December 21, 2016

Sibu Tales : Cigarettes Made in Sibu

The Ireland Tobacco Company was owned by a Chiew family in Sibu and their factory was located in Lanang Road. Many of my friends lived along Lanang Road, especially No. 72 Lanang Road, which was by the river side. We had a few swimming events in the Rajang River there. The Lanang Road then being the longest road in Sibu was a good adventure for us cyclists.

The Ireland Tobacco Company was established in the 60's. In fact most youngsters knew about the numerous brands which were produced like Sky Scrapper, Tripod, Winter, Dragon, Gold Dragon and many more.

It was only later at university we realized that the company had practised good branding and  viable marketing strategies. Perhaps the Board of Management had good knowledge of consumer psychology. The cigarettes were affordable and they were sold all over Sarawak especially in Kapit and beyond, or what most people would call "the ULU". Ulu consumers or upriver people were very partial to smoking and they found the cigarettes attractive and convenient. According to some salesmen in those days, their best sales records were made in Kapit and further up.

Perhaps in a way, these cheap cigarettes eased the rolled cheeroot and sigob out of the cultural scene. Besides,the cigarettes made in Sibu appeared on the tables of wedding banquets as part of the celebration. Some "generous" adults would take a few packets of these free cigarettes to give to the shy younger boys. Perhaps cigarette smoking among the teens started in this way among some of my school mates.

I remember many girls and women who enjoyed working in the factory and  theywere a chatty group. They would cycle from the town up the Lanang Road. We would regale with interesting stories by many of them, who shared with us their life stories : many of them were "chased" by some labourers who liked them. Usually these romances would end up in marriages, for better or for worse.

However a few of them later joined the CCO and went underground and I was told they never came out of the jungles alive. It was a pity because I remember them well for whenever they cycled along the road to the factory they were such a happy chatty lot. Many of them were my peers, but they left school early because they failed their primary six entrance exams.Image result for cigarettes made in Sibu Sarawakiana

Another memory about the Ireland Tobacco Company was the owner's wife who drove a very big car, and probably often at a great speed. It was pale blue in colour and was most probably American made. In the days when bicycles were kings of the road, Mrs. Chiew was feared by the road users. Whenever she drove along Oya Road,for example, most pedestrians would jump to the grass verge, in fear of their life!!No automatic alt text available.
Those were the good old days when there were very few cars in Sibu, and roads were small, narrow and pretty bad.
The cigarettes made in the factory were fairly prettily packed. They were very affordable at 15 cents and above. Many school boys not only smoked them but sold them at the wharf of Sibu when the boats came in. The boys did quick business when the boats were waiting to go and many people would spend some precious cents to buy a packet or two of cigarettes to bring home, until their next trip to Sibu.

Those were the days when cigarettes were 15 cents for a packet of 10's. Today Dunhill is 17 ringgit per pack.

To beat world inflation may be smokers should start smoking  sigob, with their own tobacco from the back yard and rolled with wild banana leaves which are free from the jungle.

December 20, 2016

Channel Road of Sibu

The Channel Road in Sibu has a Chinese name, Side of the Sea Road. It is not really at the side of the sea because Sibu is situated more than 35 miles inland on an island.

Channel Road is quite an appropriate name because the road is next to a channel, the Lembangan River.

It is the first road in the history of Sibu.
No photo description available.
Channel Road 1926
No photo description available.

It is today a lovely road, with two long rows of buildings. Looking towards the north, the old shop houses belonging to the first settlers, the Teo Chius, the Minnang People reflect their long history of more than 100 years.

On the bank of the river (now all hidden and filled up) is the largest market in South East Asia - the Sibu Central Market.

No photo description available.


The Channel Road is usually alive in the morning with people who come to do their every day shopping for fresh food.

Image may contain: 3 people

Trishaw drivers still make their mark on the roads and they offer good services to the old especially. Their presence makes a lot of differences. They reflect the culture and history of Sibu.

December 16, 2016

Sibu Tales ; Watered Down Soup




Kampong chicken soup was quite easily prepared in the olden days in Sibu. Kampong chicken was very tasty and something a family would look forward to, probably once a month or in some cases, once a week depending on various economic factors. It was always festive when a family had chicken on the table.
Image may contain: food
One family in Sibu had a step mother who brought her own children to the marriage. These step children would always eat before the other members of the family. The step mother would of course keep the special cuts for her husband. However unknown to the step mother, one of the sons from the first wife was clever enough to pour out half the soup of the chicken for his own siblings. This took place several times until the step mother found out.

As a consequence, the children from the first marriage were always given watered down chicken soup and the poor cuts of the chicken. As soon as they were old enough, they were sent off to study in boarding schools and not allowed to come back until the end of the year.

The poor father never knew all these evil deeds until he died.

November 26, 2016

Hornbill Support Groups

Sarawak is called the Land of the Hornbills. But how many support groups are there to help conserve these magnificient birds?



Jimmy (right) the hornbill with his new mate Juliet.


