National integration in temple

In Rome do what Romans do.
When the English brought indented labourers from India, they brought with them their culture, religion and way of life. To keep them contended, the colonial master built arrack shop and let them build their own place of worship. Over the generations, the Indians who migrated to this land for better life have blended well into the society. They contributed their sweat, life and blood to transform this backwater malarial infested land into a near developed country with the help of other citizens. Well, malaria has been replaced by dengue, that's another story!
National integration, at least from the food perspective has infiltrated into Hindu temples. This, I discovered today. Generally, the Aadi month (the fourth month of the Tamil calendar) as I knew when I was growing up, was an inauspicious for many life altering events like weddings, consummation for newly weds, moving into a new house or childbirth. Now, I have come to understand that it is actually a good month for Goddesses and unmarried ladies to pray for a good husband! And now over the years, the temples have started becoming hive with activities, thus generating business again for themselves and its off-shoots that benefit from it (i.e.florists, caterers, textiles etcetera).
Historically, Aadi may have been a busy month for the farming community to work on their next crop cycle. Aadi was also a bad month for business. Couples who slept in Aadi run a risk of delivering their offspring in May, the hottest month in Tamil Nadu, perhaps when the highest rate of puerperal sepsis was!

Vegetarian nasi lemak with  crispy soya based
fake anchovies, peanuts and hot red spicy sauce.

So, I attended one of these prayers honouring Goddess Amman. After the long symbolic ceremony, again signifying the greatness of a weary space traveller with her various paraphernalia exhibited during the course of the elaborate prayers, we were treated to a vegetarian meal in the temple premises.
Adding Malaysian flavour to the menu was our good old nasi lemak, one of Malaysians' all time favourite dish. Of course, in keeping with the sensitivities of the host and the premises, it was a strictly vegetarian fare. Off the list of ingredients were eggs, anchovies and shrimp paste (belacan). The taste may not satisfy the tastebuds of die hard nasi lemak enthusiast but it tasted more than 80% as good.
And I was thinking to myself, "You can't force national integration. Given time, it would evolve by itself sooner or later!".

Spicy Nasi Lemak 2.0 with potpourri of flavours

After hearing about all the bashing and publicity about the above movie, I finally watched Namewee's multi-lingualed (predominantly Mandarin with Malay, Tamil, English, Cantonese, Hockkein, Teochew and others) Nasi Lemak 2.0 on DVD. My final verdict is that it is a well produced, entertaining and a meaningful movie.
Namewee (Huang), a disgruntled cook whose restaurant is finally closed, is living in own dream of preserving Chinese food in its true authenticity with any adulteration. He lives in his grandeur of being the second best student in an authentic Chinese cooking school in China. His nemesis, the best student, from China, is a chef in another restaurant which undergoing a power struggle for ownership. Huang is very Chinese in his outlook and is suspicious of other races' delicacy.
He is out of job and to compete with foreign nationals for work. After many failed attempts at a job, including a stint as a cheap restaurant singer, he drags himself to the road side nasi lemak lady (Adibah Noor), a lady he despises as she was a hit with her customers, to be her apprentice to learn the art of cooking nasi lemak.
In the Xiao K, the daughter of one of the warring factions of the restaurant power tussle, befriends Huang.
The nasi lemak lady hands him a map to embark on a journey of self discovery. The path takes Huang and Xiao K (sounds like Crazy Chicken) to 3 destinations. First comes Malacca to supposedly haunted Baba-Nyonya (Kenny-Chee) mansion. The journey enroute their destination is filled with dream dance scenes. After a few paranormal activities at the mansion, they flee to Banting to meet the curry master (David Arumugam). David  is quite funny with his straight faced rendition of dialogue and his protective nature of protecting his Miss Malaysia aspiring daughter (Nadine Ann  Thomas - Ms Malaysia 2010). Here we encounter like conversation akin to that between a duck and a chicken as both are conversing in their own mother tongue but somehow the message gets through with the help of a cane! At the end, we discover that either party are actually are to speak in many languages. After learning the many secrets of Indian curry, they leave for Sepang where they meet an accident. They  are rescued by a fisherman (Aflin Shauki) and his 4 wives. After spending some quality time with the family and many kids, they head home just in time for a cooking competition to determine the CEO of the warring factions in Xaio K's father's restaurant. Here Huang has to compete with his nemesis again. Patrick Teoh and his set of gullible goons are appointed judges. Huang prepares a dish from his travel but fails to impress the judges initially but as in all happy ending feel good movie, our hero wins and everyone is happy. His rival, Lan Qiao, is embarrassed by the sudden appearance of his Chinese wife and son.
It is actually an entertaining movie. The jokes are subtle and you have to read between the lines for it. Like the rival cook is Lan Qiao (Q is pronounced as Ch); many phallic jokes; poking fun at Tenaga Nasional for frequent blackouts; pug-shot at Proton for faulty air-conditioning, power window failure and door handle malfunction; a bit of Michael Chong (MCA) when Huang is approached to help out in Chinese-related social issues and RK Nathan punch-lines (looks likes me,sounds like me but I do not saying I am not him). In one of dream scenes, a sky warrior appears to save warrior Huang. Both the kris wielding Malay warrior and Chinese warrior pay homage to this sky warrior by the name Hang Tu Yah (obvious reference to Hang Tuah). both warriors claim Hang Tu Yah to be their hero, but they agree that it does not matter whether it is a Malay or Chinese hero.
A good watch!
http://www.nasilemak2.com/

L'histoire de l'origine des 'Nasi Lemak '

Translation: French: The history of the origin of 'Nasi Lemak'

Maka termaktub dalam Hikayat Melaka akan terjadinya satu jenis makanan kegemaran yang sememangnya berasal secara kebetulan dan tidak terduga-duga pada zaman pemerintahan Sultan Muzafar Shah yang teragung. Mak Leha yang menjadi balu akibat suami yang dipukau jin iblis. Terpaksalah dengan yang hati yang berat dan pilu menyara kehidupan sebagai tukang urut dalam Kesultanan Melaka yang agung menyuap dua mulut peninggalan arwah suami.

Anak perempuan Mak Leha, Timah namanya, menjaga dapur sepeninggalan ibunya. Maka terjadilah suatu trajedi semasa menanak nasi. Santan yang diperah untuk gulai jatuh tertumpah ke air jerangan nasi. Air mata Timah berlinangan mengenang nasibnya yang malang, sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga, sudah papa kedana pula. Beras secupak yang dipinjam Pak Ali ditumpahi santan. Kerana kesuntukan masa, tanpa cara lain, disidangkan makanan nasi dan gulai untuk ibu yang kepenatan dan kelaparan dengan hati kencang berdenyut bak lancang kapal Cina di selat Melaka pada hari bertaufan.

Maka dirasakan Mak Leha masakan anak belasan tahun. Nasinya terasa lain, dicakap manis tidak manis, dicakap basi tak basi, pegat pun tidak, lain tapi sedap pulak! Ditanyakan ibubanda akan anakandanya, "Hai Timah, nasi apa pulak ini?"

Seolah-olah tidak memahami soalan Mak Leha, Timahpun menjawab, "Nasi-lah, Mak! Nasi le, Nasi le Mak"

Ibunda menjawab, “Sedap juga nasi lemak ini!”

Maka tersebar luas akan kehikmahan dan kenikmatan juadah ini sehingga tersebar luas harum namanya hingga perantauan… Nasi lemak menjadi makanan ruji penduduk kebanyakan.

Demikian termaktub kisah hikayat Melaka…..tentang asal-usul nasi lemak!