Pasar Tamu

With fingers pinching my nose completely shut, I held my breath and my mouth closed as I stepped over the reeking open drain to the BBQ pit where fish, chicken butt skewers, chicken liver skewers and chicken wings grilled on the charcoal BBQ pit made of a cut open oil drum.

A while ago from across the road, I could smell the aroma of the grilled meats but regretted inhaling in once I was near the open drain to step over into the market. The reeking odour had me almost threw out after a full stomach of 'kampua'.

It was just a wrong place or standards of food hygiene expected, indeed taken for granted.

The afternoon heat under the market shelters of canvas roof was like walking into a sauna. A few minutes of walk, and you'd come out oozing sweat from every pore on your skin. This is a common scene everywhere you can find in Malaysia also known as Pasar Tamu or market.

Chicken butt anyone?

I truly don't know what's so great about fatty chicken butt skewers except for they are skewered chicken meat carved from the ass of the chicken and grilled. Known as bishop’s nose to the western people, probably so named because of a shape of sharp nose.

Chicken liver is not a crowd pleaser I guess, it could make everything taste like liver if added into a dish. However, chicken liver skewers... an acquired taste to partake.

Despite the reeking smell from the drain, the heat inside the canvas roof market, I did find my bidin and food were selling pretty well as I observed it, including the 'Ayam Sayap' selling at RM2 per piece.