Updates: If it swims...

I have been feeling a little under-the-weather this week - a losing battle against the flu. However, I haven't let this stop me from working or going on another restaurant adventure.
Last night we went with three other Portuguese people (same as Bed Supper Club) to The Seafood Market and Restaurant. The slogan of the Seafood Market is "If it swims we have it" and certainly nothing could be further from the truth with the vast range of fresh fish, shellfish, lobsters, crabs and other seafood on display on the 50 metre length counter. As you enter you are given a shopping trolley which you wheel around picking out a variety of incredibly fresh seafood (most still swimming or flapping about), vegetables and fruit.
The cost is based on what you choose, its weight and the way it is cooked, so you can either choose carefully and keep the price down or - especially if you go for the lobster (which of course we did!) splash out and rack the price up. A good average would be 30-40 dollars for two including drinks and a good amount of food.
Once you have paid at the cashier for your food and beverages, a waiter takes your trolley with your instructions on how you would like to have it cooked. They are eager to help out with suggestions. I have to recommend the spicy clams with aniseed leaves, Thai curry crab, steamed lobster and shrimp with tempura vegetables.
The highlight is watching your food being cooked in a huge open kitchen by dozens of chefs in large woks over open pit fires - a show in itself. The restaurant is enormous, seating around 1,500 people but it is all part of a memorable experience.
Naturally, I filmed the whole thing so look out for the video on dailymotion.

We are flying to the Maldives tomorrow afternoon, staying one night at the airport hotel in Male, before being flown to the Soneva Fushi Resort by sea-plane. Amandio is working on an 'Opera' installation project for one month, and I am, well.. planning on doing lots of reading and relaxing :-)
Just to make you all jealous.. this hotel was voted the 'Best Hotel in the World' by Condenast two years in a row! LOL. Needless to say, I am ecstatic! More later..

Food: Bacalhau a Braz

Ana Maria (Amandio's colleague) came back from a weekend in Macau laden with Portuguese delicacies, namely Bacalhau (dried/salted codfish), Queijo de Azeitao, Chorizo, Alheiras and Vinho Verde. I decided to make a traditional Portuguese lunch on May 1st, inviting Ana Maria, Nina, Omar (Spanish) and his wife Deepakshi (Indian). Pedro had arrived from Portugal bringing with him Presunto (dried ham).

Starter: Presunto and Melon, Olives which Elma and Rinus had brought from France and the Azeitao cheese.

Main Course: Bacalhau a Braz.
This is one of the most popular ways to cook Bacalhau (out of 1001 recipes!!)
Ingredients:
dried salt cod
olive oil
matchstick-size potato strips
thinly sliced onion (1 per person)
1 bay leaf
eggs (1 per person, plus 2)
sea salt
ground black pepper or piri piri
chopped fresh parsley
black olives
Method:
1. Rinse the fish and place it in a bowl. Add enough cold water to cover. Chill overnight, changing the water several times.
2. The next day, drain the fish and transfer to a large saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool. Flake the fish, discarding any bones.
3. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy, large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes in batches and sauté until crisp and golden, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain. Alternatively you can use potato crisps (Batata Palha)
4. Add the olive oil to the same skillet. Add the onion and bay leaf and sauté until golden, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low. Mix in the fish and potatoes. Whisk the eggs, salt and the pepper in a large bowl to blend. Add the egg mixture and 3 tablespoons of the parsley to the fish mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the eggs are softly set, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a platter. Garnish with the olives and parsley. Serve with a green salad.

Dessert: Strawberries, grapes and chocolate ice-cream truffles.

It turned out pretty well considering I hadn't made this in a while. Accompanied with chilled Vinho Verde, pleasant company and stimulating conversations (we spoke a lot about food - lol) the lunch must have been a success, as we spent four hours at the table!

Updates: Bed Supper Club

We rarely get to the pleasuredoms of Bangkok to which the rich, the famous and not-yet-quite-so-famous swarm in the name of being seen and heard. However, we had heard from several reliable sources that this was a trendy hip place to go. So, when a colleague invited us to join her entertaining some other Portuguese hoteliers, we couldn't resist the opportunity.
The club is a feature in itself, looking from the outside like a recently-landed alien spacecraft. The rather Frank Lloyd Wrightesque staircase that took us up to the front door is another clue that this is a deliberate exercise in not-looking-the-same-as-other-clubs, and indeed, on arrival in the main auditorium, I could confirm that there is definitely no sawdust on the floor, no pool table and no darts.
I had heard that it was rather subdued by nightclub standards mainly due to the fact that most punters are sprawled out on bed-like sofas in the manner of the great Roman elite who once lay down to their feasts all those years ago. Idle, hedonistic self-indulgence came to mind here, but wait a minute … as we stepped inside it was not quite the young crowd we had expected here at the heart of Trendyrama . Instead a collection of tourists, office types, younger couples and even a few mums and dads were sprawled out on sumptuous white divan beds suspended on two levels, in what was an all white oval pod – a fairly spacious room which could comfortably hold four hundred. The whole club is actually divided into two parts with the smaller section a very cool and classy bar, replete of course with a DJ playing cuts from various classifications of music including Deep Bass (Little too deep at times!) and Chilly Ambient. Whatever happened to good old Rock and Roll? Having said that, the chill out music really suited this futuristic ambience and coupled with a vigorous shoulder and back massage, a fortune telling, and a fruity New Zealand white wine, I was ready to succumb to this concept of dining – spellbound by aliens? The lighting was a beautifully subdued glow of soft blue neon and silent films, videos and the meunu projected on the walls added to the retro-futuristic feel. There were waiters and waitresses dressed like spaceship travellers, glamourously scurrying to and fro bringing us food and cocktails as we reclined like galactic emporers on the divan fittings…. as if we were all there was to see in this earthly planet… perhaps we were!! :-)

