We have been burgled! Can I go on holiday now?

Work is like a badly rolled popiah(bursting at the seams)
I have to apologize for not being current with my posting but taking three weeks leave to get this little store started has resulted in real work piling up and bursting at the seams. But there is nothing better than some excitement at the store to add to our list of experiences.

9 missed calls from the ice cream store on a monday(we are closed on mondays). I thought the hibernating gelato must have been disturbed by a power trip. But we were in for more excitement. It appears that we had a surprise visitor the night before. We have been burgled!

We have been burgled and what's the first thing that came to my mind?
My immediate thoughts went along the lines of, "have I got enough leave left to take a holiday if we cant continue operation?". Yes, being a hawker takes that much out of you. Even a part time one. So kids, your parents were not lying when they said "you will have a hard life being a hawker if you dont study". Parents if your kids don't believe you, IM them the link to this blog. On the other hand, I studied like a book worm on crack and here I am hawking.

Then came the realization that, it took 10 china nationals 3 hours to get the gelato display cabinet over the bolted down hawker centre tables to where its currently sitting and 3 people to heave the  gelato maker to it's current position. All hopes of a holiday immediately vaporized.


Poor guy robbing the wrong store.
Okay why would anyone burgle a gelato store that charges 2 dollars a cup? Don't they realize that all the money would have gone into the ingredients, the workers salary and the crazy electricity bill that at the end of the day, It's the other job thats subsidizing the ice cream store? Okay I guess if I fell on hard times I probably won't be thinking too straight too. 

Anyway the guy who left his converse shoe prints(on the chest freezer) must really need the money to go through all that trouble. But I am thankful that he is not a malicious burglar who could have gotten upset after prying open an empty cash register and created bigger mess. Guess he is just someone who just happens to need some money, and who doesn't these days.

We don't make enough money to be worth any burgler's while but we are rich with experiences gathered and the people we have been able to come in contact with from all walks of life is invaluable. 

Whoever he is, I hope he gets his life sorted out. 

Inhaling food

Having always had a special relationship with food, I have been asked many times howcome I do not have a food blog or doccument the food that makes its way past my table.

I could never exercise the restraint needed. If the food looks as good as many of the photos shown at ieat or skinnierthantheoriginal, it wouldn't last long enough for me to whip out the camera.

If I were to have a food blog it will most probably look like this.

Kok Kee wanton noodles(whats left of it). It was so good that I could not help gobbling it down before remembering to take a photo. But hey it really is that good.

There you go. I really doubt anybody wants to be reading a blog called "food that survived 2 mins on my plate". Plus readers never get to see the amazing food but whats left over.

Ah Tee Ko Ko Noodle

Golden Mile Food Centre

I asked for extra chili and vinegar and it came drowning in sauce and I added some. I guess for me anything drowned in vinegar is yummy. 

Here is another confession, my friends feel that its a waste of money to take me to expensive places because of the way I "inhale my food" and don't get to taste it before it goes down.

When someone smiles and says "hi", say hi back.

side walk chalk drawing
Originally uploaded by gelato.maker

Okay here is a quick post. Day three we took the menu to the sidewalks in chalk. There were a few friendly people who dropped by stared and said hi which was nice.

There were others that gave strange looks and didnt know what to say when I smiled and said hi. 

This brought me back the conversations I had waiting for sets at the line up when surfing with Jonni the owner of school of surf . One of his many recycled jokes included how he was telling me when he used to do visa runs to Singapore, people would dress in black and not know how to react when you smile at them and started to look at your all you weird. Something I always  dismissed as one of his many recycled and overused jokes. 

 So next time if someone says "Hi" just say "Hi" back.

The first day! Hawking the sweet stuff.

