Sarawakiana@2

Calling for AB blood group

2012-01-27T08:28:00.000+08:00

We have a church member who is urgently in need of AB blood for blood transfusion.

If anybody would like to come to her rescue,

pls contact Rev Yii Kah Ching. Tel: 0143953430.

Pls spread the news.

Thanks very much. God bless.

From Pastor Law Hui Seng.

Tian Ma 天麻

2012-01-27T06:22:00.001+08:00

Tian ma is a common herb used by Chinese mothers to help ease their children's headaches and anxieties before examinations.

A few slices of tian ma steamed with some meat is often a good soup for children and adult as well.

According to some Taiwanese scientists it might possess anti-depresent effect. This study will be published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

The study will be published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder with a high morbidity and mortality rate. The pharmacotherapy used in clinic today is not suitable for all patients and causes certain side-effects. Thus, looking for alternative treatments with antidepressant effect and minimal side-effect is impotant.

Gastrodia elata Bl. (tian ma, 天麻) is a famous Chinese traditional medicine used for centuries.

The earliest account of tian ma was recorded in Shennong Bencao Jing (神農本草經, “The Herbal Encyclopedia of Shennong”), which is considered the oldest Chinese medicine text in history. The name(s) of author(s) have been lost through time but the book is believed to be at least 2200 years old.

Personally I enjoy having this soup once in a while. I just pop down to my cousin's shop "Ing Kong" in Miri and buy a bit usually RM10.00 worth and that's good enough for the whole family. But I do not know whether this is the reason why I don't have as many headaches as before. Nowadays I do not take Panadol at all which I used to consume quite regularly when I had very stressful teaching load.

Besides I am not as anxiety prone as before.

however this is just my own experience with Tian Ma....so you do need to experiment with it yourself. The rule of Traditional Medicine is never to take too much and too often.

All the best.

Rubber Sheets and Number 12.

2012-01-26T08:01:00.000+08:00

Photo by Juray - rubber sheets smoking in a smoke house

Now that we have Ah Jib Gor and An Hwa Gor I am delighted to write stories about Foochow relatives with similar names.....

The Rajang Foochow settlements had many people with names like Ah Kai Gor - Ah Sek Gor etc. There's another one called Muk Gor (Wood Brother) who has 10 beautiful daughters.

What about Number 12 as a name? Sek Ni or No.12 was a bachelor for years. His older brothers were No.10 - Ah Sek and he also had a brother called Sek Yik or No. 11.

In Sarikei there is one man called Number One. (Go to Sarikei Time Capsule).

Now Lady Gaga must have found out that there were lots of Gaga's in Sibu while searching for a fancy name for herself....Well in the Foochow community we have lots of Gaga's.

Pang Nga Ga Ga (Dumb Uncle). Each time I see the name Gaga (as in Lady Gaga) I think of all my Gaga..or uncles in Foochow. There was Buong King Gaga...Pang Hung Gaga..Pang Teik Gaga...I think my friend Meng Lei is also Meng Lei Gaga to all his nephews and nieces...
Maternal uncles are QQ. So I do have a lot of QQs...e.g. Pang Sing QQ and Pang Hung QQ.

Foochow names can bring back a lot of memories to us these days.

Here's one story realted to No. 12 or Sek Ni.

My shy uncle went to Sibu to sell his rubber sheets. His family depended on the sale for the household expenditure badly since he was out of job at the moment and Sarawak was in a chaotic state after the Second World War.

But being very gentle and shy he was always very timid with relatives.

He met a cousin called No.12 who wanted to borrow some money. My uncle had $120 in his pocket after selling his rubber sheets and that was a big sum of money in those days!!

Any way he lent the money to No.12 who promised to pay back immediately when he returned to the village (the money was with his wife he said) and being so trusting my uncle was willing to part with his hard earned money...a Foochow man's word is HIS HONOR!!

So No.12 bought his rice with the money and went back by motor launch with my uncle..

As you have guessed...my uncle never saw his money again even though he met No.12 again and again..and my aunt cried for days because life was hard for her and her new born child. Today such memories can really keep one awake at night!!

But my uncle continued to be a very honourable and respected man until his dying days. God blessed his his children who grew up to be brilliant and successful.

I often wonder what happened to Number 12 or Sek Ni and his descendants.

Shelter from Rain in Nang Chong Village

2012-01-24T08:07:00.001+08:00

The heavy deluge yesterday brought a lot to my mind as I watched people trying to get out of the rain looking for shelter in the darkened and deserted shops and lonely and even eerie five foot way. Miri was fairly quiet during the first day of the Chinese new year but a few shops were open to serve the non-Chinese population in some corners of the town especially the one and only 7-11 shop in Miri.

Sheltering from rain is not just something in passing. When one gives shelter to another person it will long be remembered. When one has been sheltered like during the Communist Insurgency with lives at stake one can remember how fragile life could be and at any one time one bullet could end it all. When one is wet from the rain and a warm watery porridge is offered every nerve in the body is thankful and that can be remembered for ever by a grateful soul. Shelter is such an important word to me in my life!!

My mind was on my grandmother's concept of Open House 24/7...not just for Chinese New Year!!

My grandmother and her five pretty daughters. They are lined with No.1 on the far left to the youngest on the right. My grandmother loved her rattan chair ...my son also happens to love that particular style of rattan chair and owns one. This photo was probably taken in 1953 shortly before my third aunt passed away at child birth which still had a high mortality rate in the early 50's in Sarawak.

Firstly I thought of my late grandmother (Tiong Lien Tie) whose kitchen was always a welcoming place for passers-by.who had to stay away from the rain which often came suddenly in the afternoon. Grandma and my aunts would always have some food ready for relatives usually and even for some strangers who might be visiting their friends in the Nang Chong Village. Folks would stop by to say hello to my very generous grandmother. The house was "open" every day" 24/7.. What is that for Chinese Open House concept?

A double decker motor launch...this type plied between Sarikei and Sibu..and also between Kapit and Sibu.

Smoke house for rubber sheets. When I was young I was very amazed by these ..and the activities which surrounded rubber tapping. I continue to love the smell of smoking rubber. The aroma gives me great comfort...like the warm arms of my grandmother when I needed comfort .....

The rubber smokehouse owned by my grandmother and uncles would also welcome neighbours to smoke their rubber sheets perhaps four times a year. And that was when there would be a beehive of activities. My third uncle would even slaughter a pig for every one to share and food would be cooked in a large kuali set up espeically in the open.

Many Ibans used to live beyond the hill (aw sang) in Nang Chong and sometimes they even stayed the night under my grandmother's smokehouse. They had their parang and cooking pot and in no time they would be cooking their meals. At times they would buy some extra supplies from Uncle Tien Ching's shop like salted fish. In fact I never saw them cooking with bamboos. After a night's stay they would push off in the long boats .Some fishermen would also come to sell freshly caught fish and might even ask to stay the night in the smoke house which when not in use was a nice sleeping place in fact. The outhouse was just next door to it.

The little sundry shop was owned by an uncle Wong tien - ching. He kept that shop running until he was too old in his seventies!! Each day he would come to the shop (the first apartment of my grandmother's large wooden house). My grandmother's house was divided into four apartments - one for each of her sons. The upstairs was for her and for storing rice (which was in one huge wooden container - it must have been 15 feet cross in diameter!!)

Tien Ching Goo Oo was a very patient shop keeper...and when it rained and he could not go home..he would just sleep on top of his wooden cashier desk!! He had a secret slot in the desk where he slipped his money into a top drawer. He held all his keys in a chain which was tied to his waist with a cotton "rope" and he wore his blue cotton trousers every day. Whenever he wore his Ern Moh Koo (Western Red Haired Trousers or Xi Juan) we woujld know that he was going to Sibu to get supplies for his shop. There was no refrigerator or freezer...but his shop was the best "happening place" in those days in our village. I often tried my best to catch up with him and learn about world news. He had a small radio he would listen too...and especially at five oclcok when there was the Foochow news from Radio Sarawak.

And then there was the lovely "landor" or the special " bridging" verandah where people could sit and enjoy the fresh river breeze. This was where kids and grandmother would sit while aunts and uncles were doing washing in the Chia Pan (open platform adjacent to the house) or tending to the garden. This was a vantage point where we could see the motor launches stopping to let passagers off the Pang Sing Jetty. More than 200 people used this jetty which was maintained by my uncles for the convenience of the villages. No fees were ever mentioned. It was all good will and good neighbourliness of those days.landor
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There were four kitchens in this house...so as kids we could scramble around and tried food cooked by the different aunts. We would not sit at their tables of course..but we could get a few slices of meat when offered. But the aroma of aunts' cooking would always be in my mind...the aroma of Chinese Nien Gao cooking or the steaming of yam cakes...I think my vaourite smell from those days would be the bao steaming in the huge kuali in the evenings. Whenever I spent my holidays with my grandmother ...I would be eating from Third Uncle's kitchen....In Foochow household management my grandmother chose to "be with her third son" and that would be "shared living". Each of her sons had already gotten their share of property in terms of rubber gardens etc....while my grandmother still kept some for her old age. That was a good arrangement and every one was happy. Later she did try the circuit method but it was not as happy as the Nang Chong Household management...

It is strange that a heavy rain can bring so much memories back to me...and I felt as if my grandmother had called out...please go and ask those people to come in from the rain..."We have so much space here...and there is warm food in the kuali for all..."

In Foochow coming into a place for shelter from the rain is called "Dor Yu"..a term which may be very very ancient or unheard of...That kind of hospitality may be construed as antiquated..especially after 9/11 and lack insecurities in our land.Philanthropists in the past would build a special TING/pergola to provide a shelter for travellers along the road.

By the way today bus stops CAN provide such a shelter but very unfortunately most bus stops have been torn by vandals or used for small trading. And people have to wait for their buses in the rain....one misfortune over another!! Layers and layers of misery....

50 years have changed many things...I am still in close contact with my cousins like Lau Kung Meu from the next house...and my cousins who lived in the big house like Mee Gee and Kung Sieng.....and now I have some cousins living in China..the children and grandchildren of my mother's youngest brother who went "back to China in 1954"....I have some cousins in England who used to stay in that big house and had a share in jumping amongst the smoked rubber sheets!! Such happy memories....and such lovely good food from the huge kuali...And such hospitality from uncles and aunties and especially grandmother!!

Happy Dragon Year!!

What is your first dish for first day of Chinese Lunar New Year?

2012-01-22T06:45:00.006+08:00

My son asked me what to cook for first day of Chinese New Year?

What is your answer? The Foochow would answer : Mee Sua and Chicken Soup

Mee Sua and Chicken Soup (Photo by Kate Chang)

There are so many dishes we can choose from...but I think I will do this dish....make jiaozi for the first day of Chinese New Year..(although it is not a Foochow custom.) There is a lot of fun doing this together with family and friends. And the great satisfaction lies in the eating at the end of a fun time.

This is a photo from my friend Sunflower Food Galore Blog...

And there is a lovely story to go with it too.....

Dumplings for the New Year's Day

In China, people have a custom to stay up at the New Year's Eve till midnight, and then the well-prepared food, Jiaozi in Chinese, or the so called dumpling, is served as soon as it is cooked in the boiling water.

Jiaozi is perhaps the most especial food in people's life. First, it is served at a particular time, right after the midnight. Second, it is served barely with only some garlic-soy sauce. Third, usually a coin is hidden in one of the dumplings. The person who find or bite the coin will be the luckiest one in the new year. But that has been tested to work even more efficiently on break away the poor teeth of an old man. My grandpa was once lucky enough to bite the coin in one of the dumplings. The moment he became the lucky winner, the only tooth he had said good-bye to him. Perhaps he had no pity despite that for he was supposed to be the luckiest one that year in our family. Nevertheless, it has been the custom to have dumplings for the breakfast at the New Year's Day.

It's hard to say when the custom began, but there are many tales telling how it began. One of them said it got spread from a poor farmer's family. One year, terrible famine took place and many people died of hunger. It was the New Year's Eve when the farmer's family had nothing to cook. And they were even out of firewood. All the family members were too hungry to fall asleep at the New Year's Eve. Just when they thought hard in vain, there came the sound of drum telling the high point of a new year had come. And at the moment both the daughter-in-laws hinted to each other to make a joke over their husbands' poor father; so the elder daughter-in-law said first to him, "Father, what shall we have for the first meal of the new year?" The old man was quite ready to answer, "gold cornu." "And what shall we have to burn in order to boil the GOLD cornu?" the younger daughter-in-law asked. "Of course, gold bars." That was the answers of the humorous father. But he wouldn't stop the joke here. So he ordered the two daughter-in-laws: "Go and cook by the recipe I just ordered, would you?" This time both the daughter-in-laws were cornered badly. How could they cook such a meal! Finally they thought of an idea. "Well, I'll wipe off what is left in the flour jar and you have to get some frozen vegetables in the garden. So they managed to make some cornu-like food. "But what about firewood?" the other asked worriedly. "That is easy. Parts of the fence in the garden will do." So the first breakfast of the year was being made like that.