Piasau Nature Reserve (PNR) in Miri The existence of many totally protected wildlife species like the Oriental Pied Hornbill is said to be one of the agents of change for the conversion of the former Piasau Camp into a nature reserve. 2016





Hornbill Conservation Project


The Oriental Pied Hornbill that has re-established itself in Singapore.
The National Biodiversity Centre, in partnership with Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and researchers Marc Cremades and Ng Soon Chye, implemented the Hornbill Conservation Project to aid in the breeding and recovery of the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) which had previously went extinct in Singapore but has since started to re-establish itself in places like Pulau Ubin and Changi.[5][6]
Hornbills require tree cavities to nest in. However, tree cavities of sufficient size to accommodate the female hornbill and her young are not common in Singapore. The implementation of artificial nest boxes at Pulau Ubin and Changi have been successful and video cameras are even installed within the nest boxes to provide a better understanding of the behavioural and feeding patterns of these birds.


November 25, 2016

Sibu Tales : Timber Wealth and Handbags

Today handbags can be bought every where and even online.

But in the 60's, many Foochow women in Sibu bought their precious handbags from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Any relative going to Singapore would be asked to buy home a few handbags. One school teacher went to Singapore for a holiday.

As she was the mother in law of a rich man, she had quite a bit of money to spend. She bought a dozen, mostly for herself and one for a daughter in law. Of course her own daughter had probably many handbags in different colours which matched her shoes.


Although it would have been nice if this teacher had given her own mother in law a hand bag, she did not. And according to the village gossip, her mother in law was happy carrying a very old handbag given to her by her own daughter about a decade or two before.
No photo description available.
Like this old mother in law, most Foochow women were very frugal. They would never buy a handbag if the old one was still good. Not torn yet.

However the old lady had preferred a simple purse. In fact her cash was kept in a hidden pocket underneath  her Chinese blouse. For the simple things she needed to bring, she had either a rattan basket or a cloth bag, like another old ladies in those days.

November 22, 2016

Great Grand Father's Old Hen and Ngia Soup

Ngia is Chinese mugwort, a popular herb used by the Foochows.

Ngia is planted by the Foochows in their back garden because it is a cooling and useful herb. It is also considered a vegetable.

Normally when a Foochow grandfather is tired from over work, the whole family would get to get ngia cooked with an old hen.



Artemisia argyi Soft Extract


My aunt used to tell me how my small feet great grandmother would get the adopted grand daughter to pluck some ngia from the garden, clean the leaves and start the fire.

Soon great grandmother would get her to slaughter an old hen , chopped it up and boiled together with the ngia soup.

The first bowl of soup would be presented to great grandfather, after the soup had been boiling for about three hours on the slow wood fire stove.

Today it is a fragrant herbal soup, usually prepared by a loving wife or mother for the whole family to enjoy.

November 15, 2016

Sibu Tales : Post Funeral Lunch

The post-funeral meal is as important as ever, though now more often held in a hotel or restaurant than at home. The only difference of a funeral meal and a wedding meal is that funeral meals have tofu dishes, probably because tofu is white. Therefore a post-funeral meal is also called a 'tofu meal' where tens of extended family members gather to honour the dead.

Chinese regard dying of old age without disease as a happy thing. In the funeral meal of such a dead, bowls are sometimes used as a gift to the attendees, and it's believed that a bowl from a funeral meal of such a "dying of old age" will bring good luck and make people who use it live longer. Sometimes you may find that the mood of such a funeral meal is livelier and more festive than that of a wedding.

Sibu : Bicycles

My father bought me one in 1962 when I passed my Common School Entrance Examination. Thus I could cycle to school on my own and join hundreds of other students on the road with my two wheels so proudly
Image may contain: 1 person, riding a bicycle, tree, outdoor and nature
In those days  all of us would ride with an umbrella placed carefully  from the handle bar diagonally like in the photo above. We needed to pay for bicycle licence to the Urban District Council . It was one dollar per year. We were often checked by the police to see if we had good brakes and good lights at night.

When it rained we opened our umbrellas and cycled with only one hand on the handlebar...it was dangerous but we all did it!!

If you notice the bicycle has a special dynamo for the bicycle lamp. The harder we pedalled the brighter will the the bicycle lamp.

An amusing way of boys trying to get girl friends was by riding alongside with the girls. We were not allowed to ride three abreast or even two abreast. But the brave boys would try to ride next to the girls they liked. Soon the whole town would know who was interested in who!! I know at least one pair who got married and they had a wonderful marriage. He retired not long ago..he was from my class. Well done to him!!

My most memorable event with my bicycle was the trip my classmates and I made one Saturday. We cycled 21 miles to visit the new government school. That day I also had a terrible burn on my right shin because I did not know that a motor bike exhaust pipe could be burning hot...I have that scar on my leg permanently. But I was brave enough to cycle all the way back home with a palm sized skin melting away!! The pain was so unbearable I almost crushed my molars!!

Today the new bicycles are very different from the one shown in the photo...

October 30, 2016

Sibu Tales : Halves

No automatic alt text available.





