Chicken Rice War

There is a conflict brewing between lovers of Chicken Rice in Malaysia and Singapore. The Malaysian Tourist Minister is making plans to stake claim on Chicken Rice as a Malaysian food. He is also making claims on dishes like Laksa and Chilli Crab. He claimed that Malaysia's signature dishes are being 'hijacked' by other countries. Well, you be the judge. I know that emotion run high for some people. To me, it is just silly, even stupid, to suggest such things when the row over pendant dance has not cooled down. Discovery Channel inadvertently created tension between Malaysia and Indonesia by airing a segment on the Indonesian pendant dance in a show promoting Malaysia. This infuriated numerous Indonesians, some whom took to the street to protest against Malaysia's thief of Indonesian culture.

I love my Chicken Rice. Especially, the home cooked Hainanese Chicken Rice made by my mother, my maternal grandmother and paternal grandmother. I remember that my mother will painstakingly pinched out the juicy thigh meat for me. She would eat the drier breast meat that few people prefer. Just like for fishes. I love the fish meat around the cheek and dorsal area. These parts would be reserved for me when I was young. I did appreciate that my mother was sacrificing little pleasure so that I can have the best parts. Now that I am a parent, I found myself doing that. Gracie is very choosy about food. At times, she will like the crispy part of fried fish or meat. I would choose the tastier portion for her. I would eat the dry chicken breast meat which I used to detest. I guess it is part of parenting.