The god in charge of treasure happened to see the poor but interesting family, and he felt sorry for them. So he dropped some real gold cornua into their jar and some real gold bars over the firewood secretly. As soon as the able women found the treasure, they cried out happily, which caused all the neighbors to come to see what was happening. When people heard the whole story, they all came to recognize it was the cornu-like dumplings that brought the gold. So people began to do the same as the family for the first meal of a new year as early as they could intending to catch more opportunity for treasure from Heaven. That is perhaps the reason why Chinese people show more interest in having Jiaozi at the New Year's Day.

The Joy Luck Club

2012-01-22T06:11:00.001+08:00

Quoting from Amy Tan...

Hope is all we can have...

I see you...that bad crab only you want to take it...you took worst...because you have best quality heart...

So to all who take the worst in life....my best wishes for this new year...no one can take what is in your heart away from you....

You are not a loser if you have quality in your heart....

There is a dragon out that which takes the worst quality (crab) but has a good quality heart...and he is waiting for you....too

May you have a great dinner...whether alone..or with a big family...or with a good friend....

Heavy Machinery in Sarawak - Past and Present

2012-01-21T10:56:00.011+08:00

"When is your father coming back from the timber camp?"
This was a question often asked in the 1960's and 70's in Sibu. Fathers who had to leave home for months and even a year...and I remember how my cousins would wait for their fathers to come home for the Chinese New Year....

These two photos are treasures...for without these we would not know how tough it was for their fathers to work and just earn a bit of money .....

And home coming for the Chinese New Year was just so good!!

This is an old photo from Sarawak to show how big a tropical tree is.

This huge truck transports logs from the interior of Sarawak to a log pond ready to be tied into a raft and floated down the river to Tanjong Manis. Roads built by timber companies criss crossed Sarawak like arteries and veins in our bodies. Without these timber tracks many indigenous people would not have been exposed to the newer development of the state.

It was tough for mothers and children to be separated by job opportunities. It was tough for them when fathers have to seek employment far away because of poor education ....Some times children grow up in tough conditions like these...and like weeds they grow up fast..and like bamboos they grow up tough....

The society in general must help all to upkeep norms and values so that a stronger generation can be brought about....

God's providence has helped many families to achieve great success in spite of huge obstacles in Sarawak.

Now the era of fathers working in the timber camps has gone...and our generation is different already...

But coming home for the Chinese New Year is still important..may be fathers do not have to leave their families for too long because of better communication and fathers are now better educated...times have changed.

To one and all...Happy Reunion for the Lunar New Year....

Happy Chinese New Year from Sibu and Foochow Bloggers

2012-01-20T05:46:00.017+08:00

It is time of the year again to reflect on our Foochow roots and customs.

While I started off writing about Chun Lian this morning.... (Chun Lian has the same purpose as the Christmas wreath)which is a special Chinese New Year couplet used to decorate the doors of a Chinese home during Chinese New Year....I suddenly realised that there are many points to touch on.

Firstly Chun Lian is a temporary decoration to be placed on the entrance of the house - just for the lunar new year.

Secondly I remember that my grandmother (Tiong Lian Tie) would paste them the two pieces of decoration on the wooden door frames of our Nang Chong house in Sibu.

Thirdly in the olden days whenever some artists or calligraphers came around we all got very excited because that was the only decoration we had for the Chinese New Year. In those days we could not buy any red lanterns to ring in the new year like nowadays.

In retrospect during those long ago days in Sibu our Chinese Lunar New Year was welcomed very simply and in frugal ways. No open houses. Friends and relatvies visited each other and the best the host or hostess could give would be sunflower seeds (qua chi) both white and black. We would spend hours cracking those lovely seeds.

I remember with great love the Foochow housewives who would be busy making Tong Kui or nian gow..this steaming took many hours and a few families actually burnt down their kitchen while preparing for this cake. Luckily the traditional Foochow kitchen was separated from the main house by a small verandah or landor where in the evenings we would sit and chat with the lovely breezes cooling us down...and when the sun set the aroma of kerosene for the lamps and the fragrance of cooking sugar and rice flour warmed our hearts. As kids we could not wait for the sweet cakes to cook which would usually be very late at night or very early in the morning. We kids did not know that our rubber tapper aunts or mothers would have to work on these cakes after they had finished their chores to bring us these goodies..and they had to tend the stoves carefully to regulate the low heat.

We must see a double feature/film show (two movies for the price of one) on first day of Chinese New Year...

I remember we loved and savoured this type of aerated water came in wooden boxes like these - 72 in a box.

Chinese New Year is not exactly a time for collecting of Ang Pows but a time when our parents give us some token of money to help us grow a year older..it is a time for us to renew our sense of filial piety and to re-establish kinship and neighbourliness. It is a time for us to say good words to others so that the new year would be blessed by the goodness of the earth and the skies. It is a time for elders to feel that they have a place in the society and they play a significant in bringing up a new generation.... It is a time for us to reflect upon the blessings we receive from God. And most important of all ..it is a time for us to realise how meaningful it is to be alive and live life as best as we can!!

nowadays shops are just so full of new clothes for the Chinese New Year. The wearing of new clothes epitomises the significance of renewing our lives...and start afresh again..Throw out the old bad ways and make room for new and better ways!! Get rid of evil and welcome goodness!! Nor did we have kam quats or other new year decorations.

Although we wore western frocks for Chinese New Year my grandmother/aunts wore a more modern version of these sam foos...these ladies were photographed in the 1900's (Yi Soh and Yi Mui) in Fuzhou City. (Old photo)

the passing of the year and the welcoming of the new year was most obviously heralded by new calendars hanging on the wall. Grandparents would have the honour of tearing the days piece by piece.By the middle of the year the kids had forgotten the novelty of the lunar calender until the next new year.

I also remember how we kids would pester our parents to take us to see the New Year Parade in Sibu...men and women walking on stilts and Foochow Opera near the Chinese Temple..a few lion dances too. But these and the Dragon Dance became a thing of the past when political instability came to Sarawak and night events were not encouraged due to curfews.

Oranges symbolising gold and wealth remain a must in most homes. A sign of Spring!!

Writing of couplets can be seen in the town with business men being the targets of the calligraphers
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In Sibu calligraphers and artists have become quite a permanent fixture nowadays because they can pen the Chinese New Year Couplets for their friends and acquaintances. This makes the couplets very personal and endearing..

In the past older ladies and men would bring a basketful of these couplets and sell them from shop to shop and house to house to raise some pocket money for their new year. This practice seems to have gone out of our cultural system as more shops are selling Chinese new year goodies including home decorations imported from China!!

This year is different from previous years...and next year...there will be more changes....People change and culture is a dynamic element in our world!!

In Sibu many of my friends keep a special meaningful T and B time - Monday evenings happy hours to a group of friends in Sibu mean having tea and baos in Wong Meng Lei's office. Last week he invited Mr. Ting Huat Hu to write couplets in his office. These couplets were given as gifts to readers of the Methodist Message. What a nice new tradition to welcome the Chinese New Year!!

Below my friends Wong Meng Lei and Steve Ling with Mr. Ting Huat Hu who personalised couplets for his friends.This is just so meaningful in Sibu and it really makes me want to go back to my roots...but now after so many years away...can one find one's way HOME? and what is Hometown in the real sense?

Tony Hii (GM of Premier Hotel) waiting for his couplet!!

This is a photo by my friend Steve Ling (Blog = Going Places http://stevelinglt.blogspot.com/2012/01/couplets-for-chinese-new-year.html?showComment=1326750350076#c4671859963833990732 ) of another friend Wong Meng Lei (Blog= Rajang Basin).

For Meng Lei...the calligrapher poemed " New Year New Age New Foochow /Sibu; Love God Love People Love Sibu"
This couplet summerizes Meng Lei's outlook also.

I hope all these pictures will help you remember what it was like to celebrate Chinese New Year and what is happening in Sibu. Today people have changed and perhaps many celebrate in their privacy...others who are politicians and public figures would use the occasion to widen their contacts and establish business relationships or even garner more popularity. For many it is also a good time to prosper...make as much money as possible for the New Year!! Children only know that it is time to enjoy good food and merriment.

And I hope my fellow women would not be too stretched out making all sorts of goodies...have some relaxing time in a spa..perm your hair and wear a new dress...and like John Travolta...let's strut and have a nice Saturday Night Fever!!

And to those who welcome the new year and new season...my best wishes to you and all your loved ones....

Happy and Wealthy Chinese New Year of the Dragon.

May all of you prosper in your endeavours
May all of you gain health and wisdom this coming year
May all your children achieve joy in whatever they do.
May your family grow in the love of God and spread Love all around
May you bring peace and harmony to your community and nation!!

Fire in Sg. Merah (MPB)

2012-01-19T06:51:00.001+08:00

Latest news from Sibu especially for my children who grew up here...... One of my favourite bazaars in Sibu is Sg. Merah which is rich in Foochow history. The Methodist Church continues to own some property in the bazaar namely the first lot of this shop block.

I received news of the fire from Sibu and copied this photo from Steve Ling - a journalists with the United Daily News.

What a sad day ..especially when it is just a few days before Chinese New Year.

Sg. Merah becomes a hive of activity during the Chin Ming /tomb festival when the population here swells a thousand times. Some of the best coffee and kampua mee of Sibu are found here also. It was also the birth place of the Methodist Church in Sibu.

Photo courtesy of Steve Ling of Sibu....

2011

1950's We used to cycle here to buy biscuits and bread for our grandfather who lived about 1 km from this bridge.

1930's Methodist Philanthropic Building. Bigger fisher boats could sail up here in those days. during the Japanese Occupation young able bodied men like my father walked across this bridge to built the Sibu Airport. They would start early in the morning in Sibu..most walked barefooted carrying a bungki and a changkul. Those who marched slowly were beaten. Many were so traumatised that they could not say much after this episode of their lives. My father included.

Stories of Duck Eggs from Wong Su Lai (Ensurai of Sibu)

2012-01-17T05:28:00.004+08:00

This is a plate of fried duck egg kwei tiau and the photo triggered my mum to tell stories of her life in Ensurai from the time she was born until she moved away from the big mansion to live in Nang Chong. Her siblings (children of Lau Kah Chui) and her cousins (children of Lau Kah Tii) enjoyed good duck eggs from their ducks. Each family kept coops to ensure that their ducks lay enough eggs for the family. (Photo by Sarawakiana)

This Duck Egg Fried Kwei Tiau is available at Restaurant Gembira in Taman Megah opposite Ming Tien.This is in Kuala Lumpur. I do not think duck egg fried kwei tiau is available in Miri . Pirce per plate in KL= @RM5.50.

Between 1926 and 1938 my mother (Lau Hung Chuo) and her parents (Mr and Mrs. Lau Kah Chui) stayed in the huge lau Mansion at Ensurai. Her growing up years were sweet and enriching especially when her mother was a good cook and a generous mother and youngest aunt to all. Their stove was always warm and the food safe was always full. Any one passing by or any one coming home from Sibu was able to find a plate of rice and at least two duck eggs for a quick snack!! According to her one whole tin (the bigger biscuit tin or kerosene tin of pickled jelly fish was about $1.20 in the 1920's. Dried scallops were purchased in bulk!! And river snails were so plentiful that for a few cents only they could have enough for two meals and for more than 12 people!! Today we could find only a few snails at a time amongst the mangrove roots. In those days a hardworking young girl could easily pick up hundreds or a pail in an hour!! River snails could be stir fried in soy sauce or boiled in soup with a dash of pepper and a few spoonful of Foochow red wine.

My grandmother (Tiong Lian Tie) was a good duck rearer. And because she fed her ducks well they laid a lot of eggs to the envy of many neigbhours. Besides whenever a child had measles she was ever ready to slaughter a very mature female Mallard as post measle treatment . Double boiled duck soup which according to Foochow beliefs can even remove the last virus from the internal organs of a child thus making him or her fully cured is highly prized today..The Foochows have always favoured double boiled Chai Ark Moh soup for the weak and sickly. Today the bottled Teal Essence is actually based on this theory.

