Sunday, August 31, 2008

Cookies and Hari Merdeka

Today I bring you a reminder of a favorite recipe. These cookies are a success everywhere I take them, not just because their flavor can be adjusted to suit every palate, but because the dough bakes into a crumb that melts away in your mouth. I'm telling you, these unpretentious little treats never disappoint.

Do you know what day it is today? It's Hari Merdeka! Okay, I didn't know what it was either, until today, when I gathered around picnic tables with a smattering of Malaysian students who brought together the most delicious food to celebrate the day of their country's independence. Apparently, the official proclamation of freedom from British colonial rule was delivered on August 31, 1957 .

Over rice, curry, fruit, and chocolate chip ginger cookies rimmed with sesame (there was no way I was cooking Malaysian food for Malaysians!), we enjoyed the warm late summer evening. Not that the intense spices or nibbly grains of rice before us needed any help, but it's undeniable that food always tastes better in good company.

I am so grateful for my Abilene friends, old and new. Wish you could have been here too.

2 comments:

Rachael said...

i am happy for you to have awesome friends, foods from far away places, interesting conversations and good times to remember in the backcountry of Texas. savor life!
flavorful love to you,
mum

Lael Meidal said...

Mum: thanks for all the lessons in living a flavor-rich life. love to you.