God Bless America!

USA 1, Osama....now residing in a very, very hot place.

Cat Abuse @ Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House, Taman Connaught, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur

I haven't blogged in almost a year now.......not that I have stopped eating great food, but only that those great meals have not found their way into the digital realm. Well I am blogging today on an incident that occured yesterday morning that made me incensed and permanently put me off a restaurant that I had erstwhile been loyally patronising.

It was 10 on a Sunday morning (24th April 2011). Hubby and I brought hubby's Aussie cousin to Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House at Taman Connaught Cheras to try its exquisite, eggy chilli pan mee, or springy noodles, as we call it. As I entered the restaurant, there was a ginger cat sprawled on the treshold just outside the restaurant, reminiscent of Garfield, except much, much skinnier. It was resting the way cats do - all languid and stretched out on its belly with its little chin on its paws, just watching the world go by, contemplating the lazy Sunday morning in its little kitty imaginings. Such bliss, I thought, as I bent down to say hello to the little sweetheart. Having dispensed with the greetings, I proceeded inside the restaurant to enjoy my breakfast.

I sat facing the entrance of the restaurant, a few tables away from the main door. Barely had I sat down to tuck into the noodles, when I was horrified to see the ginger kitty I had just greeted sent literally flying by an employee of the restaurant, a boy in his teens with a darker skin tone (not sure if he was Chinese or of some other ethnicity). The boy either kicked or physically lifted and flung the cat - end result was, I saw the cat flying above the table level and landing on the road. The boy then just went about his work with nary a concern for the cat - it was as if he had merely casually discarded a piece of used tissue paper, instead of a living, breathing cat that was just minding its own business. I was livid!

I rushed out to the restaurant entrance and there was the poor ginger kitty mewing on the road. It did not appear to have been hurt (at least no wounds that I could detect visually), it must have landed right despite the manhandling by the animal abuser. I patted it and touched it to examine for broken bones, just to reconfirm that it was alright. I then fed it with kitty biscuits that I usually carry around in the car, luring it away from the entrance of Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House to ensure the proprietor would not have any more excuses to abuse and fling the cat at whim.

I was absolutely enraged and wanted to confront the proprietor there and then, but hubby advised that I finished the meal first, to pause and think before taking action. Managed to choke down the meal, but while once loved, the springy noodles have lost their shine in the face of such blatant animal cruelty. I contemplated as I ate.....there were signs pasted everywhere on the restaurant walls  stating "No Pets Allowed". I had previously thought that the proprietor must be very concerned about cleanliness - on hindsight it has become clear that the proprietor was, in reality, an animal hater. Who was going to protect the ginger kitty (or any other kitty for that matter) in future? Who was going to defend these harmless, voiceless, timid sweethearts? They can't report their abuse to the police on their own. They can't physically retaliate against people who fling them on the roads. I could not remain silent about the barbaric act that I had just witnessed.

After completing the meal, I spoke to a middle-aged Chinese guy taking food orders, who appeared to be one of the seniors in the restaurant. I described to him what I saw and pointed out the culprit to him. I wasn't sure if he understood me, I spoke English mixed with my mangled Cantonese. An elderly woman whom I assumed was Madam Chiam and the teenage boy (perpetrator) joined in the conversation. The perpetrator pointed his finger at Madam Chiam and told me to go talk to Madam Chiam  about his actions.  Madam Chiam told me in Cantonese that she had asked the boy to go get rid of the cat. I was indignant and explained that the boy could have just gently shooed the cat away, he did not need to fling and send it flying into the road. She was not apologetic, she tried justifying his actions instead, and gave me the old brush off by turning away to attend to another customer while I was in the midst of talking to her. I decided there was no point in continuing the conversation....I ended it by letting her know that I was going to publish this experience on the internet to bring awareness to all the foodies and animal lovers out there about the atrocious behaviour of Madam Chiam  and her employees.  

So if you love food, but love animals more, you would join me to spread the word to all netizens that animal lovers the world over should refrain from dining at Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House at Taman Connaught Cheras because the proprietor believes in and actively encourages animal cruelty. I have seen it with my own eyes.

If you are curious to know how the shop and the elderly lady boss I spoke to (presumably Madam Chiam) look like, visit this blogger's website : http://kwongfeimind.blogspot.com/2010/01/mei-yee-pan-mee-madam-chiam-curry.html

Good food turns rancid in the face of ugly souls.

Food Fair/Bazaar/Flea Market @ Hell's Kitchen (9th Avenue), NYC

16th May 2010....another glorious day in NYC. Stumbled upon another food fair, this time in Hell's Kitchen.

