Celebrating Hari Raya the Kelantanese Way - Part 1

To be filed under Guano Oghe Kelate? Site Under Construction

The Last Few Days of Fasting.

You can distinguish these 'foreigner's' very easily in most local higher learning institutions, they are called the 'Germans' for the way they speak, loud and stern yet still not enough to make them get into a fist fight. I don't know how the dialect sounds most different than those of other states in our country. When you plonk yourself among them, you'd instantly feel like an outcast. But really, once you catch the meaning, you'll know that they are just as hillarious as the Penangites!

Wanna sample how we 'foreigners' celebrate Hari Raya in this 'Republic of Newcastle' (errhhm...Kota Bharu, Kelantan)?

Friday, 12th Nov.

The journey through the new Kuala Lipis road was abreeze, no more winding roads. Gone were the days we had to push off at 6am and reach Kota Bharu at 7pm. It takes 7+ hours to reach there now if you're driving at approx 100kmph, dad's a cool cruiser (gerrraaam!).

Reached Tok Wan's house at 4:30pm, hugged+kissed her, bathed, laid down, get dressed, jatted off to buka puasa at late dad's side of the family.

I just have to put this Ayam Perchik photo up (alamak, missing, later k!). Ayam Perchik is truely our East Coast delicacy (not Johoreans, not Perakians, no, not Nogoghi's either), its gravy is pale in colour, not brownish, not reddish, the poultry is never coloured with red powder like Tandoori chicken nor yellow like Masala chicken no, no, no!

Saturday, 13th Nov.

I prepared Siamese Chicken Porridge to make-up to my grandma for not breaking fast with her on the day we arrived. It's strategic planning, it's easy to prepare for 3 families, the smell of tenggiri salted fish, salted egg, asparagus sambal belachan, tauchu fried mushrooms serves as 'restart button' in anticipation of the menu we will have days after; all laden with peanuts, coconut gravy and its likes. If you are a foreigner, try this next time?

Right after buka puasa, we went to Kampung Baung, where it seemed like the whole Kelantan goes to collect their satays. Know why I said that? These pictures will explain.

Oh, this is just one house out of 10 satay sellers on one street, there are about 6 streets of satay sellers like this! Nope, I have no idea why the whole kampung decides to do the same business, but each house gets balanced share of the business. Due to such overwhelming orders, each customer is required to get a number; through phone calls will do. Ours is number 1096, we ordered 60 sticks only. I managed to flip the last page of the shopkeeper's list, he has in total, 6200 customers! I'm not lying! On our way there, the road was all smokey, we thought the whole village was on fire! This happens only during Hari Raya though. Once we get in the car, I thought I needed to fumigate my whole body with odour neutralizer. Bau baeekk punya!

Next year, I must visit the village where they only make the 'Roti Jala'.

To be continued.