Throughout my childhood, I was surrounded by loving parents and relatives. they were good role models and their action spoke louder than words.

One special memory I had of my grandmother and my maternal uncles and aunts was their frugality which led to many " halving" of things.
1. Apples and oranges were not only halved but quartered so that more could be shared amongst the 14 kids or more in the big household. Sharing was a very important practice which we practice to this day.
2. Grandma would always buy biscuits, kompia and other snacks when she went to Sibu to sell the family smoked rubber sheets. And she would always tell us..."please share or halve the piece and share with the next one". When a child got a whole biscuit, a younger one would always ask, "Can I have half of the biscuit?" And the older child would always give half away. The act of giving was so meaningful and significant in those days.
3. After doing the laundry by the river side, the heavy load would have to be carried in pails back to the old wooden house. To enable every older sister or cousin, or aunt, to have lesser burden, we would always divide the loads into two. It was a joy to be sharing the load, with each one of us carrying "only half a pail of the washing" to be dried on the bamboo poles. Most washing was done before sunset. Sometimes the kids' clothes would be wind dried before sun rise. So there would be no worries about shortage of the small clothes for the small ones. Doing laundry by hand using the fresh river water was a part of our childhood which left a big imprint on my mind. Grandmother would always remind us to do laundry well so that we could all wear clean clothes. We were not well off but at least we were clean, she would always say. The older ones would always happily do the laundry for the younger ones with joy in their hearts.


4. During the Chinese New Year, we would never have a whole bottle of F& N orange all to ourselves. We would have to share. But after the 15th Day of the Chinese New Year we were all given a chance to share the booty, and my mother would allow us to divide equally the remaining bottles of drinks. It was indeed heavenly for us to be able to salt away 6 to 7 bottles of the lovely aerated water under our bed, for us to savour the drinks slowly. But some years when we had more visitors we did not have any left to share. Very much later, the novelty of aerated water dissipated and we did not hanker for any share at all.
4. Whenever we visited our grandmother in the down river farm house, my third uncle, Pang Sing, would make a huge bao or two, the size was  the size of a basin (2 kg), grandma would always call Aunty Yung to come and get HALF of the bao for their breakfast the next day, while most usually, another one was already steaming in the big kuali over the wood fire. In the evenings we enjoyed the extra aroma of steaming baos from the kitchen. Flour was so cheap in those days and grandma would always buy by the whole flour bag for less than 2 Straits dollars in the 50's and 60's. To give away half of something was a sign of generosity practised by our beloved elders in those days.

There is a famous English adage or proverb which says a Burden shared is a Burden Halved. So in many ways, our Foochow upbringing in those days paved for our cultural and Christian attitude to this day.

Our Christian Bible also ensures us that when we share our burdens with God, he will sustain us and lift some or all of the weight from our shoulders.

“CAST YOUR BURDEN ON THE LORD [ RELEASING THE WEIGHT OF IT] AND HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU;…” Psalm 55:22.


 and

“PRAISE BE TO THE LORD, TO GOD OUR SAVIOR, WHO DAILY BEARS OUR BURDENS.“Psalm 68:19

On the PRACTical side, many things were halved in the olden days. Milo tins would be halved and fashioned into containers for scooping water. Kerosene could be sold in half tins to the housewives who did not have the budget to buy a whole tin. And of course those huge tins of biscuits also come in half tins. Whenever my third uncle, being the stronger man in the family, collected a runaway timber log in the river, he would saw the log into two and older uncle Pang Ping and his family would have half of the log for firewood.

October 19, 2016

Sarawak : Chopsticks?


The binjai is a local Sarawak fruit, sour and its flesh is white. It is a peculiar fruit which might not be liked by a lot of people who are unfamiliar with it.

There is a similar local fruit called belunu!

Both fruits have huge trees which can grow up to more than 200 feet tall.

No photo description available.
Ambuyat or linut is a Bruneian dish and it is also favoured by the Penans, Melanaus and Kedayans of Sarawak.

It is called linut in Sarawak and is made from sago flour. It is actually very gluey. You eat it with a special bamboo home made chopsticks. Linut is served with sambal, cucumber and selections of sour fruits.

My former SMK Limbang student, Dayang Lasung who is Lun Bawang married a Melanau. She and her husband, both studied in the Tanjog Lobang College, Miri, One day they prepared a Linut feast ad invited me . It was a sumptuous Melanau lunch with linut and all.
No photo description available.
The way to pick up linut is to use a Melanau chopsticks, made from fine bamboo, which look like a pair of Chinese chopsticks. Now I know what the Melanau and Penan tamu vendors sell in the their stalls. They are selling Melanau chopticks and not Chinese chopsticks.




October 12, 2016

In Search of History : Tung Hua Secondary School, Sibu

With the help of Google, I was befriended by Dr. Zhang Zhen from Australia.

She and I corresponded and we realized that we did have something in common. My father Chang Ta Kang knew her mother Miss Li Xiaoyin, in Sibu.My father had returned from Beijing. He had also studied in Shanghai and was good friend with Wong Cheng Ang, who proabably inspired Miss Li  to come to Sibu and helped her find a job as a teacher.

