Some things come later in life..
If you asked if i've eaten boa, crocodile, ostrich and bush rats, I would not batter an eyelid.
Yes, i've had those, during my stint in Congo, Africa.
If you asked if fried scorpions, bugs, and larvae taste good, i'll offer that these pick up the taste of the cooking liquids and marinates.
Blood sausages, horse meat, cow's tongue, pig's brains, calf's sweetbreads and innards - these don't appeal to me at all. Sea Urchin Uni may be the darling of gourmet but I can pass.
The only innard that I'll eat happily is foie gras. Pan-fried whole with some sweet balsamic !
Today, for the first time in my travels around the world, I ate duck's tongue. And it had to be in the most inconspicuous coffee shop in Johor, just a stone's throw from CIQ ( immigration checkpoint ). We were guests of a good friend and what better way to start the day but with a local breakfast of hot beef noodle soup ( very good broth ), soya stewed pork with all parts of the pig, duck meat and the very special delicacy - duck's tongue.
I was hesistant at the thought of duck's tongue and politely refused the initial offerings. But the conversation around the table went on about how good it was and chorus of " try, must try, try " made me pluck up courage to try a piece. The texture was spongy with no odd after taste but only the taste of the broth that it had been stewed in. It was actually quite pleasant as the texture was light and nimble and so i reached out for the second tongue. According o the Johorians, duck's tongue is sought-after that the chef often keeps them for his regular clients.
I'm totally reliant on my host as i haven't a clue about Johor and its environs. My rare forays into Johor Bahru, or JB as it is affectionately called, stops at City Square. ( City Square connects from CIQ with a link walkway which makes it very convenient if you come by bus from Singapore's Woodlands checkpoint )
The second link at Tuas is another way to get into Johor quick and fuss-free. But the toll fees are much higher. In any case, today, we came in style: in a personal chauffer-driven limo.
After breakfast, we proceeded on to the day's meetings and then visited some housing developments around Johor. Johor became hip again with the "birth" of the Iskandar Region. Touted as the economic powerhouse of Malaysia, this area is now the hotbed of many activities. From residential developments, commercial buildings, industrial zones, schools to waterfront mixed developments, this area is the new Shanghai. I love the juxtaposition of rustic kampungs, greenery and ultra-modern buildings. It gives me my creature comforts without the isolation and coldness of built-up cities and glaring concrete.
As we drove to the township of Molek, i spied two kampung chickens rummaging in the undergrowth.. a rare sight for a city bird like me. We stopped at the Molek Pine project for a look and I was swept away by the quality of the finishes. What impressed me was the Gold Award that this development had claimed because of its sound, green designs. Yes, i'm a great proponent for green and sustainable developments.
In Taman Molek, we stopped at Lavender, for lunch. Lavender is synonymous with good bakery items at affordable prices. Singaporeans love to throng Lavender especially for mooncakes during the mid-autumn festival. For lunch, Lavender serves up an Asian menu and Western menu. I picked burger and fries which was quite good.
I was told that there are eighteen different banks in Taman Molek - whether that's an indicator of more things to come remains to be seen. But one thing is sure, there's no shortage of money around here.
We left JB just in time to get into the evening traffic snarl. The best time to leave is at 4.30pm and after this window of time, cars just start to pile up. Surprisingly, the queue started after clearing Malaysian immigration. I suppose border control aren't interested in outgoing concerns and more about incoming concerns. One day, maybe we'll be border-less like in the EU, for now, we just have to queue.
Yes, i've had those, during my stint in Congo, Africa.
If you asked if fried scorpions, bugs, and larvae taste good, i'll offer that these pick up the taste of the cooking liquids and marinates.
Blood sausages, horse meat, cow's tongue, pig's brains, calf's sweetbreads and innards - these don't appeal to me at all. Sea Urchin Uni may be the darling of gourmet but I can pass.
The only innard that I'll eat happily is foie gras. Pan-fried whole with some sweet balsamic !
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| Stewed Duck's Tongue |
I was hesistant at the thought of duck's tongue and politely refused the initial offerings. But the conversation around the table went on about how good it was and chorus of " try, must try, try " made me pluck up courage to try a piece. The texture was spongy with no odd after taste but only the taste of the broth that it had been stewed in. It was actually quite pleasant as the texture was light and nimble and so i reached out for the second tongue. According o the Johorians, duck's tongue is sought-after that the chef often keeps them for his regular clients.
I'm totally reliant on my host as i haven't a clue about Johor and its environs. My rare forays into Johor Bahru, or JB as it is affectionately called, stops at City Square. ( City Square connects from CIQ with a link walkway which makes it very convenient if you come by bus from Singapore's Woodlands checkpoint )
The second link at Tuas is another way to get into Johor quick and fuss-free. But the toll fees are much higher. In any case, today, we came in style: in a personal chauffer-driven limo.
After breakfast, we proceeded on to the day's meetings and then visited some housing developments around Johor. Johor became hip again with the "birth" of the Iskandar Region. Touted as the economic powerhouse of Malaysia, this area is now the hotbed of many activities. From residential developments, commercial buildings, industrial zones, schools to waterfront mixed developments, this area is the new Shanghai. I love the juxtaposition of rustic kampungs, greenery and ultra-modern buildings. It gives me my creature comforts without the isolation and coldness of built-up cities and glaring concrete.
As we drove to the township of Molek, i spied two kampung chickens rummaging in the undergrowth.. a rare sight for a city bird like me. We stopped at the Molek Pine project for a look and I was swept away by the quality of the finishes. What impressed me was the Gold Award that this development had claimed because of its sound, green designs. Yes, i'm a great proponent for green and sustainable developments.
In Taman Molek, we stopped at Lavender, for lunch. Lavender is synonymous with good bakery items at affordable prices. Singaporeans love to throng Lavender especially for mooncakes during the mid-autumn festival. For lunch, Lavender serves up an Asian menu and Western menu. I picked burger and fries which was quite good.
I was told that there are eighteen different banks in Taman Molek - whether that's an indicator of more things to come remains to be seen. But one thing is sure, there's no shortage of money around here.
We left JB just in time to get into the evening traffic snarl. The best time to leave is at 4.30pm and after this window of time, cars just start to pile up. Surprisingly, the queue started after clearing Malaysian immigration. I suppose border control aren't interested in outgoing concerns and more about incoming concerns. One day, maybe we'll be border-less like in the EU, for now, we just have to queue.
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