How did the Malaysian Food Feast go this year?
The picture shows the so-called 'satay' that they tried to peddle to us this year. We have a strong suspicion that the chicken was stuck on the stick, boiled, and then painted with kunyit, before having the sticks burnt to lend it an authentic look. David called it 'kunyit chicken on a stick'. The so-called 'kuah kacang' didn't help matters any. So, it was a bad impression.
The next thing that sucked was the so-called laksa. David and I just didn't understand how could anyone in this world possibly under-cook meehoon. It hardly takes a minute to cook it under boiling water. Must of our meehoon was actually crispy. It just did not make any sense at all. And the laksa soup, didn't taste anything like any laksa from any state in Malaysia that I know.
The 'yee sang' and 'rojak' starters were quite good though. So was the 'agar-agar' at the end. Although it was made of 'gula melaka' and 'santan', we all wondered if it was made of coffee. The so-called red bean soup was thick enough to be a bread spread. But it was not bad either.
However, I think that most people enjoyed their time there. The food feast has always been about people, more than the food [at least i think so]. It's a great chance for Malaysians here to meet up, bash the Sporeans on their bad food, and laugh at the 'ang moh' who cannot eat spicy stuff. I had a nice evening even though my camera was hijacked by several different individuals.
UPDATE: Got a bit of stomach upset today. The food hygiene must've been a little sub par.
UPDATE #2: In case anyone is wondering why I was so hyper [more than usual] last night and clapping whenever Aaron gave a speech, it was per Aaron's instruction. I was asked to clap, whenever he gave a speech. So, I did!
14 comments:
i cannot believe the yeesang turned out well. i prepared it and i have only eaten yeesang once in my life. i don't even know how it's spelt.
on the other hand, i personally think that you and david oughta give the other cooks a bit more credit. they really put their hearts into it (albeit they may have had lack of skill and were over-ambitious), and i'm sure you understand how much work it is from last year. as for david who does not have the guts to do this himself, i find his comments hollow, and a lot of the people i worked with complained that he was trying to make a nuisance of himself there.
so i wouldn't put much stock in his word. however, i do think that they should have tested the food before serving it to ensure quality. point noted.
on another note, jo-anne was the one who prepared the agar-agar, which is amazing, since about a month or two ago she had no idea what cooking was all about. PS: jo is a coffee fanatic.
but i guess the greatest commendation should go to eugene, who selflessly volunteered for a second food feast despite having served last year, being neither on the committee nor being paid (getting nothing out of it except his satisfaction in helping friends out).
yea.. the lack of skill is fairly apparent.. however, i've also give credit where it's due..
I wouldn't take the criticism of the food to heart if I was one of the cooks -- there is no way you can gather a bunch of Malaysians, tell them they are going to be fed food from home, and *not* get a lot of complaining. The complaining's half the fun. ;) I thought the event went well considering everything was done by busy students, several of whom probably didn't know anything about cooking before they started. And I liked the chicken rice. :D
If I did have any serious criticism, it'd be of the speech that kicked off the events. Defensiveness is unattractive. If there were allegations that all the food was instant, it would have looked better just to have ignored them.
Me, a nuisance? Oh well, there is no pleasing some people. I don't pull any punches. Credit is due to the servers, who did a fine job out there. Organization was fine. Just the food.
Oh yes, by the way, I did help out. The pineapple that was in the Rojak? That was me and Joyce.
The food sucked. And Dan, sorry to say this, but I am only this critical because I know that they could have done better.
The agar-agar was not made of coffee!!! Lol...
Considering that I complained a lot during AFF myself,I can understand all the complaints being made:)
Hehe thanks David for praising the servers:P And thanks for helping out too.
Everyone who was involved did put A LOT of effort, and we have many unsung heroes as well.All in all, it was an experience to be involved:)
Frankly, I did love the organisation. Though they did start about 1 hour late, they made up for it in the fluidity of their serving. Starters and desserts were good, and chicken rice, IMHO was the highlight.
The only reason I'm critical about food is cos I'm from Penang! But then, I do appreciate the effort put in by all the people to actually make the event successful. I know some first years were really busy and some didn't know how to cook, but in the end, it's their spirit of togetherness that was the highlight.
Kudos to a job well done. =)
cutting pineapples is hardly hard work.
"The food sucked" as i recall some of the food was actually good. thank god you're not a lawyer.
the thing i'm really annoyed about is that the guys who spent two days preparing the food and even longer time getting the ingredients don't even get a pat on the back or even a thank you.
my dissatisfaction isn't personal i wasn't criticized in this case; i prepared the yeesang and was serving, so don't take it personally.
however, i really dislike the attitude of expecting so much out of these younger ones, who aren't that experienced at cooking and have busy schedules; also the utter unappreciation for the dedication they've put in is really uncalled for. you paid only 4 quid for a meal cooked my busy students; either lower your expectations or help to raise their standards.
if they put their hearts into the food, perhaps tt's why you got a tummy upset today =) cannibalism is not good
haha.. ash, you're so funny! :P
hmm, not sure what could have caused the stomach upset.. you're not the only one who got it, altho a lot of people did not get it as well. strange stuff... did you eat the laksa? :P
Okay, since you raised the issue about money. I know how difficult it is to prepare the MFF on a shoestring. But this year's committee had a rope, not a shoestring. They had a very large sponsorship. There are so many ways to have made it better. The sponsors actually got to taste how their money was being used. Consider that for a moment.
it isnt the money that ensures quality; it's the skills of the people involved. but that's besides the point that i'm trying to make.
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