By a long shot Dr. Zhang Zhen was trying to find out more about her mother's history.

"It is a long shot," she wrote to me.
"I  am trying to find out who could possibly have parents who studied in Tung Hua Secondary School in 1930's to 40's."

In my curiosity I asked my mother who told me that my father had spoken of Miss Li Xiaoyin who taught in Tung Hua secondary school and that she was an excellent English teacher. She boarded in the school at Queensway.

Dr. Zhang Zhen  wrote to me --
"According to historical documents from the Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association (Cai 2007; 2013), my mother most probably arrived in Sibu in the first half of 1939 as she was listed as the deputy director of the drama troupe of the Sibu Chinese Choir. While in Sibu, she organized singing and dancing performances and flower selling events to raise money for the anti-Japanese resistance movement. Records of the various positions she held are published in books by the Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association (Cai 2007). She seems to have left for Singapore after September 1940, according to the Association documents. (Zhang Zhen)
Image may contain: 1 person
The black and white photo shows Miss Li in Shanghai 1936. 
Coloured photo of Miss Li with the writer and Professor Zhang Zhen . Miss Li passed away in Sept 2015.No photo description available.

Note : Dr. Zhang Zhen came to Sibu to meet up with several historians and later she came to Miri to meet up with me.

(P/s I continue in my endeavour to put pieces of Sibu history together......Would any one be of help especially alumni of Tung Hua Secondary School Sibu? Please contact me.)

October 1, 2016

Third Division Resident : Griffin

Image may contain: 1 person

The Third Division Resident, Mr. Griffin was a popular figure in Sibu when I was a student. He was a tall man. His wife was the Chairperson of our Girl Guide Association of Sibu and we often saw her during our special functions. She would come and be with us, very well dressed, and waring gloves. She was every inch an English lady.


Image may contain: one or more people

Mr. Griffin must have liked Sarawak a lot because he travelled far and wide to many parts of the colony.

He should have written a book about his travels as he served in First Division, Second Division, Third and Fourth Divisions.

September 17, 2016

Chang Ta Kang : Hua Hung Ice Factory and Rice Mill

Image may contain: sky, outdoor and water

The Last Days of the Japanese Occupation

My great grandfather, grandfather and father operated the Hua Hung Ice Factory and Rice Mill since the 1927. Throughout the Japanese Occupation, they were fortunate enough to have rice to eat. The family did not have to eat potatoes at all.

But unfortunately my great grandfather passed away in 1943.

It is a family joke that my father did not meet my mother during the war. So it was unfortunate  for my mother as she and her siblings were so tired of eating sweet potatoes. Whatever rice my mother planted, had to be first given to the elderly and the children. The rest who were stronger ate less white rice.

9th March 1945 - When the Allied Forces came, bombs were dropped on the banks of the Rajang and the Igan, but luckily no bomb was dropped on Hua Hung Ice Factory.  And that spared my father, his siblings and parents.

One stray bomb was dropped in Sibu town, damaging the back walls of the Masland Church and a few shops.  So many people retreated to seek protection from their relatives in the villages.

Then came June when many people died after a few more bombs were dropped. Streets and shops in Sibu were badly damaged.

However, my father was not sure of the real figures. The residents of Sibu were petrified and many actually rushed in the jungles, leaving the town for quite a number of hours whenever they heard planes coming near Sibu. It was a panicky time in the town.

For many days, the Japanese were seen to be on a retreating mode, after burning their uniforms, and even vehicles at a place fairly near the Lau King Howe Hospital. This was seen by many of our relatives who lived in Sg. Bidut.

 Many of the Japanese soldiers ( they were called deserters) took their powered boats up to Song and Kapit. It was said many of them actually were beheaded by the locals. It was quite chaotic in Sibu then.

When news of the atomic bombs (9th August 1945)were dropped in Japan spread to the villages, there was quite a bit of fear actually. Some did not know what kind of bombs they were. The bombs of the Allies were bad enough.

My father and his friends who had been building the Sibu Airport were also saddened that a lot of their work was "bombed" by the Allies. Two bombs were dropped near Sg. Merah behind the Tien Doh Tong but Sg. Merah bazaar was saved and that was very fortunate.

Many of the able bodied men all came to the town to see what action should be taken next. The last few of the Japanese in Sibu were moved to Kuching on 17th Sept. 1945. On 11th October the Allied Government issued a written notice to tell every one to be disciplined and orderly.

The troops gave out clothes and food to the locals who behaved in very orderly manners according to my father. The Malay and Iban Headman, together with the Chinese leaders (Lau Kah Tii, Ling Kai Cheng,etc) made sure that everything was well distributed.

Foochow Peace Eggs and Fried Soh Mien

No photo description available.

The best peace eggs and fried soh mien dish is from Lutong Cafe in Miri.

Mrs. Wong's chef is really good with this traditional Foochow dish. Mrs. Wong, bless her heart, puts her soul and heart into her food business. Her F and B staff are loyal and very very pleasant. Dinner is always a pleasant affair at Lutong Cafe.

