Despite being the 4th largest city in Malaysia and the capital of Sarawak, Kuching is a relatively quiet town (especially compared to the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur). Not much in the way of world-class events comes to Kuching. But one event, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) had its start in Kuching in 1997 and has been held here every year since.
Continue reading We’re Going to the Rainforest World Music Festival
No, “bubur cha cha” isn’t a type of dance. It’s a sweet, coconut-based soup that we enjoy quite often here in Malaysia. But the recipe is a bit different from our Honeydew Sago Dessert recipe, our Indonesian Es Teler recipe, or the cendol that we enjoyed back in Penang. Bubur cha cha is a Nyonya dish made with different types of sweet potatoes and yam (or Chinese taro). To the sweet potatoes, you add a little pearl tapioca for a textural counterpoint.
In Hawaii, you could find something similar in Vietnamese restaurants except that their versions were more pudding-like with more tapioca pearls than sweet potatoes. And I believe in the Philippines, they add bananas to their version.
Following my sister’s Hawaiian-style wedding on the grounds of the Ko’olau Golf Club, we went to the Club’s main ballroom for the Hawaiian-style reception. I say “Hawaiian-style” because we include facets from the many different ethnicities that make up Hawaii, yet in a uniquely Hawaiian way. Case in point is the framed 1001 cranes artwork that was commissioned for her wedding:
The design is made up entirely of 1001 hand-folded, gold foil origami cranes. Ancient Japanese tradition was that a bride-to-be would fold 1000 cranes in order for a wish (such as long life or good fortune) to be granted. Japanese in Hawaii do it one better for extra luck!
