One of the most interesting animals is the Platypus. This animal which looks like a fish, a bird and a duck all rolled into one, is found in Eastern Australia and Tasmania.
The Platypus was classified as a mammal because it produces milk and is covered in coat of thick fur, once prized by hunters. It has webbed feet and a flat bill, instead of a beak.
Platypus weigh between 1 - 5 lbs, with the males being larger than the females. Males average about 20 inches, while females are about 17 inches.
The male Platypus has a spur on its hind foot that delivers a venom which is capable of causing severe pain to humans. It does not care for its young, but retreats to its yearlong burrow.
The female however, softens the ground in the burrow with dead, folded, wet leaves and fills the nest at the end of the tunnel with fallen leaves and reeds used for bedding material. This material is dragged to the nest by tucking it underneath her curled tail.
In South Australia, the Platypus are reported only rarely from the Riverland area of the Murray River and have not been encountered in the lower reaches of the Murray since 1960.
It had been more than two years, since I tasted Yong Tow Foo.
Yesterday, whilst driving on the highway through Kelana Jaya, I saw this Ipoh Road Yong Tow Foo restaurant. It was pretty easy to find parking space, probably because it was a Saturday.
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The interior was nice, with marble flooring. The entire right hand side wall was covered with mirrors, cleverly giving an illusion of extra space.
The waiter handed me an order form and a pen. After writing down the quantity of each item,
I handed them back to him. According to the menu on the wall, each stuffed piece of Yong Tow Foo was 90 sen.
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We ordered two pieces of: Bitter Gourd; Lady's Finger (Okra); Red Chilli; Brinjal (Eggplant) and Tofu. We also ordered a dish of their oyster vegetable and two pieces of something I had never heard of before - Paper Chicken. They turned out to be bite-sized pieces of stewed chicken, wrapped inside a thin paper.
As we were leaving the restaurant, I told the manager that the Paper Chicken was really good. He smiled and said thank you.
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