When a Foochow orders this dish the restaurant would know that it is for a birthday and special toches will be given to all the dishes.

The hardboiled eggs are deep fried and none of them should be broken or torn here and there. The Foochows say, the egg white must not "burst".

There are usually one peace egg for each diner. So you can tell, this platter is 8 .

This famous dish is very Foochow. You can find it in Sitiawan, Sibu and Miri, and even Marudi where many Foochow chefs are working.

The longevity noodles must have dried mushrroms, eggs, cabbage, carrots to add sweetness to the saltish soh mien. Good fresh sesame oil must be used too.

September 7, 2016

Sarawakian Local Delights : The Iban Woman Oil Palm Smallholder



This is my friend's mother, Indai Patrick. She has inherited a plot of land from her grandmother in Niah and has been cultivating oil palms for more than 5 years. Her husband is a Chinese civil servant from Kuching. Both have been working hard in the small holding at their spare time.

today, the family is enjoying the fruits of their labour.

A staunch Roman Catholic, she makes sure that her children and grand children come together to say their prayers and attend MASS whenever they can. One day they will get their own vehicle. At the moment she is strong enough to carry all these to a small Ford f-wheel, which she pays 50 ringgit per load.

"In the past she and her parents depended on padi, rubber and jungle products. Today, oil palm is No.1 Cash Crop," she told me.

May God bless you and your honest labour!!

September 6, 2016

Sarawakian Local Delights :Duck Rearing in the Rajang Valley

No automatic alt text available.

Ducks were actually brought over from China by the early Chinese migrants (Need more research here).

Since 1901, ducks have been reared by the Foochows along the Rajang Valley.

Today as more and more Foochows have moved to the towns of Sarawak and even to other parts of the world. duck rearing has been a domain of the Ibans, Malays and other races.

In one farm, an Iban woman said that she is "the half way house". She shares her duck rearing business with a foochow towkay and after the ducks are matured, they are sold to restaurants  in Sibu.
Business is good and often she and her partner do not have enough ducks to sell.

All her ducks have to be very mature, otherwise the small feathers ( which the Foochows call, under feathers) cannot be easily "plucked". That is to say, dressing the duck becomes extremely difficult.

The skin of the duck is an essential part which makes the duck soup awesome according to our Foochow elders.

September 3, 2016

Sarawakian Local Delights : Dagu or the Jowl







When one visits the long house for a gawai or a celebration a pig or two might be slaughtered for the feasting and to welcome visitors. It can be for a wedding or the welcoming of a new politician.

Now one hidden secret of pork connoisseur is the jowl, or the lower jaw flesh of the pork face or head. The Ibans in the longhouses would give the pig head to the team which slaughters the pig and a bbq would already be set up by the river side after the pig has been slaughtered. The river bank, especially if there is a pebble beach is an ideal place for slaughtering of animals, as the river water would conveniently wash away all the unwanted parts and clean the meat.

the jowl is similar to belly pork and once it is well marinated with salt and pepper for more than `12 hours, it can be roasted either in the oven (250 degrees) or over the slow embers of an open fire.

It is very delicious when sliced thinly and served with rice and other jungle vegetables.

The Foochows love the dagu also and usually have it braised in soy sauce, or what other dialectic groups call, Pak Lo, with lots of garlic and 5 spices. In the 1950's and 60's the wharf labourers of Sibu often enjoyed having a cheap meal of slices of jowl with their white rice and lots of soy sauce. In the evenings when all the wharf labourers had gone home, the hawker selling the economy rice would "lelong" the left over meats to people who like to buy the cold slices. A family would have a good meal with only 3 dollars worth of dagu, all chopped up by the sharp cleaver of the vendor.

Today in most western countries' supermarkets the dagu or the jowl is sold in the fresh meat department or in the bacon section.

September 2, 2016

Disappearing Sibu: Khiaw Hin Coffee Shop

One of the oldest coffee shops in Sibu will be relocated to another site.

The land is owned by the Sarawak  Chinese Association of Churches and has two buidings, the Methodist Book Room and the coffee shop. In order to make way for a new block, and expansion, the two buildings would be demolished. 

Image may contain: house and outdoor


This coffee shop was established in the 50's or for as long as I can remember. It served as an extended living room for many mothers who waited for their children, especially from the kindergarten.

The coffee shop operators served breakfast, lunch and even dinner in the most friendly way possible. The  Methodist Church had also found the coffee shop very convenient as it catered for their needs from time to time.

It is sad to see this old place gone.

September 1, 2016

Bamboo

Did the foochows also bring their own Foochow bamboo to plant in Sarawak?

When my paternal grandfather told us stories about his trip to Sarawak, he told us that he had seeds in his cotton bag and some cuttings or twigs. But he did not say much or elaborate much because he was a very quiet ma. Did he bring cuttings of bamboo?

But eventually, every where he built a family home he would have at least two groves of bamboo growing. Thus we always had good bamboo shoots to eat when he was still alive. He made sure that he grew good bamboo.