My mother remembers my grandmother as a very enterprising and hardworking Foochow woman who loved rearing the two kinds of ducks for meat and for eggs. Breeding of ducks was also good for a growing family and lots of relatives who came and went besides putting a lot of good meat on the table during the festive seasons.

However it was my grand uncle who got the nickname...Moh Moh because he was the owner of so many female ducks in his compound!! Perhaps if you go to Ensurai today in Sibu...people may point out...ok over there used to be the property of Moh Moh...and across the river...was the home of Chui Chui (Water water)..the two brothers were called Moh Moh Chui Chui...it does have a poetic ring in the names for me...and their stories are like songs to my ears!!

Their legacy lives on in our hearts and minds...

My uncles would tell tales of how my grandmother cooked duck eggs for them when they were hungry. Uncle Pang Sung and Uncle Pang Hung (children of Lau Kah Tii) would never go hungry when my grandmother was around. The table would always be filled with nicely cooked food for the hungry youngsters. Grandmother Lan Tie was a kind relative who loved her children and relatives and with the passing of time it is interesting that they do remember her generosity best of all!!

And in the same way I would always remember my grandmother for her duck dishes. I did not mind plucking all the feathers from the ducks...including tweezing out all the finer downs. Mum would always remember the fragrant duck eggs which when fried would puff up and cover a whole medium sized plate. Well it has been a long time since we had duck eggs on our own table!!

A very endearing photo of Chai Ark doing the head dipping in water. Only Mallards (Chai Ark) can do this stunt.

These are serati or Pekin ducks which lay very tasty eggs (Photo by Sarawakiana)

Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs - they are laid by Chai Ark (Vegetable duck) and Serati (Pekin/muscovy ducks/chuong wang) the half breeds (Buang Wang) do not lay eggs. (Photo from Google) Our families will also remember the good advice from an uncle : the difference between rich and poor only lies in one duck egg.....(Giin boo na char suoh lak ang moh long)

I do hope that these tales of ducks and duck eggs will live in the hearts of my cousins and uncles and aunties who come from the moh moh chui Chui and Lau Sing Chiong bloodlines.

Selasih (Thai Basil Seeds)

2012-01-15T16:08:00.002+08:00

Most Sibu youths are familiar with air bandung a very sweet cordial made from Rose Syrup and Evaporated Milk. We can order this drink in almost every coffee shop. It is during the Ramadan month that the air bandung is mixed with the thai basil seeds. And this perhaps is not for every one especially the older Chinese who think that the Thai basil seeds may be too cooling.

In fact according to some herbalists Thai basil seeds help to relieve stress and improve low immunity. And may be the older generations of our Malay friends in the kampongs know about this a long long time ago!!

I am also told that selasih seeds (Thai Basil Seeds) can be seasonal so they are not easily available throughout the year. In Miri most of us grow our own Thai basil because the leaves are good in salads. But we have never tried to harvest the seeds for our own use. May be we should.

Recently I visited some supermarkets in Northern Sarawak and Brunei and found that China and Thailand have already started to export bottled soft drinks with selasih!!

Many people used to say that the selasih in the air bandung looked like tadpoles!! That's from our childhood and youth...but today most of us like to order this drink whenever it is available in a menu in coffee shops.

(F&N Advertisement)

Pudding made with Thai basil seeds. We can make our own puddings using agar agar and selasih seeds. It is refreshing and very healthy!! The Thais usually make this dessert with lots of coconut milk too. Sometimes water chestnuts are added.

Don't Shoot Me!!

2012-01-14T14:50:00.001+08:00

the fates of women can be as varied as the stars in the heavens.

These indigenous women are surviving in the urban jungle and are trying to make ends meet by doing some small businesses along the five foot way in the capital.

they are brave and courageous. They are hardworking and they are just as you say making a living. They don't take a summer holiday and they have to work even harder before and after Christmas because they need extra money for fees and school text books in the new year.

But they having noticed a camera pointed at them they quickly did what was natural...cover their faces.

One used her hands and one used a pink plastic bag.

One lady just turned her back towards me.

Live and let live. They have children and they have parents to support. May God bless them and their hardwork....

Life is easier for every one because they can earn some money and we find that it is so nice to be able to buy vegetables made readily available in every nook and corner in the city.

that is human culture...and that is a good life for every one - especially for these women who need to earn their two sen.

What's Black and Tasty for Breakfast?

2012-01-12T04:26:00.000+08:00

Eating of coagulated blood (duck or pig) is not uncommon in Asia. People who like me have a farming or rural background have seen lots of slaughtering of pigs and poultry to name just two farm animals. However by the age of 18 I could no longer stand the sight of animal blood although I did not turn vegetarian when I went to university. Dr. Albert Schweitzer's "Reference for Life" and other philosophers did make me eat more vegetables than meat.

Since the beginning of time I must say coagulated pig's blood has made its way to quite a number of Foochow dishes. Indeed some exotic dishes even call for its presence!! I know for sure that if porridge is made and peas and coagulated blood are added with some ginseng it is very health giving to some frail old people. This could be the time tried vitamins and iron the older generation knew of.

In fact I did not and could not cook anything with pig's blood for many years after an incident down river. I saw the slaughtering of two pigs by the river bank.

Hence I was quite surprised to find black pudding as something very traditional and even exotic to people who relish a good heavy breakfast when I was introduced to it two years ago in the UK..All the blood which has been hidden by basil and other herbs and by fillers like oats have indeed made it quite palatable...

and in fact when challenged again if I could eat anything black in colour...I can say I can eat black pudding - a small slice though and find the herbs and seeds very interesting.

Logically people can argue with you that if you have slaughtered a dear animal and can eat most of its parts..why not allow people to eat the blood as well? Good fresh food should not be allowed to go to waste...

By the way...incidentally there is indeed vegetarian black pudding..and you can find it in the UK!!

Black Pudding for breakfast prepared by my son.

In the UK, black pudding is considered a delicacy in the Black Country, where it can trace its origins back hundreds of years. It is to a lesser extent associated with Lancashire and particularly with the town of Bury, where it is sometimes boiled and served with malt vinegar out of paper wrapping.^[4] In the remainder of the country, and especially in the south, it is usually served sliced and fried or grilled as part of a traditional full breakfast; it is also served this way in Ireland, New Zealand, and the Canadian provinces ofNova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The further addition of the similar white pudding is an important feature of the traditionalNorthumbrian, Scottish, Irish and Newfoundland breakfast. (Wikipedia)

Vietnamese blood sausages - many people who have been to Vietnam enjoy this dish.

some Chinese families have started to make their own liver and blood sausages. I find those quite good too.

A friend in Sibu uses glutinous rice as fillers and she has some blood and liver added. Chillies and pepper make her home made sausages excellent. And they are eaten fresh during Chinese new year...and may be that would be what we can call poor man's foie gras (Trade secret - no photos of her sausages...) She is a Heng Hua by the way. May be she learnt it from a Cantonese relative some where.

Cheers to food coloured BLACK!!

A Reunion Dinner - All Fresh from backyard

2012-01-11T06:19:00.002+08:00

A beloved nephew has come back with four children and a wife after an absence of more than 10 years!!

What can an aunt prepare? She would cook as she normally does..may be with minimal fuss as well. Hubby can bring back a roasted duck from the kedai for the children in case they are too fond of KL food.

So here goes the food freshly prepared...it is like what Chef Wan would say...from the Garden to the Table...
And the menu is not one you can find in any good restaurant in town...but to those coming home after a long long time and from far away....this menu is just right...Just like old times!!

Long beans from the garden

Midin from the Indigenous market - a must have for relatives from afar

Indigenous mustard gree (ensabi) cooked with kepayang nuts and ikan bilis - fit for a king.

Iban Cucumber which grows easily in her garden plot. Boiled with some ikan bilis .

Roasted Duck for the children to savour and make them feel at home.

This is salted bamboo shoot from the jungle. And this is a dish which people long for when they are far away from home as the pickling cannot be done in a place where this kind of bamboo is not available......

Fresh corn from the garden. Just steamed and so lovely and sweet. Diabetics have to be careful because you can be so tempted. to eat more than two!! Freshly plucked from the plants....No fertilizers.

Pumpkin from the garden...A hardworking woman like my sister in law can make plants grow from every inch of soil she has around her house. She makes me think of Jamie Oliver who sits in his garden and plucks tomotoes right next to him!! Each time I visit her I enjoy helping her pluck some limes or belimbing...It is good to continue the Iban tradition of growing your own vegetables in the backyard even when you are living in the best of the residential areas...A bountiful harvest every day is a real comfort in life...and will definitely give you a good night's sleep......No worries about what food will be on the table next day..God is provident...

.Bilimbing with ikan bilis...very tasty. Just one tree in the garden can provide lots of these succulents.
A homemaker can easily do the family proud in this way...and cooking is just a piece of cake!!

A Mother's Simple Cooking

2012-01-10T03:50:00.001+08:00

What dish would you cook for your children when they come home after a long absence? It is a roasted chicken? Or a Rendang? or a Curry Kapitan?

Simmered Tongue

If there is one favourite dish my family loves it is the simmered shouldered pork to which the cook may add a tongue or two.

Buy a fresh piece of meat in the morning and start the cooking by nine if you wish to have a good midday meal.

This was certainly the kind of slow paced life we had in Sibu. Mum would walk to the meat market and choose her meat from her favourite butcher. The Chinese cut their pork in a different way from European butchers. So if you are reading this in the US or Australia you may have to make some adjustments.

Here's the simple recipe:

1. 1 1/2 kg of pork shoulder or belly pork (whole) and a tongue or two (cleaned). Marinade with a bit of salt.
2. Put to boil just enough water to cover the meat (depends on the pot you use)
3. Bring to the boil the water. Add three or four slices of ginger and some salt. The salt will depend on your family's taste. Some like this dish to be salty.
4. When the water is boiling add the meat and the tongue(s).
5. Let the water stay at high heat for quite a good half hour until the meat is tested cooked with no blood oozing out. Lower the heat and simmer for the next hour and half. Watch the pot constantly. The water should not dry up.
6. Just before serving add four (or less) tablespoons of good xiao sin wine or Foochow red wine.
7. Reserve most of the soup for cooking of a good Chinese cabbage soup.
8. Serve the meat and tongue in a shallow platter. Slice the meat and serve with the soup just drenching it.
9. If you like a dipping sauce try using only the lightest of soy sauce with some chillies or a plain garlic chilli sauce from a bottle.

This dish certainly shows off the quality of good pork which is fresh and fragrant. The meat is well textured and smooth - almost melt in the mouth like a sponge cake does to your tongue. It is savoury and sweet at the same time. And once you have cooked pork this way you will find that it is an aroma which you miss when you are away from your mother's kitchen. Years ago when I was teaching in a rural school as a substitute teacher my mother sent this dish by motor launch! All at once the teaching stint became very bearable!!

Today such food delivery makes me think of the tiffin carriers still found in the cities of India!! How ingenious these delivery systems are!! But then this kind of food delivery system would take the five foot way hawkers and kopi tiams (coffee shops) off our remarkable cultural map!

The skin is gelatinous and today with greater interest in collagen this dish can offer just that sweet and soft layer of collagen .

The pig's tongue cooked in this manner is soft and sweet for the palate. My grandmother loved this dish in the olden days. She used a traditional sauce called "pangi chiong" or small crab sauce which was home made. We all think that her choice of sauce for this dish was excellent. Unfortunately this home made dish has gone out of our culture because of global warming and rural-urban migration. The sauce is very difficult to find even in Sibu.

because pork dishes go well with sweet vegetables we cooked pumpkin as a side dish to go with this fragrant main dish.

Another dish which may bring the feast together is a nice soup of Chinese cabbage cooked with some fish balls.

A simple beansprout stir fry with some salted fish slices would also be a good idea.

(If you are on a low carb diet you can miss out the steamed rice and use pumpkin as a replacement.)

A good family meal should not be overwhelming in taste and aroma. Nor should it be too complicated in preparation.

Shark BBQ Steak

2012-01-09T08:06:00.001+08:00

Some supermarkets in Asia have stopped selling shark's fins.

This is not an article for or against eating of shark meat.

I know "finning" is an atrocious act to the shark population. I have seen a mother shark being slaughtered and my children cried at the sight...little baby sharks coming out of the womb still alive and floating away into the nearby pavement at the Miri Fish Market. I felt my own body curling up in pain and I clutched my child nearest to me. My heart stopped beating as the mother shark closed its eyes. My children looked away from the painful sight.

