plate of dumpling. We waited for the dishes with anticipation. The waiter stepped over with our food on plate. He slowly descended the plate of goodness onto our table. My eyes followed the motion. The portion was small. Facial expression changed. It was a stingy portion for the price that they charge. We didn't quite enjoy it because we know of a place serving better quality of duck meat. We never went back there.
On the bright side, we tried a bubble tea place called The Alley. The setting is nice. Free wifi. Nice modern decorative deer fixture on the wall. The wall has greens to give it a nature look. The interior is simply something that you would love to hang out in and meditate over a cup of bubble tea. With exception to the fact that the place will be bombarded with loud noises from chatters here and there of people there. Sometimes, it can be like a zoo in there.
Instead of going for their signature bubble tea drink, I went for the kiwi drink. This is almost like one of my brilliance way of going against the mainstream. I regretted it. It wasn't that good in my humble opinion. Kiwi isn't a strong flavored fruit. When they try to make it into smoothie, it turned out to be something icy. The ice neutralized the already weak taste of the kiwi. The latter part of the drink tasted bland and boring. Should have gone for their signatures.
My bro has this trend of going to herbal store recently. There's one selling herbal drinks and guai ling gou (a herbal jelly). At first we tried the drink that is sweet. It was okay with slight bitterness. Then there's this drink called Ya Sei Mei that is bitter. It's so bitter that some say it's almost like how it is when you lick the butt of a skunk. There's also the after taste that lingers in the mouth that would make you jump and do a back flip then a front flip. But, my bro likes it. I'm okay with it too. Worth going back for considering there's no other place that we know of that sells such potions.
Job wise, there's this public forum going on in Malacca. My friend, Nia drove there. Before that, we had to drop some stuff over at a hotel because there's another event going on there. We're just gonna unload some stuffs. There was a mini shopping complex next to the hotel. That's where we roamed around to find nourishment for our body and soul. And I must say, it's like our lucky day. One promoter there was giving off 20 bucks worth of voucher for the grocery store there. I bought chocolate biscuits and packs of chocolate milk to be shared on the journey.
Not knowing what to eat, somehow we end up sitting inside a restaurant that I also had forgotten the name. It's my first time dining there and there's few unique features about it. They have side dishes of fishes that tasted nothing but salty. They're basically salt in the shape of fish. The waiter walks around serving 3 different types of gravy that is particular to their tradition. They also have some mint paste that is served on the side. I swallowed a generous portion of it mainly because I think it would be a good idea.
After we're done putting our stuffs at the hotel, we had to drop by to another hospital because there's an event there. The ride was bumpy and I could feel something screaming inside my bowels. There's no mistake. I have to go for number 2. I am pretty experienced in clenching my booty considering that I am very picky with where I put my stuff. It's safe to mention that there's no undesirable incident happened.
Now, off we go to Malacca. Two other colleagues tagged along. It was a long drive. We managed to reach the hotel before night. Just in time to freshen up and get ready for dinner. The room was spacious. There's a mini fridge under the table and there lies two cans of complimentary Pepsi. The day is almost perfect.
The four of us assembled at the lobby and booked a ride. We went to their famous Jonker Street for some delicious street food. One of our colleague friend frequents around this area. She led us to an eating spot and ordered lots of food for us. There's fried carrot cake, laksa, grilled fish, steamed clams and more. Now that I think of it, I don't think I paid her yet. I did ask about it but she was kinda unresponsive towards my inquiry. And hence, I had the meal for free.
I wanted to explore more but then all of them wanted to head back to the hotel. I managed to grab a cup of durian ice cream before getting on to our ride back. The forum went on smoothly. There were hiccups here and there like having no pencils for the participants to fill in the feedback form and the confusion in taking participants' info before consultation. It's all handled well and no serious complications arose.
Doctor paid for our lunch. We had an awkward moment of chit chat. The doctor talks most of the time. I kept stuffing food into my mouth to make everything seem less awkward. Food, it helps. Before we drove back, we decided to go back Jonker again to buy some food souvenirs. The sun was shiny and we're sweating. We were in dire need of something cold to calm ourselves down. So, we went to a place and washed our mouth with a tasty bowl of cold durian cendol. It was so good. Unimaginably good. The durian paste permeates through the entire bowl. The ice melted with little chunks of ice left. The palm sugar gives the ice a brownish color. The sweetness is just right. Definitely will drop by for another if I have the chance.
For the drive back, it's a particularly long one. Nia can't fall asleep in foreign territories. So, she was wide awake during her night there. The sleep deprivation adds more darkness to her panda eyes. I had to cover for the drive back as she slept soundly in the passenger seat beside me. There's a little difference with the signal switch of her car. I was confused for a while before my wits started kicking in. We arrived safely back to our work place and went on to our separate homes. It was tiring but it's also an interesting one. There wasn't much spare time for us to go explore more of the place but it's just enough. Short and sweet. The days were packed with activities and a fair moment of free and easy.
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