Image may contain: Wong Meng Lei


I was able to visit our ancestral home in Wun Chieh, Minqing to meet my cousins. It was then I realised that for generations my family actually grew bamboo and sold bamboo shoots in different forms. Wun Chieh is a land full of different kinds of bamboo.

Sarawakian Local Delights : Unripe Durian Flesh as Vegetable



God has given us lots of fruits.

but sometimes fruits cannot stay on the trees until they are ripen. They drop either naturally and are called "nature's reject" by the local Ibans, or "aborted fruits" by others. They can also be brought down by wind when a mature fruit drops on an unripe fruit and brings it down to the ground.

these unripe fruits must not be discarded because they can be cooked as a vegetable.

When visiting longhouses, one can be very surprised that the evening meal consists of a soup made of unripe durians, ikan bilis and onions.

The unripe durians  have the texture of potatoes. And it is a delightful, sweetish taste. There is no durian taste at all.

God has given us his bounty. We should not waste his blessings!!

August 31, 2016

Sarawakian Local Delights : Rambing







Rambing or perhaps by other names can be found easily in the jungles and is already a cultivated vegetable in many backyard gardens.

It is commonly found in native markets in Sarawak and especially in Miri.

In the longhouses and kampongs, housewives often just go out and cut a few stalks for their evening meals, or they bring back a basket of it from their farms.

The vegetable is very tender and easily cooked as a stir fry.

You can also add prawns or even meat to it.

Usually it is fried with ikan bilis and onions. It is a very sweet vegetable.

August 26, 2016

Miri Tales : Selling by the Kong/Tin



The tamu or trading places for local people in Miri and else use some amazing measures.

The Glucose tin for example for dabai, the famous black fruit of Sarawak, measures exactly half kilogramme of the fruit.Image may contain: food

so instead of having to use a scale (which some jungle produce vendors do not have), this tin is used and the fruit will be sold according to the seasonal price.No automatic alt text available.

At the moment of writing, the dabai is 20 ringgit per glucose tin. This is the highest price I have come across in Miri.

Dabai is like gold or oil...the price keeps going up.

August 24, 2016

Sarawakian Local Delights : Pumpkin Leaves


A simple way of cooking pumpkin leaves - boil some onions, garlic and ikan bilis in two cups of water, When boiling add the crushed pumpkin leaves to the soup base.

This method of cooking amongst the indigenous people of Sarawak is called sup terjun. For vegetables, this oil-less cooking requires less water and the resulting vegetables taste sweet, and awesome.

For soup, one has to add more water, or as desired.

This healthy way of food preparing is getting more and more popular in Sarawak.

When visitors arrive at any longhouse for an occasion, they would find pumpkin leaves as one of their dishes.

 If the people are more endowed, they would have another more elaborate dish, by adding pumpkin flowers, cubes of pumpkin, cubes of cucumber and even sweet young corn.

Photo by Mary H Ting.

August 21, 2016

Sarawakian Local Delights : Edible Rubber Seeds

(Photo by Sarawakiana taken in Bintulu tamu 2009)

The kernels of the rubber seeds can be eaten especially after they have been soaked for about 24 hours according to a scientific research conducted in Java way back in 1987.

In fact the Indonesians have been eating preserved rubber seed kernels for ages.

In Sarawak the seeds are preserved by soaking in salt water over night. The "kesam" kernels can be stir fried with Ikan Bilis and make quite a good side dish for a hot evening meal with rice and other main dishes.

Rubber seed kernels taste just like any kernel. They are almost almond like actually. But almond is crunchy and has a good after taste. May be some people will say that the rubber kernels are like chestnuts or even kepayang (a favourite preserved seed in Sarawak). A friend has said that they actually taste like kepayang, a common long house kernel which is called keruak in Indonesia.

According to a Bernama report "rubber seed rum" or preserved rubber seed is available as a condiment in several restaurants in Jerantut Pahang. It seems that the people of Jerantut have had this recipe for generations! It is served with curries during fasting month in fact.


Bernama Photo


Photo by William Ting

Not long ago my Foochow friend William Ting went to Rh Rendang in Ulu Balingian with a team of 20 for a short mission trip. They were served salted(kesam) rubber seed kernels with  small fried  fish. William said, "They were very tasty indeed!"

But more importantly rubber seed kernels have been roasted and used as fish bait, placed in the locally made, rattan fish traps called bubu. My late father used them a lot and we caught many ikan keli and ikan haruan in the streams in the rubber garden behind our Sibu house in Kampong Nyabor more than 50 years ago..


A friend told me that when he was young and still living in the longhouse his father would let their pigs salvage the rubber seeds in the garden. The pigs really knew how to look for the rubber seeds. According to him sometimes his father and other adults would collect the seeds and crack them to take the kernels out for their own food and what they could not consume they would boil for the pigs. However this is not done today any more.

Rubber seeds are always easy to find. Go to a rubber garden. When you hear small gun shot sounds you will know that some rubber seeds are being dispersed and ready for your picking. It is always nice to hear the sounds of seeds bursting from their cases.