From a more realistic angle....may be we have to take a look at how some of the indigenous people living off the sea look at their harvest from the sea. The sea is now giving less to the local fishermen who have few technologically based equipment. Simple boat with minimal equipment. Small boats which cannot go too far out to the sea. The weather has not been fishermen friendly..and the seas have become warmer.

Fish prices have gone up from RM 6 per kg for ikan tenggiri to RM24 in the last 4 or 5 years.

And so many people have gotten used to trying out the cheaper fish (which used to be free from the fishermen)...Shark meat!

Maybe I'm naive or just fussy about my fish, but I'm truly surprised by shark's popularity, especially considering that shark fishing is so unhealthy for both people and the environment. Most species of shark contain extremely high levels of mercury, so consuming them really isn't advisable for anyone. Plus, sharks reign at the top of oceanic food chains, serving the all-important task of keeping populations of other species in check. Remove the top of the food chain and the world's waters can get—to put it mildly—irreparably damaged. Shark fin soup already seems pretty unappetizing. The fact that it's loaded with mercury and is largely responsible for the world's declining oceans—well, I'd rather eat something as gross as KFC's Double Down sandwich.

To really boost shark populations, the world needs to institute international shark fin bans, adopt species-specific management, and make efforts to reduce shark bycatch. According to the International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN), 50 of the world's 307 shark species are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Yet only three shark species—the white, whale, and basking—are protected internationally by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The population data on sharks is out there, but legislative bodies can't (or rather, won't), put the proper protections in place.http://news.change.org/stories/why-are-supermarkets-selling-shark-meat

It is often said that shark meat is full of mercury (see abstract above)...It is your choice...but the meat is not really that chewy . It is quite tasty actually.
Let us keep our options more open and be sensible in our eating....

A Special Gold Coin Chocolate

2012-01-08T05:00:00.001+08:00

Gold coin chocolate was quite a rave amongst children in Sibu in the 1950's-1960's. The little sweet shops in Raminway and Market Road were full of bottles of sweets and the gold coin cholocate. Boxes of chocolates could only be bought in higher end shops like Kim Guan Siang. So a doting mother could only buy one or two coins to satiate her children's raving for a nice chocolate treat.

Today these gold coin chocolates come in a nice little bag too.

Actually the history of gold coin chocolate goes back a long long way. Perhaps it started with a merchant who wanted to gain favour from an emperor. so he made little gold foil covers and put chocolate in them. This became a fashion over the years.

Later some companies started to make their own gold coin chocolate their their logos in them. And each Christmas or New Year these gold coins were given away to faithful employees and business associates and their children.

As a child I loved to get one of these chocolates in Sibu. And so did my siblings. We would however not eat them straightaway...just to enjoy having the chocolate in our possession was already a treat!! We called that future orientation..but it was awkward because the melting chocolate would mess up our handkerchiefs and pockets...

I got this nice present from my son for Christmas!! See how big it is...bigger than my palm...that's a really big coin!!

I hope all mothers will get a lovely present from your children... a simple gift like this No. l Mum...gold coin chocolate....so meaningful.

A Cotton Cross Stiched Bag

2012-01-07T09:42:00.000+08:00

Do you have a little gift from a dear friend which you and children have lovingly used from time to time for more than 35 years?

I have this little cotton cross stitched bag from a good friend Jenny - the wife of an Iban pastor (who later went on to become the President of the Iban Conference of Sarawak).

Jenny was a role model to me in the early years of my marriage when my family was residing in Sibu. She taught me many things a mother-in-law would. And she was good at sewing...which I was not because I was too busy marking test papers. She was a favourite "aunt" of my children. Once she said the dearest thing to a struggling mother "At least you have bathed them before dinner and they smell so nice!!"

This bag is good for carrying a Bible and Sunday School stuff as well as a bottle of milk.

And we love it even though at times there were stains on the bag. After years of regular washing the bag turned beige and later little white spots appeared.

Recently I washed it again with some new kinds of detergents and it got quite clean. So I am using it whenever I need a smaller bag to hold my reading glasses and as bottle of water as well as two library books.

This bag has served the family well. It can be said that it has served 3 cycles of 12 years of the Chinese Zodiac !! May be I could even bring it to a new country one day - to hold my small groceries - a small loaf of bread and other small things...

And the bag has been so well made that there is no single tear and not even a stitch out of place!!

Cross stitch is back again in fashion. Vintage is even better!!

June Rose

2012-01-06T06:15:00.021+08:00

I have often wondered when Pyrex actually made an indent into the social milieu of Sibu which was so strongly Foochow and conservative. Bowls with chicken patterns were good enough for the table for even the most wealthy for a long time. The first Pyrex ware I saw was a measuring cup in the Domestic Science Home Room where I was taught the basics of cookery by Miss Ida Mamora at the Methodist Secondary School. (That will be another story in my blog). Having graduated from the US she equipped the room very appropriately and indeed meticulously .That was 1963.

Upon my own graduation Sibu had changed. The town had doubled its population due to rural urban migration.The television had invaded the living rooms of the Foochows in particular. What Mcluhan (The Global Village) and Vance Packard (The Hidden Persuaders) wrote about became a reality even in remote Sibu!! Twiggy's mini skirts hit town and girls and women cut their long plaits and demurred pop socks and wide Audrey Hepburn skirts.

And I noticed that the Pyrex patterned crockery ware became a must have for home makers. Husbands were threatened if they did not present a gift set to their wives. Home dinners became weapons of war indeed! And slowly the beaming homemakers were able to proudly present their culinary skills on their dining tables...atop of course beautiful Pyrex ware....

I believe I was caught in this cobweb of covetousness for I too sinned in desiring a set of June Rose set (six plates and three casserole bowls at least). But as a career woman I had to be smart in balancing my budget and home economics and I do have relatives who tsk tsk their tongues like good cost controllers.

But I did not wrap up my Pyrex ware and place them under my bed in case my mother-in-law found out!!

I had only one choice then - the June Rose pattern.

The Pyrex June rose pattern featured an open rose and a rose bud. The "design is altered to fit the smaller pieces. June rose was introduced in the 1960's and is produced by the screen printed transfer method which gives a heavy enal deposit with a glossy finish."

I have actually 6 plates which I use every day for the last 35 years. I had paid cash for them and refused to use the home instalment plans. Later I bought the set of casserole bowls to match. In subsequent years I bought a sauce boat. And stopped at that.
Bread is sunflower seed triangle from Perth - a distant cousin but not a replacement for the Foochow kompia.

I am sure many homemakers and career women as well would like to choose their own table ware. (Some even sold off those gifts they received for their weddings) Today they have 1001 patterns and origins to choose from especially in large departmental stores like
Robinson's and Marks and Spencers.

At Hua Ho in Brunei for example......the dinner ware section looks like a living museum of fine china and modern art!! And some of the prices are not for the faint hearted.

But nevertheless prices over the years have skyrocketed...Now into my twilight years I am quite happy to collect Snoopy plates which are free gifts when I buy Darlie toothpaste. And I do not have to impress anyone..either with my culinary skills or my wealth on the table....You are welcome to my table...and you might even get a banana leaf meal!!

Notes: (Wikipedia)

Pyrex is a brand name for glassware, introduced by Corning Incorporated in 1915.

Originally, Pyrex was made from borosilicate glass. In the 1940s^[1] the composition was changed for some products to tempered soda-lime glass,^[2] which is the most common form of glass used in glass bakeware in the US^[3] and has higher mechanical strength so is less vulnerable to breakage when dropped (the leading cause of breakage in glass bakeware).^[4] In 1998, Corning divested its consumer products division which subsequently adopted the name World Kitchen.

A Corning executive gave the following account of the etymology of the Pyrex brand name:

The word PYREX is probably a purely arbitrary word which was devised in 1915 as a trade-mark for products manufactured and sold by Corning Glass Works. While some people have thought that it was made up from the Greek pyr and the Latin rex we have always taken the position that no graduate of Harvard would be guilty of such a classical hybrid. Actually, we had a number of prior trade-marks ending in the letters ex. One of the first commercial products to be sold under the new mark was a pie plate and in the interests ofeuphonism the letter r was inserted between pie and ex and the whole thing condensed to PYREX.^[8]

Pyrex kitchen products in Europe made and sold by a subsidiary of Arc International tableware company are made from borosilicate glass.^[9]

Pole Notched Staircase

2012-01-05T07:17:00.002+08:00

What can you make out of a 10 inch diameter tree trunk/log with only an axe in your hand?

You can repair a log cabin..or you can make a two log bridge across a small stream. You can even make a bench or two.... You can put a bird house on top of the log!! Your fancies can take you any where.

Well in an Iban Longhouse or a Bidayuh village in Sarawak you can make a staircase....

A notched staircase from the canteen to the stream - people continue to draw water from the lovely gurgling stream and walk up this staircase every day...Hope one day you can walk down or up and say..."see no hands!!"

(Photo by Sarawakiana at the foothills of Mr. Singai)

Today we can still find this very simple handiwork and facility in Sarawak.

The indigenous people can walk up these steps like circus artistes with their two pails of water or a basket full of rambutans and durians on their back!!

This is both a very environmentally friendly and simple art of living minimally. Today mankind has added so much more on this...

Hoorays to all grandmothers and grandfathers who can still go up and down this kind of wooden notched steps.

And may be that is one of the reasons these elders stay slim and sprightly....

(I chose this angle to show how steep the staircase is from the top...and also because I find it most difficult to decide whether to go down the notched staircase by putting my left foot forward or turn around and climb down the stairs backwards...most longhouse dwellers would automatically put their heels down and in seconds they are below the house and on the ground without holding on to the railings. Some families do not even have the railings!! What a great balancing act!! And I suppose if you are size 12 for shoes you may have to go down or up sideways....and put two hands on the railings. In my experience it takes quite a while to get used to this kind of log notched staircase - "tangga")

Lun Bawang Leaf wrapped soft rice

2012-01-04T23:08:00.001+08:00

My friend (who is now a senior banker) comes from the Lun Bawang community hailing from Lawas. Her late brother was a much admired athlete (the late Balang Lasung) and a colleague and great friend of mine too.

From her I learned about how rice is such an important commodity. During festive seasons and /or a special ceremony to bless children etc..the whole community will turn up and each family will bring a basket of rice already cooked and wrapped up in leaves!! How wonderful!!

This is certainly a good community effort to keep the budget of any cerebration small and manageable.

(Photo from G. Mattias)
their basket weaving is very delicate and outstanding.

And the rice is just so delicious because it is grown with great care and on rich mountain soils of lawas. Sharing a packet or two of this special wrapped rice is always a very memorable occasion for me.

A grain of rice is a drop of sweat...and a bit of the soft rice is like sharing love with others!!

May God bless all mothers and aunties who prepare uba layak (the name of the rice packets) in a gotong royong manner!!

(By the way it is not easy to prepare this kind of rice...)

Native Sarawak Aji-no-moto leaves

2012-01-03T06:10:00.000+08:00

Miri has several markets where folks can buy their fresh food. They are called either the Open Market or Tamu by the locals. The Central Market is tradtionally the oldest Chinese dominated open air market which must have been started in the 1900's.

The Muhibbah Tamu used to serve the Canada Hill squatters and all those who came from Lopeng and even as far as the lambir areas. That is the market I go to for my fresh vegetables and I am familiar with many of the hawkers there. Some of them even asked me for advice regarding their children's education. I am glad one of the girls will be furthering her studies in a Masters of Economics!! I am so proud of her and her very hardworking mother.

Another lady I love very much is the one I buy small combs and little things from. She came from Sungei Merah in Sibu and she has two daughters who graduated from Theological Colleges!!

But one very special reason for me to visit the tamu is to practise my Iban and my Bahasa Malaysia.

And here's one of the new ideas I get by speaking Iban......I often find that when you speak in a local dialect the hawkers become very very helpful and even sisterly..What a wonderful and kind lady she is...and I am thankful to her for teaching me about this particular aji no moto leaf.

A bunch of these leaves are about 1 ringgit. At the Kedayan Market in Miri you often get the generous Iban women who have come all the way from Bekenu or Bakong to sell their jungle products. One of the best discoveries I have made over the years is this special flavoursome leaves which is also known as the jungle Aji-no-moto... Freshly taken from trees these leaves can now be found in the market after the Iban ladies have gone into the jungles in the early morning before they take the four hour journey to Miri. It is through their tribal knowledge gained over many generations that they can share this flavoursome leaves with the town people. When the leaves are dried they turn completely black and can keep for a few months in a tight lidded bottle. But it is always good to use them fresh.

One leaf like this is enough to make your soup unbelieveable tasty.

This is the underside of the leaf.

