SHUNNING SARDINES

On Friday, I came across an article in The Star telling me that some tsunami victims turned up their nose on sardines. You can read it online here.
On Saturday, after a long day dealing with Persatuan Veteran's RTM EGM and AGM, I tried to catch the live broadcast of Live8. I managed to catch the short video of the African mother boiling rocks to lull her children to sleep and an African man boiling leather taken from an old chair to make soup for the family. Both of them did not have can of sardines lying around the house (or tent.)
I guess when you are not as hungry as the family of Africans in the video clip, you can afford to be choosy. I have nothing against sardines. I love them. Sardines featured very prominently in my culinary experiences. In my younger days, when I go for picnics with my friends or when on Boy Scout hikes I always carry a can of sardines in my haversack (this is before the fancy knapsacks or backpacks) together with a loaf of ruti bata. Ruti bata is the old unsliced loaf of bread with the crusty head (or whatever the technical name is).
When I was in Australia, sardines and vegemite were the bulk of my diet. I bought so many cans of sardines so often that the grocer asked me if I kept a lot cats.
At home, I have sardines, either fried or straight from the can with garnishings of onions and chilli. My favourite pastry is still sardine rolls. Sometimes, I try new brands of sardines - those not smothered in the usual tomato sauce. Usually, these are real sardines and not mackerels in cans that are generically called sardines in Malaysia. They are usually in olive oil and come in flat oblong cans that you open with the key provided. They are usually more expensive.
Sardines are delicious with chappati too. Try them in the shop in Kelana Jaya near FAM or the famous shop in Medan Gopeng, Ipoh. And don't forget that most good laksa Penang use sardines in their gravy.
I can understand that having the same thing day after day can make you bosan (bored.) Variety is the spice of life and all that. That same Friday I was served nasi lemak for breakfast. It was pretty boring. Instead of dumping the nasi lemak, I got hold of Adabi's Perencah Nasi Goreng and one egg. I turned the nasi lemak into nasi lemak goreng. Recycled food.
I wished I could add some sardines into the nasi goreng. I had none. All the sardines are langusihing in some stores in Acheh.