absolutely delightful

Today, I was thinking of giving a review of my life at ICPU. Then I remembered, this blog is not to post personal stuff. That's for my other journal. So here, I decided to do a quick review of places to eat around Taylors, not that I'm any authority, of course...

Lim Mee Yoke, or more frequently just refered to as Mee Yoke by Taylorians, Intians, and Metro's and the general populace. Quite a simple coffee shop, like any you would find around Malaysia. Nothing really remarkable, not that sparkling clean either, or visually appealing for that matter. Rather, it is a cheap and convenient place to eat lunch. The choices range from the regular noodle-soups, to chap fan. And the ever present chicken rice. Of all the stuff to eat here, I must say the most value for money would be the wantan mee. A medium sized serve will feed you quite well, and a large will stuff you. From 3.00 a small, 3.20 a medium, and 3.50 a large, the noodles are quite economical. Add another .50 for a curry chicken version. Excellent. Notable also is the convenience of the chap fan, meaning it's easy to choose the size of the serve. One problem is the lack of variety of meat dishes, as well as the rather arbitrary pricing system. However, it is all in good taste, if you don't expect much. A word of warning: the chicken rice is crap. This afternoon, the vendor had to even go up table to table to solicit for business. It's that bad. The drinks are mediocre but sufficient at best.

Asia Cafe is just next to Mee Yoke. The brainchild of a Malaysian couple in America, it is sort of a food court showcasing Malaysian food, really. Nothing really spectacular, having a wide range of everything from Chinese (lots of it), Malay (a bit), Italian, Korean and other stuff. I noticed the conspicious absence of Indian food, but there are so many mamaks (more on that later) around it really isn't necessary. The drinks are nothing remarkable, except that you can supersize them for a supersized price. There apparently is a sort of clubhouse-pub thing on the top floor of this two story construct, offering pool and foosball, but I never ventured up there. Really not my kind of thing.

The mamaks around here are plentiful, with all offering a similar range of spiced and rather pricey Muslim-Indian cuisine. From the all present roti kosong to the nasi briani, and also the teh ais. Normal stuff abound, but the pockets burn hotter than the food itself. Other than that, it is a reasonable deal if you don't over order, and watch the stuff you get. Otherwise, you'd be better off sticking to the cafeteria.

The Taylor's cafeteria is really not somewhere you want to eat everyday. The food is most definitely far from outstanding, though it does fill. There is an obvious lack of variety and temperature in the offerings. In fact, I find that the only thing worth buying there are the soft drinks, which are not cheap, by the way. Other than that, it is a nice place to sit down and chat or finish overdue assignments. And hold photography comittee meetings that never end up being what I plan them to be.

The best place to eat is still in the classroom, as many students will attest. Pack a lunch, or buy one from the many locales highlighted above. Take a sit in the quiet and air-conditioned rooms, providing they are unguarded by highly strung lecturers. Take your own sweet time to munch away, just make sure you're considerate enough not to leave messy droppings. And leave something for the lecturer. You'll be better off for that.

Hope you liked that littel review, incomplete though it was. Personally, if you really have the money to spend, then go to Burger King or McD's. If you have the money, you should actually get a caterer. That would save a lot of time. Really. So if you have the time to spare, try out some of the places I mentioned, and see if you agree.

Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul

Food,
Feeding the body,
When you're hungry,
And starving from lack,
Of glucose laden blood,
We take a bite and are fine.

Food,
Nourishing the soul,
When we are down,
It takes the mind away,
And releases it on,
A sugar high above the clouds.

Food,
So important,
It's all we think of,
From dawn to dusk,
Everything revolves around it,
Especially if you're Malaysian.