3/365/2011

Tales from the days of the Chinese River Motor Launches in the Rajang

2012-01-02T10:37:00.000+08:00

(Photo courtesy of Pauline)

For the whole of 1975 I watched this kind of motor launch (made in Sibu by the Chinese shipbuilders for local use) in the morning because I so enjoyed watching students coming to school in the morning...

I have several anecdotes too.

While I was teaching in SEDAYA (Kanowit) where the students had to cross the mighty Rajang, my sister taught in Kwang Hua Secondary school some half an hour from Sibu. One early misty and cold morning she put her frozen cold toes under what she thought was the cushion of the motor launch seat. In fact she had accidentally touched the butt of an Iban man who was still attired in his traditional sirat (loin cloth). She gave out a loud yelp (which was luckily drowned by the droning engine) and he looked behind. My sister by her quick wits had put her folded up her leg Malay style on her seat!! Only her red face showed her guilt. And our Iban friend never knew what had happened!!

Going on any journey by motor launch also would mean friend meeting up with long lost friends. My grandma and I went on a journey and she was so surprised that her ticket had been paid for. Mr. Ngu later told her that it was a small price to pay for all the meals he had from her kitchen whenever he was stranded in the Nan Chong house. My grandmother would never allow a passerby to go hungry..It was Bed and Breakfast for free...She was paying forward because for many years as a child tagging along with her (as companion) I would enjoyed gifts in the form of fish ball soup and bian nik soup...in the coffee shops in Sibu whenever someone younger recognized her....The grateful younger generation would always pay for her snacks in the town...

One memorable trip I made was with my youngest aunt . I was about about seven? She had just come back from Singapore and had been much welcomed home by grandma in the Nan Chong village. She brought two pairs of leather shoes for her brother's wife and herself. The following weekend she took every one to town for a movie. Third Aunt carried her shoe in her hands and was barefooted all the way to town. Everyone in the motor launch admired her leather shoes from Singapore. It was literally the talk of the boat. Unfortunately after a day of walking in town she had blisters all over..and she was barefooted again on our way home. I think she never wanted to wear those shoes again.

The saddest story related to the motor launch was this:
The famous Sibu Foochow writer Lau Tze Cheng was just about two when his mother "came out from China". It must have been the first week of her arrival when she took a motor boat ride from Sibu. Because she was not used to jumping from the boat to the floating jetty she missed her footing and fell into the Rajang. She became sadly and very tragically the first Foochow woman to drown in the Rajang. My uncle was devastated and the whole community mourned her passing.

There are more stories to be added to this series....both sad and happy..some amusing..but I hope not rude or politically incorrect...2/365/2011

Yolkless Heart Shaped Mini Cake from Hot Cross Buns (Miri)

2012-01-01T07:24:00.000+08:00

Miri has several bakeries like Hot Cross Buns, Ma Baker,Southern Cake Shope, Hygiene Bakery, Chin Loong Sdn Bhd to name a few.

One of the most popular is the Hot Cross Buns and I must say I got a membership card so that I could get a fair discount for this special yolkless heart shaped mini cake.

The texture of this marvellous mini cake is silky and it is probably more healthy than the normal Dan Gao (egg cake). It is not entirely eggless though. It is very soft and springy...although it does not have all those air holes in most mini sponge cakes...

Perhaps it is one of a kind in the whole of Sarawak. It is my mother's favourite cake.

My mother likes the white and light look of the mini cake...because it looks so pure. And we still share the cake as we don't have the habit of eating the whole mini cake on our own......"buong na siak" or share in eating....

Love comes in a small measures...
Love comes in making effort to buy something good for a special person
Love comes in a simple gesture
love comes in bits and pieces of memories...
love comes when connections are made
love comes when gentleness is shared. (When you eat this cake you feel so much gentleness on your tongue)....
Love comes in a slice of cake which melts in the mouth..

In my family as we were growing up we did not eat one apple each...we sliced an apple ..we did not eat a pear each...we sliced the pear...and we did not eat one whole orange by ourselves..we sliced the fruit. We would always ask "has every one eaten a share?" "Have we saved some for ...xxxx?" and we would put away portions of our food in the food save..At the end of the day we went to bed happy that we had a share in everything and life was good. We were mindful of each other's well being.

Mum with the little she had then could always find things to share with her neighbours too. It could be half a pumpkin she grew or some cangkok manis she had from our backyard. One year God bless us with so many gourds that we shared with almost every one along Kong Ping Road!!

In the same way I have brought up my children to share whatever bounty we have on the table..

And I think this is similar to the story of Five Loaves and Two Fishes

Love is sharing a small cake....

Have a small slice of my love in 2012....
Happy First Day of 2012
1/365/2012

New Year and Sarawak Wild Boars

2011-12-30T17:35:00.001+08:00

Recently a friend reminded me of a special meal we had in the mountains of Taiwan when we were introduced to the Mountain Pig (Shan Ju) an exotic food for celebration like New Year or an auspicious birthday.

Sarawak actually has a good sized population of wild pigs which have been hunted by most of the indigenous peoples. The meat of the wild pigs have graced many a longhouse table ( or mat)for occasions like the Rajah Brooke's visit or any government functions and just ordinary every day events as and when a pig is caught.

The meat can be prepared fresh and used up for immediate consumption if there is no refrigeration.

It is necessary for me to explain how a wild pig is shared in an Iban longhouse using their communal tribal ways or Iban longhouse ADAT. The wild pig hunted by a group of hunters would be equally shared. And by the Iban custom the gun/trap would also get a share and if any dogs happen to come along the dog owner also gets a share. So a hunter who owns a gun and has a dog with him gets three shares. All those who come along for the hunt get a share each. It has been such a practice that the Chinese also get to know about it. Equal sharing of a good thing is " pa ya tu buong hung". Go for a hunt and get a share. It is sometimes construed negatively because many hangers on who tag along hope for an equal share!! Well in the real sense it is a real communal attitude that matters. Tribal wisdom has to be upheld and equal sharing is a positive attitude which shapes social wellness and a generous community.

If a hunter tells his friend that he is going on a hunt and he wants to sell the meat for a special fund for his family it has to be announced first. And the trophy will be sent to the market for sale. This commercialisation is a new social norm slowly taking shape and the older members of the community will have to make adjustments. We will see how this social behaviour will transform in the future.

Photo courtesy of Mattias

Taiwanese Wildboar meat cooked on hot stones - a delicacy for the new year.

This is a stud - an offspring of a wildboar and a kampong pig.

In the days to come when the wild pig is no longer free to roam in the jungles of Sarawak a new breed of mix breeds will grace the tables of the indigenous Sarawakians. What will the future be like? In 1988 I asked my students in Miri...what will happen to our longhouse dwellers if all the jungles are gone? One smart city boy said.."Don't worry ...they can eat salted wild meat or tinned luncheon pork from China...."

In the olden days (and back to my Foochow roots)....30th Dec would always be the day when my Third Uncle Pang Sing would go and slaughter the selected pig...while he would sell most of the pork...we would also reserve some good parts for grandmother and ourselves...and other close relatives...If we were lucky a neigbhouring farmer or even my own uncle before 1968 would even kill a wild boar in a lucky hunt before the new year!! What wonderful cheers of joy would ring out when a magnificient animal was caught in the rubber gardens...Free meat from the forest was a blessing from God!!

We Chinese in Sarawak had surrendered our guns to the Malaysian government in 1968 and no Chinese farmer could go hunting freely for wild boars after that year.

One year there was a family of wildboars swimming across the Rajang and we could only use our wooden paddles to hit the animals....it was no hunt..but it was a very regrettable event...We were helpless...and the harvest was so plentiful. If only we had a gun or a good parang..but then it was too dangerous to struggle with a swimming pig in the Rajang!!

..Only those with connections had gun licences today.

Each time I am served with a plate of good wildboar meat there would be so many stories to tell!

Happy New Year...May fair winds be behind your sails...and may the roads you travel be safe ...and of course may your table be laden with feasts for dear ones to share at all times!!

Buah Mentega

2011-12-30T09:49:00.001+08:00

Egg Fruit from Vietnam

2011-12-29T07:29:00.000+08:00

Recently many housewives have been intrigued by a new fruit called Egg Fruit. Sandakan in Sabah seems to be making in roads into this fruit cultivation. Miri has a few people growing it and Sibu according to my friends also has several fruit trees which are already fruiting. The fruits are already sold in the Limbang tamu where I picked up a few..The vendors call them buah mentega!! It is called canistel and originates in Mexico and Central America.

"The canistel grows up to 10 meters (33 ft) high, and produces orange-yellow fruit, also called yellow sapote, up to 7 centimeters (2.8 in) long, which are edible raw. Canistel flesh is sweet, with a texture often compared to that of a cooked egg yolk, hence its colloquial name of "eggfruit." It is closely related to the Mamey sapote and abiu."

"The plant's name in the Vietnamese language is cây trứng gà (“chicken egg” plant) because of the fruit's appearance. It also has the Vietnamese name lekima. This is very unusual because Vietnamese is a tonal language which uses predominantly monosyllabic words. It appears that this name derives from the word lucuma. The unusual name "Lekima" has been included in the list of typhoon names, and was applied to a storm that devastated north-central Vietnam and killed from 42 to 5"

So look out for these fruits in the market or in your friends' garden...My own photos will be posted soon. (I am having some computer problem at the moment...and cannot upload any photos from my camera..)

Modern Cao Chuns

2011-12-27T20:31:00.000+08:00

MY GROUP of good friends in Miri often gather to have some sisterly chats....usually for any reason you can think of since most of us are retired and children have flown the nest.

With Christmas gone and the end of the year approaching I got to think that many of my friends share similarities with Wang Chao Chun ( a Han Dynasty beauty who was part of a peace treaty between the Chinese and the Mongols). She was a concubine in the Han Palace but the Huangti had never seen her (probably he had thousands of concubines) as her portrait was tainted by the corrupt artist. When she was selected to be sent to the Mongols the Emperor was dumbfounded by her beauty. But it was too late. And she was sent on her way to the far north amidst the snow.

How many of our women have in fact married into unknown fates and had made fantastic contributions to their husbands' countries...like Ruth in the Bible when she went home with Naomi..."Your people will be my people...and your country will be my country". Ruth became the ancestress of Jesus after she married Boaz as part of her fate when she and Naomi came to live in her late husband's land.

In the cold of the winter I think of the fates of such women who today have to struggle for the sake of their children and members of their extended family. May be Wang Chao Chun's song would open your eyes to such feminine sacrifices....

Clap clap...for my good friends...May 2012 bring joy and peace to all of us......

Often we celebrate each other's birthdays when they seem to be forgotten.....

Lin Dai in her role as Wang Chao Chun....the long suffering concubine who loved the hard hearted Emperor

Enjoy the music and reflect on how women have played their roles in our country and beyond!!

Greetings from Sarawak - Land of the Hornbills

2011-12-24T08:29:00.001+08:00

The wings of the Hornbill have taken us rapidly through the year 2011.

2011 has been a great year.

I can say I have

done that - took thousands of photographs
been there - went to Yunnan and many parts of Sarawak
eaten that - lots of new dishes (vegetables cooked in peanut milk soup) and tried new foods! The durian season also saw me eating red durians and excellent sweet young durian fruit soup!!

There were losses of dear ones some who suddenly left this world without saying goodbye while others have lived out their fruitful days.

There were new born babies into our large extended families and cousins have become grandmothers and grandfathers!!

there have been new additions to the family - new in laws

there have been tragedies - Japanese tsunami and landslides and earthquakes to name just three.

Personally I must thank the Almighty who has granted me good health and a great sense of humour to see me through thick (extra inches on my waist) and thin (wallet is getting thinner every day with all the inexplicable inflated prices)besides other ups and downs.

But my all time delight has been the writing I have taken to heart - in my blog Sarawakiana@2. And of course reading of some of the best books ever written in English.

to all friends and relatives in the real world...Great healthy days ahead with blessings from the Almighty God...("The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom...")

...to all my friends and relatives in Cyberspace...

and to one and all......

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012....Let us all pray for Peace and Harmony

Signing off with photos from friends of the Hornbill a bird which is considered by many as a symbol of
health
wealth
loyalty
faithfulness
peace
and
majesty (of God)
protection (it protects mankind from serpents)
and ecological balance

Photo : Courtesy of Peter Yong - Baby Hornbill...before its colour changes. Like the ugly duckling it will become beautiful as it grows older.

Photo Courtesy of Lam Ching Fu...What a lovely bird..and a unique call if you can hear it in the jungle. Once heard never forgotten. God has given it a special voice!!

