Behave so the aroma of your actions may enhance the general sweetness of the atmosphere.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
“Ada hari, ada nasi” (Where there is a day, there is rice.) ~ Malaysian Proverb
H.T.’s mom learned to cook late in life. She had grown up in Malaysia in a family where most of the house chores – cooking & cleaning – were done by live-in maids. It’s the kind of thing most of us envy. But, she gave all that up when she married for LOVE. H.T. remembers how his family just scraped by when he was little. It was a good thing the cost of living was low.
H.T.’s dad worked as a linesman for a local hydro company in Malaysia. His mom liked to cook soups. They were easy to make and went well with rice, an inexpensive Malaysian staple.
One evening, many years ago when H.T. was young, his mom made this chicken soup for dinner. When he and his brother arrived home from school they smelled something “gamey.” The boys asked their mom what the aroma was and she replied, “Chicken soup. Is there something wrong?”
“No,” H.T. replied, “It just smells a bit strange.”
H.T.’s mom had been home all day and had grown accustomed to the smell. She went into the garden for some fresh air and when she returned she noticed the smell! “OK boys,” she said, “we need to fix this before dad comes home! What can we do?”
She called her mom for help who told her to use 3 shots (3 fingers!) of brandy. That did it! Dinner was saved!
This is the recipe that H.T.’s mom made that day. He likes to cook it to this day. It’s quite simple.
Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
Throw all the ingredients into a stock pot and add water up to 3 inches (6 cm) above the ingredients. Bring it to a boil and cook in medium heat for 4 hours, adding sea salt for flavour. Turn off heat and add 3 fingers of brandy. Stir and serve!
H.T.’s Tips:
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Another ingredient to add to the soup is sliced ginseng root – good for circulation.
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Avoid old chicken. It’s too gamey!
H.T. and Feryal's wedding
H.T.'s beautiful children
“I always love being in the company of women. It’s all about good conversation and great wine.” ~ Naomi Watts
Shelley (Boyd) Stone is my dear friend and neighbour here in Cambridge, Ontario. She has done many things with her boundless energy and creativity over the years. After studying theology, she worked with young people (street youth, high schools & a camp director at Pioneer Camp). When her children were young she ran a great daycare out of her home (where she cared for our daughter). She adventurously took those little ones on regular field trips and fed them healthy food that she gave fun names to. When her kids got older she worked in a local college and then a few years ago she found her dream job – I called it her “Erin Brokovich job” – coordinating the efforts of the Ontario chapter of the non-profit organization “
Jean loved to make her Black Forest cake with brandy. Jean loved to cook and especially enjoyed desserts, but her Black Forest cake was a favourite for special occasions. In Ontario, liquor is only sold in government controlled stores called the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). Shopping for brandy would have been strongly looked down up by her fellow church members, so she would put on, what she called, her “Jackie O” outfit . She hoped that the scarf over her head and the large sunglasses would make her incognito on her trip to the LCBO.
