Roti Bakar Kacang Phool Penang

25 October 2015

A few weeks ago I saw a friend recommended a special roti bakar (toast) on Facebook. So today with all in the family available (sometimes kids have activities) and I don’t have sketchwalk due to haze, we decided to try this out as our Sunday breakfast. The stall is located at a newly completed foodcourt at a new residential area between Tesco Tanjung Tokong and Island Plaza.

The roti bakar was a thick slice of specially ordered custom made loaf, buttered and lightly toasted. What made it special was instead of the usual toast with butter and kaya, the roti was served with a type of gravy (cooked with kacang parang/ broad beans) call Kacang Phool, which was derived from the Middle Eastern dish known as Foul Medammas. You may either have beef or chicken in the gravy, which was served top with a sunny-side egg, some green chillies, chopped onions and a slice of lime. It was something we have not tried before, an alternative to eating toast with kaya and butter. A set of Roti Bakar Kacang Phool costs RM5.00.

The stall’s FB page says that they are the first, the one and only in Penang. The young and friendly lady boss told me the Kacang Phool they serve is her mother’s secret recipe. Other than Kacang Phool, they also serve Roti Jala and Fujitas.

九皇爷三部曲 2015

槟城的九皇爷庆典（农历九月初一至初九）可说是越来越热闹，因为九皇爷斋而带旺的素食更是越来越多，琳琅满目。

小时候，素食不是那么方便，种类也不多，最普遍就是素食炒米粉。那时吃九皇爷斋，通常都是妈妈自己下厨准备，那时素食材料调味料等不多，往往吃起来感觉淡而无味，而且通常一道菜煮一大锅分三天吃，每一天都吃同样的菜，第一天还好，第二天勉强可以，到第三天就叫苦连天了（通常吃九皇爷斋的信徒可以选择吃一天、三天、六天或九天的素食）。吃九皇爷斋非常讲究，通常炊具、碗筷、杯子等之前都不可碰过荤食，所以妈妈会准备一套九皇爷斋用的，一年就用那么几天，用完洗净后就让静静躺在储物室里等待隔年再用。

现在由于种种原因茹素的朋友越来越多（宗教、健康或其它种种），素食材料调味料等也越来越多，素食大有市场，素食店也就越开越多。但是一到了九皇爷诞，素食店还是供不应求，因此就衍生了满街飘黄布卖素食的奇特街景，黄色是九皇爷的颜色，以前卖素食的小贩还会写上红色的九皇大帝四字，现在很多也不写了，反正你看到贩摊挂上黄布就是卖九皇爷素了。这些应节的素食摊贩，很多一年就是做那九天的生意，有些本来卖荤食的小贩，九皇爷诞改卖素食；有些本来卖的就不是荤的，九皇爷诞就挂上九天的黄布；也有些人向工作单位请九天假，卖起素食或到素食摊帮忙。

槟岛的九皇爷庆典，要数车水路观音庙的最热闹。每年到了这个时候，寺庙前人潮汹涌，庙前插着数支显眼的黄旗，大多上书九皇大帝，迎风飘扬，带出了九皇爷庆典的氛围。除了黄旗，观音庙前也竖立了一支高耸入云的粗长竹竿，还有两个显眼的白色纸灯笼和黄幡，而正对面的油较路则沿路搭起了挂满黄布的临时素食贩摊。

2015年10月18日（农历初六）星期天的早晨。槟城城市速写人拉队来到了车水路的观音庙写生，虽然是星期天公假日，但这里还是车水马龙，人行道上也停满了嚤哆车，要找个落脚的地方还真不容易。我抵达时已有好几位城市速写人开工了，而槟城油画大师张汉发老师也老早就架好巨型画布在勾勒着观音庙的构图，我选择了在离张老师不远处的地方写生，一来那是唯一可以落脚，角度还不错的地点，二来也可以向大师偷师J。