Photo : Courtesy of Sarawaklens - Hornbills keep snake population at bay in Sarawak.in the ecological web.

Each an every one of us has a role to play and a right to live!! We have the right to soar as high as possible...and may you all have wind beneath your wings.......
And May God bless you especially when you are weary and heavily burdened..

One of the TWO FIRST Chinese to Plant Rubber in the Rajang 1901-1907

2011-12-22T08:06:00.003+08:00

Who was the Hokkien man who planted the first rubber trees in Sibu in the 1900's? The Foochows have always known that Wong King Huo as the first Chinese who planted rubber in Sibu...but do you know anything about the Hokkien history?

The Hokkiens are actually from Xia Men or Amoy (old English word). And perhaps there were more than two amongst those who came with Wong Nai Siong.

Rubber was first planted in the Ensurai area by the Foochows brought to Sibu by Wong Nai Siong.But surprising there was one Amoy or Mingnan man amongst them and he settled together with the Kutiens in Ensurai as one of the earliest courageous rubber planters. Indeed out of 1118 Foochow pioneers brought by Wong Nai Siong there could be more than 1 Hokkien (Amoy) man amongst them To date no one has made a complete name list of the 1118 Foochow pioneers who came to Sibu!!
(Photo is courtesy of Wong Meng Lei )

His name is Kuo Yew Tzu...the grandfather of Han Sen (aka Mr. Bean)- you can also visit his famous outlet at Beautiful View Garden near Bukit Aup in Sibu..and enjoy his special hand man noodle dishes...

River Boats in the Baram

2011-12-22T06:03:00.005+08:00

Christmas carolling by river boats any one?

Yes...in the 1960's before the political upheavals in the Rajang areas the Methodists used to herald the birth of Christ by visiting friends and relatives using their family owned motor launches when footpaths could not reach the distant homes along the river...

This is one small memory I would like to write about. But I have no digital images of those days..and those carollers. and instead I bring you this article today as I think of the special Christmas time in Sibu with my grandmother and those lovely motor launch days.....I like to remember the late Rev. Lau Ngo Kee and the late Rev.Ho Siew Leong (a Henghua but spoke excellent Foochow) who provided pastoral care especially amongst others.

Travelling along the huge Baram River in Sarawak is always a great thrill for me. In the 1990's I had to supervise many English pre service teachers during their practicum. I would spend a week every month travelling up and down the Baram. My journey would start at Kuala Baram often in the very early morning. I would have to start at 5.30 in the morning so that I could reach the express boats pier or jetty by 6.45 and to take the 7 o'clock express boat. The boat men would recognise me and help me up the boat and greet warmly. It really was a nice feeling to be recognised by almost everyone.

I would travel to "Half River" or Pengkalayan where there was a school which seemed almost floating on water at high tide!! And then in the afternoon I would reach Marudi ready for the next day's work. On the third day I would travel again up to Benawa where there was a very good school which was nestled amongst mangrove swamps and it was not infrequent that I would meet monkeys on the trees and some snakes slithering amongst the roots of the trees while I carefully walked on the wooden plank walk.

From Benawa I would take the afternoon express boat to Long Lama where I would the night at a lodging house. If the Principal was around I would have some intellectual discussion and good company. Otherwise I would enjoy an evening with the students.se The next day I would start observing my students again. Immediately after the observations I would take the last express from Long Lama and reach Marudi just in time to catch the last flight from the town. If it rained I would have to stay the night again. Sometimes if I had students in Long Ikang it would mean that I have to observe two students in that school and stay longer on the Baram!!

It was not so difficult to plan the logistics after one year of itinerant work like this. And I was only involved in one express boat accident when it ran aground on a sand bank. No hijacking ever occurred in this peaceful valley.

This was my kind of life for about 10 years. But it only added to my already very enriched and culturally exciting life!!

Today it would be best if you could travel by the slow Chinese motor launches which are now rather rare. In the 1960's those were the only means of travelling from the river mouth of the Baram to as far as Long Lama.

Today land transport has taken over because of the rapid rate of progress in the state. Roads are now criss crossing the Baram valley and into the interior as far as Bario!! At one time Bario was considered even inaccessible by road. Now the story is different.

I would like to thank all the boat men who helped me in my journeys. And I am sure many others who have had the opportunities to travel by river would like to remember the boats and the boatmen with fondness.

Hence I have captured many photos of the life on the Baram..and here are some photos of the river boats before they are completely taken off our social scene!!

I am sure many people would have good memories (some bad ones of course) of their journeys up and down the Baram river....

A very special era of river boats is slowly being extinguished by modern technology and progress. And I do pray that the future of the Baram will be a brilliant one!!

Ribbons for My Hair

2011-12-21T05:50:00.001+08:00

Photo courtesy of Lisa Ting..Christmas in Miri

My dear friend Lisa T posted a photo on her facebook and sent me back to the past...As I reflected on her photo..I thought of these:

If little girls have their wishes they would wish for

1. ribbons for their hair
2. pretty dainty shoes
3. a big flirty skirt
4. lacy blouse
5. long hair tied in pony tails
6. dolls with blue eyes and may be real hair to comb
7. a birthday party
8. a best friend oth
9. white frilly socks / stockings
10. a nice school bag

However different cultures would bring up their daughters in different ways and often mothers in a cross cultural marriage would find it most difficult to meet with the aspirations and dreams of their lovely daughters who may think differently and dream differently.

Children in foster homes or orphanages would also have their dreams but how are their dreams met?

This Christmas let us think of all those children who are being brought up by adults who are not their biological parents and pray for them that they too grow up in love and with God's protection.

I would like to pay particular and special tribute to fathers who have "combed their daughters' hair and put ribbons on their pony tails...wiped their tears away...and cleaned their scraped knees...and took them for swimming lessons or dance lessons...or just spend quality time with their young daughters ."

The new generation of parents should be bringing up their children better with all the education they have and with guidance/knowledege from every corner of the earth.......

I would also like to pay a special tribute to all mothers who struggle to put a worthy spiritual life into their children while trying their best to keep even her own body free from physical and verbal abuses.....

And to my own mum who cut all our hair short.....because when she was young (BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR) she had the "navy hair cut " (very short ) . She continues to maintain that the best hair is short and straight but well washed and neat.

I never did once wish I could wear long hair with a hibiscus in the hair and clad my body in a sarong and walk along the beach with a wonderful guy .....my wish was two swords on my back and riding a horse to right the wrong and kill the wicked!! Under the influence of the One Armed Swordsman indeed!! Ja! Ja!

And then I too brought up my three girls and made them keep short hair...but if I could do it all over again I really would want to give them ribbons for their hair and lace for their little dresses....I would like to spend more time with them playing "house"...yes indeed I would like to spend more time singing and praying with them.

Today with my post is a song by Jim Reeves...do enjoy it as you rush around with Christmas busy-ness and end of the year meetings....Take time to listen to your children's prayers...

http://youtu.be/Quiz

Biskut Cina Mati

2011-12-20T07:43:00.002+08:00

The Osborne biscuits originated in England. And it was brought over to the British colonies ...

Osborne Biscuits These were originally produced in 1860 and were one of the first semi-sweet varieties of biscuit to find mass favour. Initially intended to be called after Queen Victoria, Her Majesty declined to be associated with a commercial product but gracefully suggested that they could name the biscuit after her favourite home, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

(www.huntleyandpalmers.org)

What did happen during the initial manufacturing of the Osborne Biscuits in Malaya we would not know. Perhaps the local manufacturers started making the "imitation" ones..or they really had the rights to producing them in Malaya and Singapore...As I do remember as a child I learned to spell OSBORNE as I ate each biscuit with my KLIM milk. I also learned to spell MILK backwards as KLIM...and for a long time I did not know which word should be MILK.

One of those childhood mis-pronunciations. and one of those strange mix-ups.

Osborne biscuits were not favoured by those having poor dental health or dentures. I learned to chew my biscuits with my molars....and I never bit them off using my front teeth!! When I looked at people with gold teeth eating the Osborne biscuits I would just watch the gold glistening and feel good just watching the process!! I was told I was very rude watching people like that....but then it became a habit...people watching...

Later in life I was amused by what a friend told me how he and his relatives have been calling the Osborne biscuits...:Biskut Cina Mati - because whenever there were funerals in his small town..the Chinese would place Osborne biscuits on the tables for mourners and relatives to eat...My friend and his play mates would sneak into the funeral venue and take the free biscuits!! Hence the name...

Photo courtesy of Florita

Osborne biscuits were served as breakfast in government boarding schools in the 60's and 70's. The students called them "hard biscuits"... or just "roti". and the tins which kept the biscuits in were sold at 50 cents to any one who like to put their noodles or other perishables in. These biscuit tins were also recycled as "luggage" for travellers using long boats. From time to time we heard of people's lives being saved by these tins.

Many families continue to buy Osborne biscuits as part of their daily necessities because they do not get mouldy easily in the rural areas where refrigeration is not possible without electricity supply. And these biscuits do not get soften (masuk angin) as easily as other biscuits.

There are many other stories related to this biscuit.

Today the real or original Osborne biscuits are too expensive for the ordinary people like us.

(P/S If and when you visit the Isle of Wight one day you would be able to see the beautiful Osborne House....)

Bruneian Gendang

2011-12-18T18:01:00.001+08:00

The Giant Hypermarket in Bandar (DS) has an added attraction this month. A Malaysian Fair complete with good traditional musical bands.

When I was there I saw the Gendang Band having a huge audience...and a few guys came up to dance and sing...

It was a lovely and warm evening...and everyone was friendly. Some how fairs and music just make every one feel good about themselves and each other....

Thanks to the musicians for their fine music and singing...and for allowing me to take their photos!!

Brunei Songket - an actual loom within a shop!!

2011-12-17T06:27:00.001+08:00

The Yayasan Buidling of Bandar Brunei Darusalam offers fantastic shopping facilities. But the most wonderful outlet is the mini-songket living museum right at the entrance (facing the river Brunei or Kedayan).

You can't miss it!! Here I have some photos to show you the splendid shop-cum-mini-museum of a living cultural skill!!

A view of the whole loom....

The beautiful loom for songket making....a legacy of women of olden days....

Beautiful threads...slowly turning into a beautiful piece of Songket...the pride of Brunei.

The skilful young lady and her loom...this may take her three months to finish.

Modern hand made silk products from local people as well as foreign countries.

Lovely embroidery for the neck of the traditional Baju Kurong/kebaya..Hand made this costs a bomb and especially prepared for a wedding!!

Lovely view of the outside from the shop!!

Another shot of the loom...and the wooden threading wheels - isn't women's weaving skills amazing? And this has been with us for perhaps 20 generations or more??!

Nescafe in the Rajang River

2011-12-16T06:36:00.000+08:00

The aroma from a freshly made coffee in a mug gives me that warm kick start for the day. It also helps me crank up my creative juices...and I am at peace with the world.

Some time ago on a trip to the Ulu (up river) on the Rajang River - the longest river in Sarawak and Malaysia I caught this scene....

Nescafe has come to the interiors of Sarawak in many different ways!!

The instant coffee is very versatile and easy to use. Water boiled in kettles over wood fire can easily help housewives prepare the sweet thin instant coffee.

A tray of coffee in tin mugs is a sure welcome to a weary traveller and long house dwellers know this only too well.

Coffee can become very expensive as one travels further up the river. I can live on dry biscuits and sugared water with just a a sprinkling of Nescafe !! Why very thin coffee? Sometimes it is just to camouflage the muddy river water...sometimes it is just housewives' budget conscious ways....A large bottle of Nescafe is always a good gift to friends and relatives in the Ulu when you visit them. And of course a few plastic packets of granulated sugar!!

Nescafe is such a good brand that in the Iban language nescafe is synonymous with coffee. "Ka nyirup nescape deh?" "Would you like some coffee dear?" (Many Kanowit Ibans cannot pronounce 'f" which becomes 'p' in their speech. So "fish" is "pish" with a little lisp...no offence meant. So may be that is why coffee is kopi in this part of the world.....) But then we Foochows also say..Goh Bee...when we mean COFFEE.

I wonder how much the company is paying for this advertisement or is it for free?

This river boat or motor launch is really full by the looks of it...

Have a great weekend!! More Instant Nescafe Coffee?

Malay Union Club House @ Kampong Nyabor

2011-12-15T06:47:00.000+08:00

I thank the MUC Facebook owner for the illustrations and photos. And would like to dedicate this post to all my friends from Kampong Nyabor and Kampong Datu...and as far away as Kampong Hilir and Kampong Nangka....we had a great time growing up in Sibu in the 1960's!!

