Ah Di Durian at Dempsey

I can't seem to get away with durians this season. After being pranked at home to open durians and stank up the house (I had to air it for a whole day and a half), the friends also brought us gifts of food when they flew in over the weekend.

There's this old school bakery in Bangkok that I like — Tae Lao Chin Seng / แต้เล่าจิ้นเส็ง เบเกอรี่ / 郑老振盛饼家. Of course the friends know it, so they brought me stuff. I like their iteration of khanom pia / ขนมเปี๊ยะ. You know I like my things savory. However, the friends trolled me by including a version with durian in there. ARRRRGGGH. Granted, the durian bits weren't as pungent as feared. BUT STILL......

Then there was this durian stall at Dempsey! We always take friends to Dempsey because it's an easy and relaxing place to take the friends to for meals. That night after dinner, these people wanted a stroll to the open-air Ah Di Durian at the corner! OMG. Even the dog was stunned by the smells coming out of there. Stench, really. 

Now, neither the husband and I have visited this stall although we've seen it a thousand times. Tonight, we finally stopped by because some of the friends love durians, and really didn't mind trying our local fruit from Malaysia. 

They chose a small one. I didn't know how heavy, but it looked small enough. It couldn't have been more than 2kg since it was a $37 Mao Shan Wang. Of course they demolished it. It was manageable when this was dessert Part 2 and everyone took about two seeds or so.

A Peranakan Feast!

It was such a fun party over weekend. The friends flew into town to watch the play. We get to spend time doing things we love, and we get to eat some good food. I'm still recovering from being so sociable, but I'm glad to see everyone whom I've missed. 

Of course it had to be Violet Oon at Dempsey — it takes big groups, serves food fast, and is always decent, and probably the most important point, Choya could come along, and we could all be seated comfortably at their lovely al fresco patio. 

We didn't over-order but we had a spread. We had kueh pie tee, beef rendang, babi ponteh, udang chilli, chap chye, and liver balls, of course. 

We made it to dessert — three types — we had the kueh bingka, gula melaka tea cake with gula melaka ice-cream, pulot hitam with coconut ice-cream. The pulot hitam is pretty similar to a Thai dessert we all love — khao niao dum piek / ข้าวเหนียวดำเปียก. The friends loved this version. 

We were absolutely stuffed. Had a bit of leftovers that we decided to tapau home. Why waste food. Heh. We didn't bother to adjourn elsewhere for drinks. Nowadays, we do our drinking at dinner. It's a lot more convenient that way. 

On Stage, Murakami's 'End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland'

When I saw that Haruki Murakami's novel is going to be adapted into a play by Ako Takahashi, I was hoping it would come to town. It did! Wheeeeee. Well, it isn't as if I'm watching it for the author. I'm watching it because it's directed and choreographed by Philippe Decouflé.

[世界の終りとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド」が、フィリップ・ドゥクフレ演出.] 

We have 'End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland' on stage at the Esplanade Theatre. I don't think that I even cared that much about lead actors Tatsuya Fujiwara and Misato Morita. This play isn't that much of a narrative than it is of movement, and the creating of worlds. 

Adapting Murakami's worlds onto the stage is superbly technically demanding. Produced by HoriPro Inc, the staging was surreal and gorgeous. Screens, shadows and projections. That treadmill made me chuckle. So much effort went into creating the background, the different sets to take us from Tokyo to the World's End. 

I love the choreography! I love the unicorns! The dancers gave a wonderful show as they supported the transition between scenes. The Shadow was kinda cool too. 

Music is composed by Umitaro Abe, and he has many collaborations with pianist Mayu Gonta. She's also an accordionist and a vocalist. I love it that she was placed right on stage too, providing gorgeous accompaniment to the movement.

I'm never pleased with how Murakami depicts women in his stories. They are always a stereotype, or an afterthought. In this story, they don't even have a name. It's just The Librarian, who's also the Girl in the City, and the 17-year-old talented Chubby Girl who loves pink and dresses in pink. The stage adaptation made these characters stand out a little more. It allows Murakami's males and females to be slightly more palatable since the actors gave them some dimension, and made them more pleasant to watch on stage than what is read (and assumed) on paper.