潮州, 我回来了…(上),ChaoZhou, I’m back…
A story, to share with all of you, this is it! The long awaited reunion… with my relatives, who are far apart in China, this is the story where I met my relatives who are live in China. We’ve been separated nearly half of the century ago since the world war started. This is the 1st time we reunited with them!
我想, 这是我的中国之旅篇中, 最期望和盼望的一篇吧! 很想跟大家分享, 我, 回到潮洲的经历. 潮州, 我回来了…
我想, 对于每个在外的华侨来说, 回乡, 就如回教徒前往朝圣般的重要吧! 一生中必须要去过一次, 那才甘愿啊! 回乡, 可说是意义重大! 去探望我们那时因战乱而失散的亲戚, 再继续上一辈的缘分… 让两地相隔的我们再次地连接起来… 虽然不能常常见面, 至少让彼此知道, 在遥远的某个地方, 还有属于你的至亲.’
通往潮州的路牌, 故乡, 我回来了, 虽然那天是下着大雨…
印象中得知我还有远方亲戚是在我小时候, 那时婆婆还在, 不时提起远方的亲戚, 还说非常挂念他们. 但是, 早在20 年前, 在家庭经济负担不轻的情况下, 回乡这种事情可说是无际之谈嘛!
就这样, 过了二十年后, 我和家人终于有机会回来潮州探亲… 延续了那失去接近半个世纪的联系…
还记得那是个倾棚大雨的下午, 父亲刚好在附近开完会, 就建议带我们回去故乡走走! 虽然只有半天, 但是这半天让我们和失去将近半个世纪的亲戚相认了! 当时的心情, 可说是激动无比, 就好像是连接回那已经断了线的风筝似的. 心里面不停的呐喊着 :“ 我回来啦!”
回来了, 才知道家族里有亲戚是做潮绣的, 潮绣耶! 潮州刺绣即潮绣，是中国四大名绣“粤绣”的主要流派，始于唐宋，盛于明清，被誉为刺绣珍品，其中很多珍品为国家所收藏。在那, 我的算是表姨吧, 告诉我们潮绣的基本制作过程, 才知道, 绣一幅看似简单的潮绣需要费上几天的工程才告成哦! 而且, 价钱也不便宜哦! 普通的一幅潮绣就要好几百块了, 有些还上万呢! 谁叫它们是无价的艺术品…
参观了潮绣的制作过程后, 当然就是和亲戚们叙旧咯! 告诉他们在大马的亲戚们的近况, 谈些上半个世纪,他们是怎样过的, 还有, 当然就是追探那些失散了的亲戚… 谈说时候, 表姨丈还为请我们和潮州最著名的 ‘鳳凰’ 茗茶! 我还带了一点来呢! 想起那幽幽茶香就扑鼻而来，嗅了真是令人心旷神怡啊!
事后, 表舅就带我们去参观附近的一间古寺, 开元寺! 古寺位于市区开元路中段，始建于唐玄宗开元二十六年(738)，素有粤东第一古刹之称，属于国家级文物. 寺内还保存了唐代的石经幢、宋代政和年间的大铜钟、元代泰定年间的石香炉、明代的潮州木雕千佛塔和清代乾隆御赐的雍正版《大藏经》等一批珍贵文物。是个非常值得一缆的旅游胜地! 来到潮州, 就要走完潮州著名的潮州十八景! 但是, 那天我们只有半天的时间, 所以就只走了唯一的一个景点. 但是, 我跟自己说, 潮州,我还会回来的!
The Most Authentic Hakka’s Cuisines, Part ( II )
Well, like what I said from the previous post, now let’s me introducing you more about the Hakka’s Cuisines that I’ve tried in Mei Zhou…
After introducing Wan Qiu Lou from the previous entry, now let’s try some authentic Hakka’s cuisines elsewhere…
And this is the most exotic Hakka’s Cuisine I met in Mei Zhou…
But 1st, I would like to ask you 1 question, do you ever tried dog meat before in your life? Or you wish to try it at least once in your life? Then I think you must come to Mei Zhou,it’s the dog meat ‘ heaven’ here! Hehe… You can have it at any corner in Mei Zhou, like what I show you here in this menu, mentioned that dog meat is available, how they cook it or how it taste? Well, it’s kind of hard for me to tell you because I never dare to try it. According to them, they cooked like sort of steamboat and serve with clay pot, some sort of Bak Kut Teh in Malaysia!
Prague, here I come again!!!
They say, once you touch this statue,St Jan Nepomucky, you’ll most probably return to Prague again! How do you think about it? Well, I’m doubted it when I first heard about it, but still, I did what everyone else did, I touched it!
And believe it or not, I’m going back there again! Prague, for my second time…
In 2006, during the winter holidays, me and my friends travelled to Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria for 12 days. After that trip, Prague is the only place that always lingers on my mind! Wondering when I will travel back there again!
It feels like I’ve left something very important behind and I will have to get back this time! Yes, I left the most memorable memory there, embedded together with the Charles’s Bridge!
Once you fall in love with Prague, you will never stop recalling you best moment in Prague in you life again! It is a very unique city, the whole city’s just like a lively-castle or fortress, so peaceful and tranquil, bringing you back to the castle-age!
Soon you stepped in the heart of Prague, you will feel as if you’re turned into one of the princes or princesses, lingering around in the city! You will wonder how on earth there’s such a magical city when you see the astronomical clock! Taking picture on the Charles’s Bridge with the Castle on top of the hill as your background will make it one of the most precious memories in your life. You won’t be bored while walking along the streets, seeing those buildings in different kinds of architectures!