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Kampong Nyabor originally was the kampong which grew up on the east bank of Sg.Limbangan. It ran from Tong San Road to the Mosque at the junction of the then Queensway or Wireless Road (Dian Sian Road). Several bridges crossed the Sg. Limbangan to the Sibu town at Central Road and Bridge Road.

During very dry seasons the people of Sibu could be seen washing their clothes in Sg. Limbangan and also carried water in tins using either the simple bian dan (shoulder pole) or bicycles. Those were the days when even standpipes were rare!! And most homes depended on rainwater which were saved from gutters made from tin or aluminium sheets(?). We learned to be very sparing in the use of water then. Towards the middle of the 1950's we were fortunate to get piped water!! And the night soil men disappeared from our social life.

The Sg. Limbangan was thus the life support system of Kampong Nyabor in particular. Today it is all covered up...and people have forgotten about it...Two generations have grown up!!

One centre of activity of Kampong Nyabor (if not for all the Malay Community of Sibu) was the Malay Union Club which held activities throughout the year. It could be a Bangsawan or a Fun Fair...and it would be a simple musical concert!!

The loudspeakers were good...and the singing could be heard loudly in the area...Living only about 5 houses away I had the benefit of staying up late at night and listening to good music and occasionally very poor singing...All these stopped because of the Communist Insurgency and the curfews imposed by the then government...

When I first moved to Kung Ping Road. This was the nicest building at the beginning of the road. My father would take me to see the Bangsawan or Concert organised by the Malays of the Kampong. I remember my father winning a set of glass ware. My mother still has the glass water jug . I suppose in a small town like Sibu at that time...MUC was the most "happening" place for the locals. The Sibu Recreation Club was for the Civil Servants who played mahjong on weekdays and who danced on Saturday nights. Cocktails was often held by the Resident (Mr.Griffin for example) and bankers would have their drinks..."Whiskey or brandy sir?" I wonder if the mems had special cocktails like Bloody Mary or Long Island Tea then...Most probably a Singpoare Sling.

My house in Brooke Drive was four doors away from this building. I had a good time visiting the entertainment stalls when there was fun fair organised by MUC. The Bangsawan was a good training ground for me ..as it taught me how to appreciate stage work and performances . I used to look at the ladies who were dressed nicely for the local "happenings".

In 1976 I started teaching in Sibu and was often at the Art Friends Photo Studio. I was in Sibu 1976 till 1987...where all four of my children were born. Two were born in the Lau King Howe Hospital and two in private clinics. I used to hang out with students at the Art Friends...hence again I was associated with MUC for again 12 years of my adult life!! AFS was a good place to hang out with students.

The newest (4th) MUC building in Sibu. This is the MUC I do not know of now. Perhaps one day I will go and pay a visit and look at some of the old photos.

Red Faced Ducks @ Tamu Kedayan (Miri)

2011-12-14T09:20:00.015+08:00

In December every year my mother would start worrying about getting a duck for the winter solstice festival or Turn Chek. Duck soup with mee sua was a special treat for all of us. And we really looked forward to the festival.

She could have a duck from our own back yard if she had been successful in rearing some during the year or she could buy a duck from the wet market which would be so much easier then. However she would save the $1.00 fee for feather plucking and all of us girls would gather together to pluck the feathers and use tweezers to pluck out the finer feathers..Ducks were really hard to dress!!

We had renegades in the family mind you....

But then the duck meat soup and the mee sua would be so memorable that we would forget the hardwork we put in. Today we call this social fun as "bonding". In the old days it was just sibling chores and perhaps just obedience.... But sometimes my mother would just shoo us off because we were doing a very bad job...she would say.."Go and study...let me do...can do faster...keli kelak (Foochow for talkativeness or chattiness)..nothing gets done....!!" But in retrospection kitchen work was so much more fun than work!!

Perhaps I was really learning about "effective habits from the kitchen". Do work quietly and efficiently and quickly...in record breaking time...

The red faced duck or Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to Mexico and Central and South America. But it has really found favour with the Foochows of Sibu. I am wondering whether the other races like this duck as much as we do. The Ibans are beginning to raise them in their villages.

I was this age when we moved from Pulau Kerto to live in Sibu Town..and my mother's herd of ducks disappeared from our lives. Her ducks would swim in the high tide and we would fear the snakes coming in the evenings..and at low tide the ducks would be so happy foraging in the mud! We would watch all these from the stair case! These white ducks with yellow beaks are called Pekin Ducks or Chuong Nguang and they love to dip themselves beak down in the water to look for food. (Hence dabbing ducks). The scientific name for this kind of duck is Mallard. And they are found all over the world and in Sarawak.

We buy ducks like this in the towns of Sarawak...all wrapped up..Wrapped Cash and Carry!!

Three Happy ducks..posing for me..."How are you? How's your mother?"

This is one awesome male Muscovy duck...red faced duck which is handsome and is top of the peck!! This is easily 4 kg. If you cannot speak Iban (the lady duck farmer is Iban) you can see for yourself that 4.0 kg is written on the newspaper and all you have to do is RM16x 4= RM62.00 !! Pay up or try to bargain..and get it a round figure of RM60.00...Some foochows love to eat the red comb of the duck and find it exotic and gelatiny....Do you think that it will really give one longevity?

So whenever I see sights or scenes of ducks in the market at the end of the year...it is a sign that the Winter Solstice is here...and mums would be getting their longevity noodles ready for dads to come home to....
Winter Solstice Festival is another reunion for families....for fathers to come home from work away from home or from Imperial Examinations in the olden days....and Tang Yuen would be boiled to sweeten the mouths of the children.....

Happy Winter Solstice Festival!!

Linoleum in Sarawak

2011-12-13T05:57:00.000+08:00

Floors in a tropical country are beautiful. They can be made from wood or bamboo. The best are the hard woods like Selangan Batu or Belian.

The early 50's saw the arrival of floor lino and every one started buying them up from the Sibu shops like Tai Sing(Blacksmith Road) or Tai Lung (No.1 High Street). today in the 21st Century they are still being sold and made use of for different purposes. The linoleum sold in the shops for the Sarawak market is definitely not the same as those sold by businesses in the US or the UK.

Ours are all rolled up and you actually buy them Cash and Carry. In Europe a house owner would need to call an expert to install the linoleum tiles.

Any way...I am writing about the so called linoleum flooring material sold in Sarawak and I just wonder how many people can recognise these two photos. Enjoy some nostalgia!!

The linoleum patterns and colours are so different from those of yesteryears. And they are a little thinner too. But the prices are higher now. Today we use meters to measure the material. In my grandmother's time the shopkeepers used the Chinese measurement of Chien ( a little less than a yard) and later they used yard. So in fact I went through three systems of measurements. I am not at all confused..it is just a matter of good calculations and proper measurements .....

In the olden days young mothers would always buy a small piece of linoleum to be placed under the baby bouncer or NYUT..a piece of cloth would be used to catch the pee from the sleeping baby...Those were the nappy-less days. The lino would keep the wooden floor dry and clean. And at times three or four children would just have to make do with their piece of lino on the floor without any mattress or bedsheets!! How affluent we have become over the years!!

Do you know who invented this flooring material?

Fredrick Walton invented linoleum in 1860. He got the idea for his product by observing the skin produced by oxidized linseed oil that forms on paint. Later the Scottish flooring manufacturer Michael Nairn made it famous.The name linoleum comes from the Latin word linum which means flax and the Latin word oleum which means oil.

So when you have a chance to see linoleum covering a table or an uneven floor you would now realise how far it has travelled from Europe to our parts of the world.

Bread and Butter

2011-12-12T08:51:00.002+08:00

"I depend on tuition for my bread and butter." If you say this in Malaysia you could raise eyebrows!! Not that giving tuition is lowly..but many would really take the idiom bread and butter literally. Bread and butter means source of regular income.

There used to be a bakery of the old kind in Sibu along Central Road. It was a "back shop" and the rental must have been like $50 per month. While most people would get their bread (Regular long and unsliced- this was called the block bread or loti teauh... or the round shaped roti baked in a round tin - this was called the wheel bread - chiar lun bao) in the morning my frugal dad would get the day old bread at half price . Dad was careful with his money all his life(albeit short) having been trained by his own family to be frugal. Having lost his mother at a young age also made him financially anxious all the time. He did tell us a few times "when I was your age I had to go over to my maternal grandfather Chong's with a small cotton bag to borrow rice to tie us over...my mother was very very frugal...so be careful with money always.."

Do you know that the best toasts came from the charcoal fires of Lok Huong Coffee Shop under the Palace Theatre? I was always impressed by the large amount of butter the kopi shop owner would slap on the toasts...the toasts were literally dripping with oil.!!..On the marble table would be a few hardboiled eggs and pulut pangang. I would sit at the table with my dad enjoying his bread and butter and this Kopi-o-kaw after our marketing...

Aside from B and B as an idiom I have something to write about butter dishes.

Recently I bought a nice butter dish (something which delights me no end). And I really wanted to put a nice block/slab of butter in it. And indeed I was happy to get a slab of Golden Churn (made in Australia which is deemed halal).

My butter dish ( something went wrong with my camera)

My almost perfect French toast. I like the slightly burnt parts. Cheese hidden under the egg...

Another view of my butter dish

Examples of butter dishes around the world

Sometimes it is not the desire to own things that makes one buy an item.

For me it is a kind of connection I want to make with the past. Making french toasts in the morning. Having a cup of black coffee. Or gently spreading butter on a slice of nicely toasted whole grain bread....and then closing the lid on the butter dish.

It is a by gone era "thing"..but it makes me feel good inside. So why not?

Well I am not going into antique shops and buy 100 of them.....LOL!!!

Limbang Government Secondary School 1974

2011-12-10T04:06:00.000+08:00

My first year of government teaching service was in Limbang in 1974.

There were many firsts for that year. And I am dedicating this post to the students of SMK Limbang who will be having their reunion in Limbang on 20th Dec 2011. I would like to thank Lanie Belayong (my Form 4 C student in 1974) for without his photos I would not be able to write this article. He is working in Belaga now and thanks to FB we have re-connected after more than 36 years!!

The students were amazing and my colleagues fairly exceptional in many cases.

Let me count the blessings of that year.
1. A remarkable Head and his equally brilliant wife..Mr. and Mrs. Phang.
2. A smart team of teachers from all over the world and from Malaysia. It was a mini United Nations.
3. A beautiful crop of students who were hardworking and focussed in learning.

Non-academic staff - cooks- gardeners and matron with the late Datuk Mustapha Besar (this is a 1973 photo)

4. A very humble team of non-academic staff who worked beyond their office hours ...walking the extra mile.

Photo courtesy of Lanie Belayong (@Belaga)

(The school had a special Boarders' Prefectorial Team to help run the hostels 24/7 very effectively). And I truly believe that they would never forget their experiences staying in the hostels.

5. The students were mainly all-rounders - active in sports - attentive in class - and willing to be leaders and followers.

6. We had a horse called Puteh.
7. The late Balang Lasung became our good friend!!
8. There were three American Peace Corps teaching in the school and they were very fond of the students. Most teachers would hit town at about 4.30p.m. and waited for the hot buns from the kedai kopi next to the cinema.

9. We did everything BY HAND - cyclostyled notes...(getting our hands dirty) - typed our own notes - (no photostating machines) - drew our own teaching diagrams on manila cards etc.- cut grass with parangs - washed toilets every day with the students - and planted peanuts on the school hill slopes!! Vaccum cleaners were not heard of at that time. Below is a photograph by Lanie Belayong - he said "In those days exchange of photos was a must to remember friends and colleagues..." A perfect sample of handwritten messages at the back of black and white photos!!" Poignant moments in our lives in Limbang.

Form 4 C 1974......each individual student had already formed their strong and independent personality and ready to take on the world!! It was never a difficulty to get them to learn!

Lanie Belayong, George Mathias,Balang Rining Mathew Sultan & Martin Labo. Taken in 1974, akademi limbang

Our work party - the building was our main staff room which included the Principal's office. A poignant incident - an Ulu parent came to visit Mr. Principal and he took of his shoes at the door. You would never see this kind of humility and courtesy in any town in Malaysia. I teared up immediately!!

10. We worked in the staff room until past midnight sometimes...with almost all the teachers who lived in the school campus. Even the Principal and his wife came to work at night!

A class photo...the boys wore all white and looking so clean. With the late Mrs. Kumar. Photo from Lim Lee.(You would notice that today students do not sit down on the floor like this any more...) 1975.

