RIFLE RANGE BOY: Jalan-jalan cari makan! *

Spoilt for choice!
We say so many things about food. That we eat to live, not live to eat. That food be treated just as we treat medicine; not to overconsume, over-indulge or abuse. Like the Tamil proverb says, in excess, even honey turns poison. When we have the stomach to taste, we don't have the means; when there are the means, we don't have the stomach for it!

Some would insist that eating to satisfy the senses is a sin. It is viewed as disrespecting Mother Nature, who provides and protects. Why go far? Gluttony is listed as one of seven deadly sins that Man should not commit. Various food abstinence regimes are considered highly by many religious beliefs. Fasting during Lent and Ramadan is recommended. So do Hindus during their multiple prayers. Then there are the Jains and Pythogorians with their dos and don'ts about eating and the types of foods that can be consumed. Tubers and root vegetables are avoided by Puritan Jains as ingestion of these foodstuffs kills underground organisms or deprives them of their food.

Yet some believe we are given one life, and our chance to be born as a human is our reward for enduring whatever lowlife and insignificant births before this. To be immersed in bliss is, therefore, our right. Who knows what we will be later. We are here right now and probably never again, so indulge in satisfying all our worldly senses to our soul's content.

What better way to stimulate our gastronomic senses after tickling the olfactory bulb and arousing the gustatory juices than to go on a foodie trail on the sideline whilst attending a secondary school get-together. And which better place to reminisce the nostalgic taste of the yesteryears than in the hometown that we grew up in. If, in those days, the economy was the stumbling block to giving a go at various foods all at once, now it is the guilt of going against medical advice. But what the heck, we told ourselves, we only live once. But again, we only die once but a happier person.

From top to bottom:

Mee Rebus & Ice Kacang

Potpourri of Penang Street Food - Ice Kacang & Rojak

Char Koay Teow & Hokkein Mee

Cendol of Penang Road

Various Pohpiahs

Wan Tan Mee & Toast

Popiah & Grilled Stingray

P.S. Thanks to Yew Teik Hock for the photos. When others say grace before a meal, he religiously snaps a picture on his mobile. Also, to George Ho for choosing the various outlets for each particular dish.

* In the Malay language, the literal translation is going on a stroll, looking for something to eat. Equivalent to going on a food trail. A 'tongue-in-cheek' meaning would be sneaking around to sow your wild oats. Or like ‘Have Gun Will Travel’, how a fornicator scavenges for free meat. Go figure!