I miss Prague so much! Feels like I’m going to meet my old-time friend again!
Prague, the city that you will fall in love no matter how many times you go there!
I just bought my air ticket yesterday thru Airberlin because of the special promotion! 98euro for 2 ways le, from Moscow to Berlin…For this coming winter holiday, I’m going back to Prague again. For those who wish to travel to middle Europe, I think Berlin or Vienna would be you best stopover before you continue your journey to other countries as there’re cheap airline hubs in both capitals, Airberlin and Niki Airways, and the distance for intercity travelling to other cities are so convenient and short! Like me, I will travel from Berlin to Prague which will only take a few hours if travelling by buses or trains.
The most authentic Hakka’s Cuisines! 最正宗的客家菜…
When it comes to food, I think most of us will sure wonder about the origins, from where and since when it became the local delicacies, and most of us will sure go for the ‘ most authentic ‘ ones…
Now, here I am introducing you the most original Hakka’s delicacies…
If you think that I’m bluffing in this blog, then you tell me where else you can get the more original Hakka food than these lo… I was trying all of the Hakka food in Mei Zhou梅州 of China where it is also known as the Capital of Hakka in the World!
Oh yea, for those who might be thinking of going to Mei Zhou, China… The restaurant that I wanted to introduce you is this one, Wan Qiu Lou 万秋楼! Where you can try all kinds of Hakka’s delicacies…
Add:梅州市梅县新城办事处富贵居委扶外村98号
Wan Qiu Lou 万秋楼, previously known as a semi-rounded building围垄屋, (for your information, the Chinese authority is on their way applying these semi-rounded building under list of UNESCO World Heritage site.)It, consists of 72 rooms, once built by a Malaysian and is now owned by a Taiwanese, has become the must- visit tourist spot for everyone who visits Mei Zhou.
While waiting for the food, you can have a short tour around the restaurant, there are antiques, old-time cooking utensils and pictures displayed. And it is worth going to as this restaurant is designed with fully Hakka’s style…
Soup Barrel, this is how they made the soup!
So, let me introduce you the ORIGINAL Hakka food!
But 1st, let me show you this…
This is one of the most famous Hakka delicacies which we used to have in Malaysia, Lei Cha 擂茶… And compare this Lei Cha with what I had in Mei Zhou…
It is totally different kind of Lei Cha, it is like rice plus mixed vegetables with hot vege soup in Malaysia, but what you can see in Mei Zhou is, it is made by whole grains, and it tastes like muesli or oath, and according to the locals, they used to have this for breakfast like what we have our cereal meals. Honestly, I prefer the one I tried in Malaysia, it tastes better and I like the vege soup very much!
The 2nd dish which I would like to introduce to you is this, Salt Baked Chicken 盐焗鸡
I don’t know how they make in Malaysia, but in China, they soaked the chicken in the salt water 1-2 hours before they bake with salt, I was told that the reason why they do this is to make the meat taste better.
Hakka’s Mixed Vegetables
This cuisine is quite special if compared with other mixed vegetables. See, it is mixed with big red beans which is rare to be found in Malaysia.
Yam soup!
This is the 1st time I tried the soup made of yam, and seriously it is very delicious. The yam was shaped like fish-ball and it is boiled until the yam turned soft and with well-preserved original taste of the yam.
Yeong Taufu 酿豆腐
Well, I think this is quite common in Malaysia, as this is also one of the locals’ favorites which attract every food dwellers.
It is made by stuffing the minced meat into the middle part of the taufu and then steaming it.
Fried pumpkin
It tastes sweet, with minced pumpkin stuffed and fried.
And this is what locals call ‘vege biscuit’, but I don’t really know how to call it, hehe!
Well, this is what I want to share with you, these are what I met in Wan Qiu Lou, which is one of the most famous restaurants for it’s Hakka Cuisines… And in the next blog I will share with you more local delicacies which I tried! Ciao…
Chicken Chop ala-Malay-Chinese…
I was planning to dine out with Xiangyun in conjunction with the Day of People’s Unity celebration yesterday. Because I was too lazy to cook! Hehe… We even planned which nice restaurant we would go to already…
But, guess what?
The @#$%^&*ATM Card wouldn’t allow me to withdraw money again!!! Hiaz… so sad that you cannot use your money freely while you are having them in the ATM machine…
So, what to do? We cooked the dinner ourselves lo…
Since it was a public holiday, so I planned to cook something special!!! And the idea to cook chicken chop ala-Malay Chinese style popped out on my mind…
So, see, this is what we’ve cooked…
A heart-shaped chicken chop, although it was covered by sambal, salad, fried egg with a smiley-face rice (it would taste better if we put Nasi Goreng Kampung instead of plain rice) and mushroom soup!
You want the recipe? Sure, no problem…
1 chicken breast meat for 2 persons, Chinese cabbage, plain rice or fried rice, eggs and a packet of mushroom soup packet!
1st divide the chicken breast into 2 and cut properly into heart-shape. Then dipped the chicken in egg-white, pour the fried chicken flour onto it and just fry…
For sambal, prepare 3-4 onions and garlic, add some ginger and chili if you want it to taste better, blend all the ingredients together with some sugar and salt. Pour all of them on to the heated pan with some oil added. Cook until the sambal change color into dark-red.
Simply stir fry the Chinese cabbage, fry eggs and cut some of the canned mushroom for the mushroom soup, and it’s done! Your chicken-chop ala Malay-Chinese is ready to be served!
limshouzhi
