Salam Aidilfitri

Bowl contents: Indian meruku/maruku, Malay kuih siput/kuih gunting, Kelantanese kuih gunting ikan bilis, Indian fried peas/kacang pis goreng, and fried lentil/kacang dhal goreng. Missing - fried groundnuts.  This was my simple breakfast on Hari Raya morning. Bowl is Japanese, bought from Bukit Bintang Plaza, Kuala Lumpur, during annual end-of-year sale (RM60 for 5 pieces). The brown background is my 1-inch thick wooden chopping board bought for RM3.80 from Pasar Tani at Pasir Tumboh, Kelantan. Fonts used are Trajan Pro for 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri', other greetings were made using Arial font, and my name was made using Monika font. 

Most Malay houses would serve festive cuisines for Hari Raya, including the world's best ketupat (many types), rendang (all sorts), satay Kajang, nasi dagang Kelantan, lemang KL, soto ayam Johor, laksa Penang, lakse Kelantan, curry puffs, bihun & mihun, koay teow, etc. Of course there is a whole range of Malay cakes, tarts and biscuits, most are very interesting and have some history. Many Malays also host open house and serve food for the entire community. This is a good thing as poor boys and girls get to attend such functions and get to sample some of the best foods. I am amazed that the Malays have this spirit of open house during Hari Raya and anyone can visit and eat.

What is Hari Raya without its musical scores? There are some good songs, some happy, others sad, yet a few others bring tears on Hari Raya morning, especially if you have lost your parents, siblings or relatives. There is one that I particularly like, a song sang by a Malay relative of mine from Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur. She is Aishah and her song is Pulanglah. I get goosebumps every time that song plays on radio or TV. She sings very well. There's another song that is quite nice, a song sang by M. Nasir about his parents (at first I had thought he was singing about his girlfriend or wife). I don't know the title and the Malay lyrics say '...buah hati ibuku..' which actually refers to his father. It took me some time to figure out and understand the Malay lyrics.