NO BUGS YET

At the end of Gang Gudang Pati, where the buildings nearly joined at the upper stories, was a small open kitchen restaurant underneath the overhanging rooms. One could sit there and listen to the mainstreet a bit away, or the occassional sounds from the canal. Which was no longer much in use, and had silted up somewhat. Slow water, a source of mosquitoes. Local people had netting over every window or doorway. Which attracted little black bugs during the rainy season, because breezes deposited crud gradually during the dry period, and whatever didn't float in the stagnant air sank to the ledges.

From around June or July onwards for a few months it was quite bearable there, if you didn't mind the heat. Or the humidity. And had a supply of medicated body powder for between your toes and on your sweaty bits.

Beef soup noodles, such as was offered at the eatery, require per serving two cups stock with a high gelatine content, one package dry wheat flour noodles, lots of chopped herbal stuff. The stock should be made with some fried garlic in the pot and a tablespoon of coriander seeds (strained out before simmering the sliced meat in there).
Ginger, fresh chilies, star anise, a lemon grass stalk.
Cinnamon stick, pinch turmeric.

With or without tauhu pok (cubes of fried tofu). That is your choice.
A dash of soy sauce or fish sauce, a squeeze of citrus.
Simple and cheap. Good breakfast.

SOP BAMI

This would be great with a flaky fried dough stick (油條 'you tiu'), I should think. Strong coffee with sweetened condensed milk for enjoying with your pipe afterwards. Smoke keeps bugs away. And note that glasses and cups all have lids.

Local people speak mostly Hokkien, though it's richly speckled with regional Malay and some strictly onomatopoetic terms. Colourful. Not really intelligible. At the pasar they will happpily make themselves more understandable, and some of their children were educated in the English speaking part of the world.


In that climate you don't want to do much cooking yourself. Best let Uncle Liem downstairs do it for you, or head out to the main street for night time snackies when it's ten degrees or so cooler than during the day.

Maybe just a cold pink or green drinkie with slippery things.
And another pipeful of tobacco. Because of bugs.

Avoid stray cats. Bugs and parasites.



Heat is exhausting. Even three or four glasses of cold tea with ginger doesn't do much, and yesterday was a doozy.



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