Urban Sketchers Penang 成员写生情景

张汉发大师街头创作大型油画

Urban Sketchers Penang 成员的画作

散会前来张合照

大约十二点多，大家都画得差不多了（有些画友有事已经先行离开），于是集合分享画作及拍个全体照后就散会了。

九皇爷三部曲之一 Burmah Rd Kuan Yim Temple, Penang no,1 56x76cm Watercolour 2015

2015年10月19日（农历初七）感觉意犹未尽，放工后再赶过去观音庙写生，这次选了另一边的角度，由于时间不多，只能画幅小的，这是拉长式的格式，刚好把三进的寺庙填满画面，没有显现太多的天空，右边背景看得到的东兴大厦我就省略了，画好刚好就天暗了。

九皇爷三部曲之二Burmah Rd Kuan Yim Temple, Penang no.2 19x56cm Watercolour 2015

2015年10月20日（农历初八）下班后再一次回到观音庙，没想到我竟然一连来了三天！其实是刚好有时间，又想说这个场景不画下来，就得等多一年了。来到车水路时原本是想进庙里速写，把有关九皇爷的庆典、拜拜的贡品、九皇爷船等画下来，可是一来到这里又马上被寺庙的气势、九皇爷庆典的热闹以及车水马龙的氛围所吸引，刚好寺庙对面的电信局前面有个落脚点，那个角度相比第一幅所画的会比较正一些，于是就有了这第三部曲。同样的，在有限的时间下，我只能来幅小的，这次我把左边背景的周天央大楼省略了，还有前景的交通灯刚好遮住了寺庙优美的屋顶也被我去掉了。

九皇爷三部曲之三Burmah Rd Kuan Yim Temple, Penang no.3 19x56cm Watercolour 2015

隔天农历九月初九，也即是九皇爷庆典最重要的一天，本想说这次要进寺庙速写，然后晚上九皇爷回銮的游行时再来几幅速写，谁知拜印尼烟霾所赐，喉咙发炎、眼睛红肿，病倒了！忍痛回家休息，错过了这庆典的最高潮，只好期待来年有机会再来画九皇爷回銮游行、乩童面颊穿孔带着长短粗细不一的铁条满街走的经典画面。

今年，我没有吃三天九皇爷斋，倒是画了三天九皇爷画！

（写于农历九月初十九皇爷回銮后一天）

St. Jo’s @ Penang Gurney Paragon Revisited

17 October 2015

Gurney Paragon in 2012

St. Joseph's in 2012 with construction of main shopping mall still on.

It was 3 ½ years ago on 8 April 2012 that we had our sketchwalk at Gurney Paragon which was partly opened to public then as construction of the main shopping mall was still ongoing. Our presence at the shopping mall piazza area in front of St. Joseph’s alerted the security guards. They were not sure what this group of people was sketching for. They called their superiors, a few guys and ladies came to see us and we explained we were a group of sketchers sketching and painting the St. Jo’s as it has nice architecture feature. After some discussions, they called their Manager and the instruction from the Manager was we had to stop and leave the premises. Reason: they did not allow any drawing of St. Jo’s and other parts of Gurney Paragon (even though it was a public area) as it would deem infringement of copyright, unless we had prior approval from the Management. At that time I was just started putting on some of the colours but was abruptly stopped, and had to pack and go. I was upset with the interruption, I brought the unfinished work home but had lost the desire to complete the painting. It remains taped on my drawing board until today. 

We were happy sketching until abruptly stopped by the security personnel.

My half finished painting of St. Jo's which remains taped on the board until today.

After 3 ½ years, PAM (Persatuan Akitek Malaysia) Northen Chapter organized a series of activities this day on 17 October 2015, the World Architecture Day. Part of the program was a sketching session of St. Jo’s with Urban Sketchers Penang. So we revisited St. Jo’s, this time with the assurance that we won’t get kick out half way, but still I had to stop half way after it started drizzling. Luckily I had most of the scene painted and I finished off the painting at home.

Sketchwalk on World Architecture Day

Some of our works

We also sketched on little postcards

My unfinished watercolour of St. Jo's due to rain.

Urban Sketchers Penang

                                                                             

2 watercolours of St. Jo's: 1 unfinished and 1 completed 

St. Jo's @ Gurney Paragon, Penang 38x56cm Watercolour 2015