August 18, 2016

Sarawak : Terap or Lumoh

Quite often, during the fruit season, the long house communities will happily offer their guests an afternoon snack made up of fruits and tea. Normally it would be Osborne biscuits or Cream Crackers and tea or coffee brought out in a large tray, a normal longhouse way of showing warm hospitality to any stranger or friend.

The fruit can be the terap which is served on its skin. Terap is a fruit made up of small fruitlets and hence a large number of guests can enjoy eating the small fruitlets by plucking them from the core with their hands.

The use of hands (after washing properly ) is polite eating etiquette in the longhouse and every one does it. So just a kind reminder that one should just enjoy using the hand when eating this fruit, and of course durians, chempedak and any cousin of the jackfruit can best be enjoyed by using our hands.

The terap and its cousins are  found in South East Asia and especially enjoyed by all indigenous people. During a glut season the terap is left to drop and birds will also get a share of the seeds. A wise , longhouse Iban man told me once, "Don't worry, God provides for us and for the birds and animals too. Perhaps that is why He allows a glut season."

Its scientific name is Artocarpus odoratissimusNo photo description available.


Furthermore, an unripe terap can be dissected and cooked as a soup in the longhouse, making a very delicious and savoury side dish. It is very tasty and well loved. This is also a natural way of controlling the number of fruits on a tree. God is the ever God of Wisdom.

And we therefore must never waste what God has given us. 

Give praise and enjoy God's feast at the table. 

(For my Methodist friends, here is a Simple Grace:" For the bounty you have put before us, we thank you and we pray that you will bless us with good health from this nourishment. Thank you Lord.")

August 16, 2016

Miri Tales : Mung Bean Soup




Years ago a sudden outbreak of a mystery disease causing a few deaths led to a scramble for mung beans. Men and women rushed to the supermarkets and retail shops and bought every single mung bean.

Some women who did not get any mung beans even sat down on the road side and cried. There was this great fear that children would die from a fearsome fever as a result of catching the mystery disease.

While many started wearing face masks and trying to send their young to Singapore and as far as Australia, most humble people of the lower income group braved the elements and went on their life as normally as possible.

I gave my children soy bean milk.

And a friend did give me a few hundred grams of mung beans which we all ate that evening, almost mid night. We were told that we had to have mung bean soup that day before MIDNIGHT or else we would all die. The rumours spread like wild fire and that was the reason why not even one bean was left on the shelves of the supermarkets and even all the tiny little sundry shops. Was it a marketing scheme to sell mung beans. If so, it was very effective. Furthermore the price skyrocketted to 15 ringgit per kg on that day.


It was an unforgettable experience.

I was not even aware of the scramble for mung beans as I was busy teaching, tucked away in the college. .

The next day I read in the Chinese newspapers all about the mad rush for mung beans. NO one had died from not eating mung bean soup.

Was  it a relief for the gullible, or did the naive feel cheated?





Nowadays I continue to cook mung bean soup but instead of using dairy milk, I use Soy Bean Milk (less sugar).

It is a very cooling dessert.

August 15, 2016

Sibu Taloes : A Short History of Methodist Secondary School

History of SMB Methodist Sibu



For more than half a century, SMB Methodist Sibu has been pushing ever upwards. Defeats and set-backs notwithstanding, this school has ever been in the forefront of education in this colony. As early as 1903 "the first Methodist Boys' School in Sarawak" opened its doors at Sungai Merah. Eight years later Mrs. James M. Hoover started the Uk Ing Girls' School in Sibu. 1914 a new building was put up for the school and a kindergarden was started. English classes for boys began in 1925 with Mr. J. B. Chong as principal and Rev. James Hoover as part-time teacher of English. For a time the school merged with Chung Hua School on its present site but separated from Chung Hua in 1940 after the death of Mr. J. B. Chong. In 1941, Mrs. J. B. Chong and Rev. Gerald Summers opened the Methodist Boys' School on Island Road (Jalan Pulau) with 98 pupils. Chinese was also taught in this school.

In December 1941 Rev. Summers went to Singapore to attend the Annual Conference and after war broke out, he was imprisoned, and died in concentration camp just before he was to be released. Mrs. Chong carried on the teaching and the administration of the school while Mr. Summers went to Conference, but the school was orded closed by the Japanese in March of 1942.

After the war, Mrs. Mary Hoover with Mr. Luk Sung Sing as dean, reopened the kindergarden and the Uk Ing Primary and Junior Middle School in June 1946. Following that year in June, Rev. E. O. McGraw re-opened the Methodist Boys' School with Mrs. J. B. Chong as Vice-principal. The name was changed to Methodist English School, because there were many girls attending. In 1950 the school had its first Junior Cambridge class and the first Senior Cambridge class soon afterwards in 1952.

In 1949 the first Chinese Senior Middle School in Sarawak was opended in the new premises on the present site of the school with Mr. Ling Wen Tsung as principal. In 1951 the Methodist English School Secondary Department moved in to join the Chinese Secondary school, occupying the first unit of the Gerald Summers Memorial building. This building was built with funds raised in the Rev. Summers' Home conference, the Nebraska Conference, as a memorial to him.

