The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:21 PM PST  The canopied area in Times Square packed with people sampling all the hawker food. – Pix by Helen Ong You would too if you've been indulging in it for nearly a week! However, I hasten to add: it was all for a good cause, as I was privileged to be invited to be one of the judges at the recent Battle of the Hawker Masters 2012, and indeed, the only one who managed (read: fool enough) to do it for all six days. The event, held in Penang's canopied Times Square, was the second of its kind, with over 300 people queuing up to purchase tickets every day so they could take advantage of the very special price: for just RM10 per person, they could sample every one of whatever dish was being contested that day. Some apparently even managed to put away 15 or more bowls, albeit admittedly smaller than average ones. In fact, the final day saw some 500 people clamouring for tickets during which time three finalists from all six categories battled for top spot. With Curry Mee, Nasi Lemak, Pasembur and Rojak, Hokkien Mee and of course the must-have Char Kuey Teow, it was without a doubt Penang hawker food paradise. It may seem easy just sitting there and be served bowl after bowl of food but believe you me, it's not that easy being a judge. With approximately 12-15 entries per category, you can imagine how many dishes we had to taste daily.  Char Kuey Teow galore... too much of a good thing? Never have the words K'hua liao pun paa! (Just one look is enough to fill me up) been more true. My doctor is going to have a fit when he checks my cholesterol level. Even worse, we had to sit there eating as daintily as possible – quite difficult to achieve especially with hot noodles – and trying not to slurp it all over ourselves and everyone else. As you sit there eating, people are taking photos of you in the most ungainly poses. Now I know how animals feel when they are being fed at the zoo! The criteria were simple: we had to judge based on hygiene, presentation and of course the all-important taste. Although we more or less agreed on the finalists for each day, occasionally the judges begged to differ. After all, as the saying goes, "one man's meat is another man's poison". Case in point was during the Char Kuey Teow competition on Day 5 when a fellow judge and I compared notes. He had marked down the one I preferred most, and vice versa. However, this discrepancy was clarified when he explained, "It's not surprising because when I order a Char Kuey Teow, I always tell them to hold the chilli and make it less oily." Say no more.  One of the competitors preparing pasembur. Possibly they didn't feel the need to prove themselves; after all, they are already famous enough. Some may have feared not making the grade; it was telling that none of last year's winners even bothered to sign up this time round. Perhaps they were being unselfish and wanted to let others have a chance. Some of Penang's top hawker foods couldn't be persuaded to come in either – Assam Laksa, one of our most famous, did not even make an appearance, and neither did Mee Goreng nor Kuey Teow T'ng. However, it was good to see our top two there: Char Kuey Teow and Hokkien Mee. I think it is high time Penang had such a contest, and hats off to Ivory Properties for taking the time and effort to do so yet again – it requires tremendous manpower and good organisation to pull off such a large-scale event. It can safely be considered a resounding success "Response was even more overwhelming compared to last year, and the Battle has since become an annual affair for Penang," said Ann Tan, Corporate Communications Manager for Ivory Properties Group Berhad. All this talk about hawker food has made me hungry so if you'll excuse me, I'm off to my local kopitiam for a bowl – or two – of my favourite noodles… Did I really say I was fed-up with hawker food? |
| Robert Parker’s wine bible moving to Singapore Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:38 PM PST SINGAPORE, Dec 12 – Influential US wine critic Robert Parker is moving the headquarters of his newsletter to Singapore after selling a major stake to investors based in the city-state, a report said Tuesday. Parker told the Wall Street Journal he intends to step down as editor-in-chief of The Wine Advocate and phase out its print edition, giving oversight to his Singapore-based Asia correspondent, Lisa Perrotti-Brown. "The Asian market has come of age in the last decade or so, and it would be unrealistic not to expect to be part of it," he said. He declined to name his new investors but described them as "young visionaries" in financial services and information technology based in Singapore who presented him with a plan he could not refuse, according to the report. "They love wine, but they also saw a great business opportunity," said Parker, who said he will become chairman of the new company and continue to review the wines of Bordeaux and the Rhone for the newsletter.  Parker said the Asian market has come of age in the last decade or so. – AFP pic Parker said the Wine Advocate's print version might disappear before the end of next year, and he would offer incentives to print subscribers to make the change to an online-only format. "Maybe we will offer them Kindles," he said. The company's current office is next to Parker's home in Maryland farm country. Singapore is a Southeast Asian financial centre with close business and cultural links to China. The new investors are planning an abbreviated Southeast Asian edition aimed at corporate clients such as airlines and luxury hotels, the report said, and the main newsletter will also put more emphasis on Asia's nascent wine industry. Perrotti-Brown, who also writes for an online Wine Advocate offshoot called erobertparker.com, plans to hire a new correspondent likely to be based in China. "The correspondent will cover wines produced in China, Thailand and other Asian countries," she was quoted as saying. "We envisage eventually allowing some advertising, but only from sponsors where there is absolutely no conflict of interest," said Perrotti-Brown. No winery or wine-related business would be allowed to advertise but luxury watches or credit card brands would be acceptable, the report said. Organisers of Asia's biggest wine and spirits fair Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, held in Hong Kong in May, said China leapt to fifth place among top wine-consuming nations last year, overtaking Britain. Asia is expected to account for more than half of worldwide growth in consumption over the next three years, they added. – AFP-Relaxnews |
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