Where Is My Valentine?

Every year, everyone is suckered into paying top dollars for flowers especially roses & dinners at restaurants. At the end of the day, who does it profit to mark this ‘hype of love’ if the love is unrequited? When I was in school, I remember admiring a few of my seniors & would send them a stalk of rose each with a greeting card when the school’s Interact Club took orders for THE DAY. I would get flowers, in return, from friends & juniors as I rose in seniority but not from those I had sent flowers to. It’s not what the day represented. It’s the warm feeling I get when I know I’ve been thought of & the words that accompany the flower, are often very meaningful. Though I wasn’t the chief prefect who had secret admirers in a co-ed school to deserve cards & flowers, I knew then, how special it was to receive flowers. Nowadays, the only flowers I get to admire are the flowers that are still attached to the plant….

Last Valentine, we got together to celebrate singlehood. Young & not so old alike. If you have been following this blog, you would have seen what we were up to last year in Putrajaya. This year, our performing arts department has grown into an almost 50 members team. To give everyone a reason to come together for fellowship, I sent an email on the 13th to invite those who are game to try ‘Roti Romalee’ & Manchurian Chicken in a secret location in Brickfields. KC was the only one to reply stating that he had been looking for this roti since he returned from India in 2001 & no one seems to know what it was. So without much thought, I sent out another email & proclaimed a confirmation for the few who had ‘verbally’ agreed to be included in the event……..last year.

Come the break of dawn, messages trickled in confirming attendance. Despite the map that I’d provided in the email, many called to ask for directions. Had to pick DeeDee & Rachael at the KL Sentral station & wait for the rest at the restaurant. As the town stood still with floods & treefalls, some who were stuck in traffic arrived much later but by 9pm, 16 people showed up & Roti Romalee & Problem tea (teh masala) was the order of the day!

Chef showing the way!

Intrigued by the ‘no oil’ factor in the cooking of the roti, we asked the owner to take us on a tour to see how it’s made. The Indian chef kneaded the dough & virtually spun the flattened roti in the air several times before laying it on an inverted wok to cook it! The oohs, aaahs & WHOOOOAAAARRRRGGGGHS permeated the restaurant while the chef prepared the dish. My group is so dramatic…..

Cooking on the inverted wok.

KC finally arrived bringing us a bouquet of Ferrero Rochers & we finished the dinner with homemade ciku ice-cream!!! Before we adjourned I left something for everyone to take home to remember this day & what Valentine really means to me now…..