The Wedding Feast

Tako and tapai, downed with frothing teh tarik..

One for the album, with the beaming newlyweds...


From left: Yatt, Sheila, Kay and Kama hamming it up for Pak Abu's camera..


The kiddies brigade...

Zai (extreme right) with her Mona Lisa half-smile....

The food was fine, the company more so. But it was the "tapai-tako-bubur kacang" combo that had me tied to the lavender-hued tablecloth for a good half hour, oblivious to the ceaseless prattle and laughter around me.

Oh, how I loved wedding feasts, especially the traditional kind held in the front yard of the host's own home, with coloured canopies for seat and shade and a "bersanding" dais bedecked with flowers and trimmings.

It was this type of "kenduri kampung", where young men high on testosterone rush sit by the fence to indulge in flirty banters with comely lasses whilst the karaoke system blasted one's eardrums, that had me hankering for more.

Blogger Ezza (bicara simuffin biru) and husband Aziz married off their eldest girl, Umi Hazlin, in Klang today and a coterie of makcik bloggers, including a couple from out-of-town, turned up to honour the occasion.

Ipoh-based blogger Pi Bani (of pitwist)was already in town to attend her nephew's nuptials whilst Seremban-based, baking enthusiast Zai made the trip just so she could be with fellow cyber scribes.

Among those I discerned were NanaDJ (just back from her week-long European sojourn), Kay-Leeda of Sembang at Kay's, Yatt of No Time Off, 'Kitchen Guardian' Yani, Lia, Myra, Wanshana, 'Superwoman' Sheila and a couple more whose blog names escaped me.

Pak Abu and I got off to a shaky start; we left home after Zohor and arrived in Klang in good time, but missed the junction and had to make a U-turn. We cruised to the housing area, spotted the canopies from afar, and parked the car by the roadside.

I heaved a sigh of relief, opened the door, and got a right and proper 'kampung" welcome; I walked smack into a clump of young banana trees, narrowly missing a tree stump. Anyway, you can always depend on the klutz in me to spice up a dull day.

The makcik bloggers had earlier decided to arrive past 2pm so we could have some chitchat time with Ezza, but the feast was still in full swing by the time Pak Abu and I got there at 3pm.

Mother of the bride looked beat but happy. Father of the bride was his usual laidback self; he graciously greeted us at the entrance and ushered us to where the bloggers had grouped themselves.

After the customary salam, hugs and kisses, I wasted no time in making a beeline for the food. The biryani was tasty, so were the accompaniments; ayam masak merah, rendang, acar, papadom crackers...

Then I saw bubur kacang, and tapai, and tako. Friends were immediately consigned to the backseat whilst yours truly 'layan' her appetite. [By the way, Ezza, the tapai's fermentation was perfect. Ask me, a self-professed tapai connoisseur].

Food and friends aside, the wedding of Ezza & Aziz's daughter was a merry affair and we were grateful to be amongst the invitees. Thank you both for having us.

Who knows, we may just come this way again to celebrate the arrival of your first grandchild...