Hell's Kitchen was getting very busy that afternoon.

There were many such bbq racks in the shape of a tepee where they hung slabs of meat to cook/smoke on the fire underneath.

A stall selling a potpourri of spices. Very attractive.

A stall selling soul food....

....which consisted of grilled octopus....

....and lobsters, shrimps, clams.

Mexican food stall...

....plantains, pork ribs, slabs of meat...

A very big slab of bbq-ed meat.

Deep fried pork ribs with rind.

Pancakes filled with mozarella.

Blood sausages.

Another stall selling an assortment of spices in plastic bottles. 2 bottles for USD5.00.

Berry pie.

Cup cakes and creme brulee.

Aged USDA prime beef. Apparently, beef is like fine wine, it needs to be aged.

The pack of giant strawberries I bought. USD2.99 for 454g.

Luscious!

Big like an apple.

My lunch....a mouth-watering Philly Cheesestake with extra liquid cheese (USD10.00), it comes loaded with beef. Yes, as long as the TV remote.

Biggest sandwhich I've eaten to-date.

New York...there's no other place like it!

Jess & The City....Central Park

16th May 2010, it  was another sunny Sunday morning in The Big Apple.

I woke up to this wonderful view outside my hotel window. The lil patch of green...well that's Central Park in the yonder, beckoning me to wander far from the maddening crowd.

And so I made my way north....passed Columbus Circle at the edge of Central Park West.

There's the start of Central Park with all its glorious foliage.

'Twas a beautiful spring in the forest.

A view of the towering buildings from Central Park.

Lovely.

Heaven....I'm in heaven....

.....and my heart beats so that I can barely speak....

The carousel in the distance.

The arc of justice ensconced in a backdrop of spring bouquet. The benches of Central Park are adorned with paid inscriptions. I think it's a most romantic gesture to bestow upon a loved one.

Sigh....

The Mall.

Roburt Burns with an apple.

Jazz is in the air.

Look what I got....free vanilla ice cream.

Ice cream sandwiched by chocolate biscuits.

The folks handing out free goodies.

O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave....in the land of the Free and the home of the Brave!

The lovely Lakehouse.

Perfect.

Heaven is a lingering stroll through Central Park on a sunny day.

Spotted on a bench.....sigh.

Wes is a hopeless romantic.

Shakespearean.

God Bless Central Park!

Why is BN so f***ed up? (pardon my French)

Well, maybe because it (and all the people in it) possesses not even one miniscule iota of any such beliefs, ideals and integrity to speak of....

I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.

I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.

I believe in the Dignity of labour, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.

I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.

I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.

I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character not wealth or power or position - is of supreme worth.

I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.

I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual's highest fulfilment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His Will.

I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.

- John D Rockefeller Jnr.

Prayer inscribed in the Rockefeller Centre, New York

 

God Bless America!

Jess & The City....Food Fair/Bazaar/Flea Market on 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) NYC

New York, New York!

15th May 2010....it was a glorious Saturday afternoon when I found myself in a cab from JFK  headed towards Manhattan island after a 24-hour journey in an airplane.

The hotel I crashed in...perfect location, just a few paces from Times Square.

What do I do after checking into the hotel? Why, go catch a Broadway show, of course! Just made it in time for the 2.00pm matinee. Jersey Boys it was this time around....I'm a great fan of oldies and Franki Valli & The Four Seasons was right up my alley (literally). I spent a good 2.5 hours in the August Wilson Theatre mouthing along to classics such as Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Let's Hang On, Oh What a Night....etc. Had a blast!

Show over, I headed to the 6th Avenue where I knew had a flea-market/bazaar/food fair going on when my cab passed by earlier on. Lots of people milling around in the warm afternoon.

Gyros, kebabs, pita are really popular in NYC. Many stalls were selling these.

That's Radio City in the background and my favourite flag! The police barricaded the entire midtown section of 6th Avenue for this fair.

Scarves and pashminas on sale....cheap by NYC standards.

More food....mostly meat-based. Everyone's a carnivore.

Corn dogs.

Deep-fried mozarella cheese sticks and fries.

Some kind of cheese-filled pancakes.

Meat.

Lots of meat. Crispy pork rinds....yummm.

Chocolate/candy-covered fruits.

Pretty.

Candy apples.

A guy peddling Obama rubber.....lol!

A pushcart selling all types of sandwiches/burgers, where I bought my snack.

Italian sausage wrap (USD7.00). Loved the smoky sausage, wished the wrap had more stuff in it, though.

God Bless America!