The Chinese school and the English school were combined in 1951 as one school with Mr. J. Pilly as principal. The next year Rev. D. P. Coole became principal after Rev. L. R. Dennis volunteered to fill vacancy between Mr. Pilley's furlough leave and Rev. Coole's arrival. In June of 1957 Rev. Coole left on furlough, leaving Mr. Eugene Teng as principle. Mr. Teng was followed by Mr. William Funk, who was followed in turn by Rev. Ralph Kesselring and he by Mr. Pilley again.

During these years, the school Committee has stood behind the school financially and in other ways. Were it not for Rev. Ling Kai Cheng, Rev. E. O. McGraw and Rev. Wong King Hoo this valueble piece of property that we now occupy would not have been acquired. May we always seek; and as we find, let us serve.

August 14, 2016

Sibu Tales : Pig Stomachs

Giowing up in a small town like Sibu was a thrilling experience. I grew to know almost every street, back street and shop in the town. I went marketing with my father, went to church with my maternal grandmother whenever she was in town and I went to an English Mission school.

I learned about Foochow cuisine from my mother who made everything from scratch, like all her contemporaries.

One memorable skill was the preparation of pig stomach or pork trip or pig maw from scratch. My father would " carry a pig stomach from the market". That was the way Foochows speak. It was not "buying a pork maw" it was "going to the market to carry home a pork maw"..Dii Du guan suoh jia.

For some health reasons, the eating of pig stomach soup was very nourishing. My parents believed that (especially my maternal grandmother) eating the pig stomach soup would give one a good appetite and that it would help nourish back one's health.

So my mother would often request my father to buy one or two for the whole family once or twice a month. After all a pig stomach was not a very expensive food item.

Later when the cold storages started to open up in Sibu, frozen beef and pig stomachs were sold very cheaply and most housewives enjoyed purchaing these items.

In fact later I found out that pig stomachs form a very important ingredient in most restaurant dishes e.g. soups, fried noodles, soup noodles and even vegetables. It is in fact one of the favourite ingredients of Foochow cooks.

However frozen pig stomach became a hot item as it really helped the frugal housewife to stretch the proverbial dollar.

August 13, 2016

Sibu Tales : Coconut Bao




the making of bread and steamed buns is a common hobby of many Foochow housewives. The fillings would always be a matter of choice. My mother  makes neither bread nor steamed buns because making the dough is a very tedious process and she would rather steam a chicken any time. She has always been time conscious. Anything which takes a long time to make would not be her choice.

However my sister Yin loves making kuihs and cakes. she bakes and steams well so to speak.

One day after I learned to make ONDE ONDE, I wanted to eat some at home. so I went out to town to buy some grated coconut. And to my horror and my mother's horror, I had bought the wrong grated coconut. I did not ask the vendor to give me the white grated coconut. He had given me the "black one" ie. the one with still some of the black husk sticking to the grated coconut.

This black grated coconut would not look good at all on Onde Onde.

Later whenever I see steamed buns with grated coconut filling and onde onde I would always remember my original "sin" of being very forgetful..and not fastidious enough to tell the vendor to give me the white grated coconot...Just one of those stories I can share with you.

Until today I don't make onde onde or steamed buns with grated coconut filling.

Sarawakian Local Delights : Pedalai



The pedalai is a large tree quite common in the lowland dipterocarp forest of Sarawak.
The fruit is a moderately large in size and has rigid and coarse hair. The hair is rather long like rambutan's.Image may contain: food
 When ripe the furit is soft and the skin can be easily peeled open by hand. That is, you don't need a knife. And it is the same way to open up a very soft chempedak or terap, as they are related.

The many fruitlets have soft, pearly white flesh that is aromatically very sweet. Many elders love this fruit, especially when they travel by long boat. They would stop their long boat and pick the wild fruits by the river bank. With so much development going on in Sarawak, I am afraid, many of the pedalai trees would be gone within this generation unless some people start planting them.

The pedalai is considered a sweet dessert and may be even lunch when one is travelling in the upper reaches of Sarawak rivers when it is the fruiting season. Many can still remember how nice it was to eat this fruit. I have only come across this fruit once before in Lingga, Sarawak.

The small brown seeds are delicious with nutty crunchy flavour. They can be dry fried, or deep fried.

It used to be quite common in the second division of Sarawak.

August 10, 2016

Miri : Tall Thai Yam Species



Visiting a physically disadvanted aunty, Rose, my friends pose with Rose's tall Thai Yams...they are more than 5 foot tall...Aunty Rose is a vegetable grower and seller.

She receives minimal support from the Welfare Department. Most of the days she crawls around in the house and in her garden. Friends take turns to help her get medication or attend to some chores in Miri.

May God bless Aunty Rose.

Soh Mien on First Day of Lunar New Year

 Today 10.2.2024 is the first day of the New Lunar Year of the Dragon. Yes I have cooked the chicken and made the soh mien. Happy New Year!!...