Updates: Songkran (2/3)

After the blazing midday sun loosened its fiery grip on the city, Nina and I decided to make our way to Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha temple). I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as there is very little English information available on the Internet on Songkran festivities. I was lucky to stumble across a site which outlined a skeleton schedule for this year's events. All I knew was that I was curious to see the religious face of Songkran. Nina was brave enough to venture out into the escalated madness of the 'Water War' that was ravaging the streets (despite having just had her hair straightened and warned not to get it wet!) Together we embarked on our journey of discovery and found a haven of peace and tranquility.
Within this holy sanctuary shared with families and monks, we delved into a world steeped in simple traditions. The second day of Songkran is considered to be an auspicious day when everyone cleanses their souls and avoids acts and words deemed uncompassionate or aggressive.

We experienced three rituals:
1. Making merit is an important concept of Thai Buddhism, trying to ensure a fortunate reincarnation. In the spirit of thankfulness, most teenagers ordain as monks for 3 months to make merit for their parents as a token of appreciation and love. In the temple, merit making activities included offering food, flowers, joss sticks, candles and other basic necessities to monks, making donations, burning incense or lighting candles before images of the Buddha, and chanting protective or merit-making verses from the Pali Canon (Buddhist Bible).

2. The underlying significance of Songkran is the process of cleansing and purification - the purging of all ills, misfortune and evil and starting the New Year afresh with all that is good and pure. Water is symbolic of the cleaning process and signifies purity. I really enjoyed observing the Buddha Bathing Ritual in which lustral water with rose petals is poured mindfully over rows of various golden Buddha, glistening in the warm sun, perched on a bed of colourful, vibrant flowers. This is a gesture of respect and reverence, seeking blessings, and forgiveness for past wrong-doings is also implied.

3. Thai people traditionally carry sand to the temples for the building of sand pagodas/stupas which are then decorated with colourful flags and flowers. The practice reflects an ancient belief that when an individual walks away from a temple, particles of sand from the temple grounds are inadvertently carried away on one's shoes or sandals. The building of sand stupas for the temple is seen to be a practical way of replacing the sand lost and a merit-making act through which blessings are earned. People also donate flags which are believed to bring luck and considered as a revered offering to the temple.

It was so beautiful to witness and take part in some of these rituals, the whole place was enveloped in a spiritual aura, embracing all of our souls. We spoke to several people, all eager to share their day with us. Much to our amusement, entire families requested to take photographs with us 'farangs' – we became quite a popular attraction that I am sure the event organisers hadn't counted on. It seemed only fair to me… after all, there I was trying to discretely capture their religious moments on camera.

A blessing from a monk, a visit to see the Reclining Buddha inside the temple and a simple meal (50 cents) from one of the stands, led to the settling of dusk. People had already packed away their wares and stalls by the time we left.
We strolled aimlessly around the streets, passing war-torn stragglers, tired soldiers with ghostly floured faces and drenched clothing. We happened upon a cultural show (again only locals) where we savoured the delights of different Songkran traditions from each province – food, dances, costumes, handicrafts, rituals, Thai boxing, sword fighting – a medley of impressions.
A few hours later, content and exhausted, we made our way home.

The following day marked the Thai New Year (April 15). Nina and I decided to leave the city and visit a cultural park (The Ancient City in Samut Prakan), unaware we would be joining a grand exodus of half of Bangkok.
This is the most important day of the Songkran New Year celebrations. It is a time for individuals to reflect upon the many acts of kindness and thoughtfulness each has personally experienced and to remember how such acts of generosity and compassion bring peace, happiness and well-being. Hence, most choose to spend this day with their loved ones, being a day for reunions and renewing family ties. The government organises various forms of entertainment as a way of keeping regional Songkran traditions alive and preserving culturally unique beliefs and practises. Not a moment's "sanuk" was to be missed - vivid colours, song and dance and festive fun was the order of the day.

Bangkok seemed to have formed an alliance with the locals of this town, and with renewed forces, began a fresh onslaught of water attacks. Weary, soaked with culture (and water) we pleaded for a cease fire. However, there was no abating their enthusiasm! So, happy, filled with good food, empty batteries in my camera, laden with images of laughter and fun filled activities, we plodded towards the exit.
Retreat! We surrender…

check out the vids (copy/paste the links)
http://www.dailymotion.com/footprint-s/video/x1q750_buddhist-temple-ceremonies/1
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1q3ag_faces-of-songkran