Deepavali's in the air

Two days to Deepavali (or Diwali, as some people prefer to call it) and I happened to wander into Little India in George Town's heritage enclave at around lunch time. Saw the whole area already in festive mood. Shoppers were slowly coming out in full force, shops were open and make-shift tents were erected by the side of the road.

Went into the newly reopened Shusi banana leaf restaurant. It had been closed for four months after the previous owner, Jeya, decided to give up the business. "My wife and I are getting too old to look after this business," he had told me then. So they sold it off to someone down the road to carry on.

The restaurant reopened on 4 Oct and curious, since I was already in the area, I walked in to have my lunch. The food looked almost the same although the prices have increased. A banana leaf rice with three different helpings of vegetable and a chicken dish cost RM8. Taste-wise, of course, I prefer my old friend's cooking. It's never the same any more, despite the retention of the restaurant's name.