Nordics who craved for the traditional crayfish party thrown in their home countries got a taste of the real thing when The Scandinavian Society Malaysia (SSM) held its traditional crayfish party at the picturesque Tropicana Golf & Country Club on September 21st.
At least 45 kilos of crayfish boiled in salt water and fresh dill were cooked at the on-site kitchen, with SSM playing hosts to several Malaysians who were also keen to experience the summertime tradition. The crayfish celebration was started in Sweden, and is also enjoyed in Finland. As crayfish harvesting is only allowed in late summer, the SSM aptly called the celebration as the “Late Summer Party”.
About 50-odd guests got their fingers dirty for the juicy crustaceans, accompanied by the must-have aquavits, beer and wine. Paired with the usual ‘noise’ and traditional drinking songs, the atmosphere by the greens was as jovial as a crayfish party should be. DJ Stella Nutella also kept the crowd entertained with popular Scandinavian dance songs.
The SSM was founded in 1965, and offers help, support, advice; apart from creating various events to ensure that expats have a truly exciting and maximized stay in Malaysia.
The guests, made-up of both members and non-members, had another reason to celebrate – as earlier in the evening the SSM had successfully concluded its Annual General Meeting. Swedish national Tommy Lagerhjelm had more reason to celebrate, as he retained his title as President for another year, and gave an insight to his plans for the SSM for the coming year.
Others in the committee are:
Anders Krogh
Henrik Möller
Michael Jensen – Secretary
Mats Engstrøm – Treasurer
Lena Engstrøm
Bo Møller Pedersen
“My main goal is to increase the visibility of the SSM amongst the Scandinavians and Europeans who live in Malaysia. One of the strategies is to work closely with the Business Councils of the respective (Scandinavian) countries, and try to arrange some get togethers.
I am also keen to extend the visibility to the British and Australians, as there is a good community of those nationalities currently residing in Malaysia. SSM aims to create business opportunities, apart from networking opportunities,” said Lagerhjelm.
By formulating a networking that works, Lagerhjelm hopes that the SSM can also help (new) expats settle into Malaysia smoothly. He advises expats who have just moved to Malaysia to approach the society, as it could assists them in giving them the right advice and service.
“Anything from setting-up a company, medical insurance, to maid services; the SSM is a one-stop centre and we hope that expats will leverage on this service,” he added.
With the organization of business networking events settled by collaborating with the respective Business Councils, the SSM will give increased focus on family and community type events for the coming year, the sort of events it mainly focuses on.
The SSM currently has 150 members, and those interested to be members can visit the SSM Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ScandinavianSocietyMalaysia or the forum at www.scandinaviansocietymalaysia.com for more information on signing-up and membership fees.
Also, if you are keen to attend a Crayfish party in the future, here are tips to make you tackle the Crayfish like a pro:
There are more great photos from the night on on facebook.
How to eat Crayfish – according to the SSM!
“Suck the Head – Pinch the tail!
Break off the pincers. Take a firm hold of a pincer and snap it off at the first joint. Suck the juice and chew the meat out of the joint if any.
Now grab the head firmly with one hand and the tail with the other at the spot under the belly where the tail meets the head. Pull and twist the tail gently, to separate from the head.
This is the time when you suck the head (this is optional). The head of the crayfish contains lots of juice and flavor that many call the “fat”. Squeeze the shell as you suck the flavor from the crayfish for maximum effect. Take off the back plate. Scrape out the ‘butter’ inside and eat it.
Suck to extract the juice in the body. Eat the crayfish eggs if any.
Split the tail open on one side. Detach the meat in one piece. Split the tail meat in the middle and remove the dark intestinal tract.
Pop in the mouth and enjoy this small heavenly treat. And don’t forget to follow-up with a SKAL!
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There are more great photos from the night on on facebook.