Another batch of gelato to be churned
Originally uploaded by gelato.maker

It was an amazing first day and the closest comparison would be to that of participating in a flea market. Neighbors taking an interest in you and your product, everyone enjoying themselves sharing a laugh with you. In our case probably at and not just with. But it was still an overall great experience.(anyone feels like stepping into different shoes for a while, let me know. Exchange your Manolo Blahniks for a pair of gumboots for a day)

Animal Sacrifice to the Hawker Center Deity

I have always wondered if there was some animal sacrifice to the hawker center deity ritual or some other superstition that needed to be observed. Well that didn't happen and we are still a vegan ice cream store. With no eggs, animal parts or animal sacrifice.

Concerned Neighbours

Quite a few hawker neighbors came by, genuinely concerned that our sign looks too dark, being a blackboard and not a back lit light box, they felt that we shine a FEW spotlights on it. Great and all if we aren't already contributing our fair share of heat and raising the ambient temperature in the hawker center. So I am really hoping we don't sell out and contribute more unnecessary heat. Other tips include pushing the gelato display cabinet further out so people can get better view. 

Hawker Thoughts

Hawkers are constantly thirsty and can't get enough water. 

Your feet hate you!

My bed has never felt so comfortable since I became a hawker.(No its not a case of sleeping better from lack of stress that all you office types with stressful jobs are thinking, but more a case of making gelato and sorbets till 5am before heading home.)

What do hawkers do after work?

I have always wondered what hawkers do after work. Is there some hangout that they all go to. Perhaps a favorite coffee center for a debrief , or some networking and exchanging tips. Its 1:09 am Sunday morning and I am going to spend my first after work hawker day like the rest of you. I am assuming that most of you would be sprawled in bed with your powerbook playing a downloaded television series. Okay I am going to go watch an episode of WEEDS(brilliant show about a suburban housewife who is a weed dealer. She also happens to be a single mom coping with raising her kids in between gang turf wars. Not as dark as it sounds.)

Work starts at 5am. Getting up to make batches of durian and chocolate gelato(with less vanilla essence*wink* ) . Thats 3 hours of sleep, 1 hour of hanging out with Nancy Botwin(weeds) and yes its back to assuming my hawker responsibilities.

A Quick Orange Sorbet

Orange Sorbet In Cup
Originally uploaded by gelato.maker

Made Some orange sorbet today. I am quite happy with this batch. It has just the right amount of sugar to inhibit the formation of ice crystals without being too sweet.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups water 
1 cup sugar 
Orange rind strips from 2 oranges 
2 2/3 cups fresh orange juice 
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Add orange rind strips; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove and discard orange rind strips. Remove liquid from heat, and let cool completely. Stir in orange juice and lemon juice.
Pour mixture into freezer container of a 4-quart hand-turned or electric freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and rock salt; let mixture stand in freezer 1 hour before serving.

Things I didn't know before today

Adding a little milk powder helps prevent your sorbet from becoming icy

Chalking the board

chalk sign
Originally uploaded by gelato.maker

Finally got around to having the time to chalk up a signboard. Anyway its half completed but here is the work in progress. I am sorta stuck with what color should the ice cream in the cup be. Black ice cream doesnt seem appealing although the idea of black sesame is heavenly.

The board is made with plenty of messy scribbles when viewed close. So I guess it gives people something to look at if they are close to it and waiting for their ice cream.

Chalking tips (I didnt know before today)

1. Layer a base coat of fixative before working.

2. Spray fixative as you work to prevent your colours from blending as you lay down different colours.

3. Workable fixative while you work and a sealer when you are done.

4. Put down the dark colours before the light colours.

ice cream sign board
Originally uploaded by gelato.maker

ice cream sign board
Originally uploaded by gelato.maker

Painted this today

coffee cup art
Originally uploaded by gelato.maker

Coffee chalk board style. My attempt at doing a chalk sign with corel painter. Well its not really chalk but it allows you to mix you mediums very well and push your colours around like oil paint. Anyone thinking of getting into painting but put off by the price of paint and canvas should have a go at this. I am using the 30 day evaluation copy and you can download it from their site.