The school prefects and the Principal and Assistant Principal - The prefects practically helped the two to run the school!! They were very effective leaders!!

the school badge was designed by the late Datuk Mustapha Besar who was Principal of SMK Limbang in 1973.

1974 was a great year indeed. the batch graduated in 1975 and remained best of friends ....and I too remember them well for they taught me about teaching and learning in a real and unique Sarawakian environment more than I had learnt at a university!! I was really blessed!

May God bless you all and your reunion!! Happy Memories always...

Foochow Char Gii Mien (Halal Version)

2011-12-09T06:02:00.001+08:00

This recipe is especially for my friends who asked for the halal version of the Mi Sup Goreng Foochow which is very famous in Sibu. And the photo is by Lawrence Ding.

The story associated with Char Gii Mien in Sibu is this:

My family lived at Kung Ping Road (road name was later changed to Brooke Drive)from 1955 to the 1990's. Our house was a beautiful Sibu styled wooden house with 8 rooms built by my grandfather.It has coloured window panes. Later my mother developed it into a shophouse called Takang Building.

There was a coffee shop called Kaban Coffee Shop right at the junction of Kampong Nyabor Road and Brooke Drive(Opposite Art Friends). There were a few stalls run by both Chinese and Malay operators. We frequented the stall owned by Hew Ming Ung whose wife calls my mother Aunty or Chuo Goo (because she is a Lau too).

Mum would always send one of us out with a Thai made container to buy RM5 - worth of Char Gii Mien because take away would contain more soup and even more noodles..So in Foochow mum would always say.."Har Sik"..or more value for money. It would be enough for the whole family of hungry children.

The noodles also got fatter as we had to walk for about 5 - 10 minutes home. We loved eating the "fattened" noodles. And Ming Ung would always add a few more fish balls for us!

Nowadays whenever I order CGM for myself I would think of the Hew family.

Sadly when I moved away from Sibu the Hew family suffered a great tragic loss. Their pretty daughter at age 14 (Beautiful Treaure) was raped and buried in a shallow grave in Durin by 5 school drop outs! That murder case stunned the Sibu society for years!

Not long ago I met up with the couple. Ming Ung is just a year older than I and he has white hair and a sad look. The couple continues to earn a living as mee stall owners.

(Photo courtesy of Lawrence Ding)

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

Yellow oily noodles ( your own portion or 1 cup each)
2 ringgit worth of sawi (sliced 2 inches length)

1 tablespoon cornflour

garlic - 1 clove
onions - 4 small ones
20 thin slices of fresh fish flesh e.g. tapah/pomfret/garoupa(optional)5 slices each.
2 pieces of fish cakes
1 packet of fish balls
400 gm chicken breast meat (sliced thinly and marinated in some salt and pepper and coated with some cornflour)
1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
4 tablespoons of cooking oil(If you use olive oil the fragrance would be different)
1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce
fresh prawns

salt and pepper to taste

6- 8 bowls of chicken or meat stock (optional)

green onions (for garnishing)
coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Method:

The Frying of the Noodles (Goreng)
Heat up a wok to high heat and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When hot add some garlic slices and then fry the noodles until cooked. Lift from the wok and set aside. A bit of burnt noodles would give that extra oomph.

Preparation of the soup
1. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the work and add in the rest of garlic.
2. Add the chicken slices. Sear the meat.
3. Add dark soya sauce.
4. Add the chicken or meat stock. Add the fish sauce
5. Bring to the boil and add the fish balls and fish slices and prawns. When the soup is boiling add the vegetables and coriander.
6. Add the noodles and let them boil for two minutes. Add salt and pepper.
7. Garnish.

Serve in large bowls.

The soup would be thick (but you can still thicken the soup with more cornflour) and good for slurping on a very cold day!! But the noodles would be just wonderful even if you do not add the cornstarch.

( For non halal dish - add liver and pork slices...and pork fat crisps or yew char which originally was the only ingredient besides the vegetables and pond fish and river prawns in our own farm house in the past....we also used the home dried left over noodles which needed to be boiled with a bit of oil in the kuali to make them oil...and then fried in the kuali again...Add some red rice wine.)

"Second Landlords of Sibu"

2011-12-08T07:51:00.000+08:00

In 1955 my father moved our family from Pulau Kerto to Sibu town. It was quite a big change for me because I had to acclimatise to having neighbours who were Malays and each morning I would be wakened up by the call to prayers from the Mosque. But best of all I was able to go to Primary One in the Methodist English Primary School. Finally I was able to wear white socks and a pair of red Bata shoes. I did not dare to ask for ribbons for my hair.

Water came from government water board and we had 24 hour electricity supply. Pulau Kerto was different because we used rain water and our electricity came from the Hua Hong Ice Factory. Once the ice factory "workshop" stopped running the generators we would have no electricity. However it was surprising may be to many because I grew to love the smell of kerosene lamps! Even today when I visit longhouses and old kampongs a whiff of kerosene smell would send me back to the 50's in Sibu.

Another issue which impacted me was the stories I heard from relatives who would complain about their tenants who would pay only very small rents like $20 or $60...and how difficult it was for them to collect rents!! So it got on to us that there were Second Landlords who were evil and conniving...taking the rice away from the actual property owners. I could not comprehend then why would tenants live so cheaply in a shop house!! One room in a wooden house cost $25.00 then.

There are lots of stories from this period in Sibu. My grandmother Siew also sold off her property in the 60's because she was just too tired of the Rental issues and the conflicts with her tenants.

Photo : Courtesy of Lawrence D.

Notice the extensions at the top - originally the shops were only allowed 2 floors above the shop which is known as ground floor. On the extreme right by some kind of " allowances" a third floor has been added. Thus this becomes a four STOREYED shophouse. In English language..first floor refers to the floor above the shop. Second floor is the next floor...and so on. In the Chinese language second floor is actually first floor in the English language. Hence some post office boys get very confused. One can even be confused by 1-2-3-4....

1965-1967 were years of tears and frustration in Sibu especially in the property market. These were also years of mistrust and brothers were going against brothers and families were torn apart especially by the repealing of the Rent Control Act in 1966.

Many of the Chinese shop houses in Sibu were built after the 1928 fire and the later years . These shophouses were all under the Rent Control Act which was introduced by the British Government to help control rent (as the law said) after 1946. It was very much in favour of the tenants (kept the rent low) and also to prevent the shop owners from throwing out tenants at their own whims and fancies.

I was familiar with that kind of environment where the shop lot owners were very restrained with some only collecting 60 dollars from their tenants who occupy the first floor . Many of the shops had two businesses with the Second Landlord subletting part of the shop on the ground floor. Sometimes there was a tailoring business at the front half the shop and a hairdressing in a cubicle at the back. It was quite common to have a gold smith's shop occupying a quarter shop unlike today's bigger and grander enterprise. thus you could find 4 different businesses being conducted in one shop lot. And more often than not all these four families would live upstairs...two families sharing one floor and one toilet.

I have a very sad story from Sibu to mention here.

"My father (Mr.A) was coerced to sell his 2/3 share of a shop at High Street to a certain young man who was from a very prominent family (Mr. Z) while I was away working in a logging camp. The youngman's family owned 1/3 share of the shop.

The rich and young man promised to pay my father with 12 cheques . Mr. Z had inherited the 1/3 share of the shoplot. His mother was even a school headmistress.

The price was dirt cheap in my opinion but my father was kind and considerate and agreed to sell because he felt that he was really tired of collecting the small rental every month.

Without my father's knowledge the Rent Control Act was about to be repealed within 3 months of his agreement of sale.

The young man sold the property immediately at a high price thus making a new fortune for himself and took off to Canada and the last two cheques bounced!!

Talk about cheating an old grandfather!!

I was not able to get my hands on Mr.Z's throat but my father being a kindly Chinese gentleman was very hearted and forgiving and told all his children not to go to court. He said "We still have something to eat...we are not starving..."

Dear Readers...this is just ONE of the many sad stories from the 1950's and 1960's Sibu (my birthtown).

Malay Apple

2011-12-07T06:55:00.000+08:00

My daughters went to St. Columba's Primary school and I used to wait for the Malay Apple Tree to flower because I was very homesick for Sibu where the Malay Apple (Syzygium malaccense Merr. & Perry (syns. Eugenia malaccensis L., Jambos malaccensis DC) trees were plentiful.

Well I supposed over the years it did flower but I never did catch the blooms on camera.

However I was over the moon when I noticed a really brilliant tree a few days ago. These are the first few photos I took with my new camera. For the younger generation this fruit is rather old fashioned and they might not even know the names like jambu merah, jambu bar, jambu bol, jambu melaka, jambu kling and jambu kapal.

This old tree must be at least 50 years old...probably planted by the first few Anglican missionaries. The pink and the green provide a great contrast to the old fragile branches. They give a keen observer the feeling that while the tree is still standing it will continue to burst into flowers and bear fruits. What a majestic natural gift!!

It is really exciting to see these flowers on the rough and gnarled branches.

Blooms on the branches are very pretty.

Stamens falling on the grown making geometrical formations.

Beautiful flower.

A pink carpet with sun spots on the ground...a few minutes after this shot was taken the rain came pouring down.

One of the fallen flowers. Look at the yellow tips ( anthers) The stamens are rather long.

Medicinal Uses: According to Akana's translation of Hawaiian Herbs of Medicinal Value, the astringent bark has been much used in local remedies. It is pounded together with salt, the crushed material is strained through coconut husk fiber, and the juice poured into a deep cut. "The patient must exercise absolute self-control as the liquid bums its way into the flesh and nerves."

In the Molucca, or Spice, Islands, a decoction of the bark is used to treat thrush. Malayans apply a powder of the dried leaves on a cracked tongue. A preparation of the root is a remedy for itching. The root acts as a diuretic and is given to alleviate edema. The root bark is useful against dysentery, also serves as an emmenagogue and abortifacient. Cambodians take a decoction of the fruit, leaves or seeds as a febrifuge. The juice of crushed leaves is applied as a skin lotion and is added to baths. In Brazil, various parts of the plant are used as remedies for constipation, diabetes, coughs, pulmonary catarrh, headache and other ailments. Seeded fruits, seeds, bark and leaves have shown antibiotic activity and have some effect on blood pressure and respiration.(Wikipedia)

I hope the flowers will continue to develop into fruits !!

Food Covers - Brunei Style

2011-12-06T05:57:00.003+08:00

The first food cover is the type of rattan food cover most Asians and world travellers are familiar with. The second picture shows my own food cover which was made by the Ibans of Durin . You can easily buy this family size food cover "below the Durin Bridge" of Sibu. I am still using it after more than 30 years. Rattan is a good natural material which lasts.

In Brunei the famous "tudung dulang" or rattan food covers catch the tourists' eye immediately.
These must be the most colourful food covers in Asia!! Today the tudung dulang makers are making more colourful ones than ever because they have better materials to choose from and locals are more affluent.

Tudung means cover in Bahasa Malaysia. Dulang means basin. So this food cover actually means a food cover that looks like a basin.

They are definitely a good buy to bring home after a visit to Brunei as a souvenir. According to a local historian the art of weaving (of rattan/bamboo/mengkuang and biru leaves) may be a dying skill since all girls are going for higher education and very well paid jobs. Only the older generation are now making them (not only as a hobby but for sale) in Kampong Ayer (Water Village). Besides homes are now better equipped and flies are "blocked" out by mosquito netting for the windows. So on one hand the food covers are not so necessary now and on the other hand plastic food covers are conveniently available very cheaply in supermarkets and ordinary supply shops!!

It would be a pity really if the art of tudung dulang disappears from the cultural scene.

Many would think that these are hats hanging from the beams in the Kianggeh Market of Bandar (Darusalam). You can ask if you could have one made to order but it takes time and you might move on to another part of the world. However do not be disappointed if your order is not exactly what you thought you have drawn. The tudung dulang weavers do not specifically use a tape measure or ruler to draw their designs. According to one of them they simply "created" their designs!

Colourful food covers well protected by transparent plastic. I think the heart shaped design is so sweet. This is a more modern concept of "cut and paste". Different from the woven concept.

Another special design - a lacey one. This one can cover two or three dishes of food.

Smaller individual dish covers are piled up here. These have the traditional patterns and they come in myriads of colours which brighten up your kitchen table.

So why not take back a tudung dulang as a souvenir from Brunei Darusalam? Besides your purchase will not only help to support the skilled women weavers but to encourage more to continue to uphold an art which needs to be preserved.

Encounter with a Forest Lelabi or Labi-Labi

2011-12-05T07:31:00.002+08:00

The Ibans love to eat the forest lelabi. A catch during a hunting trip would often usher in a huge feast in the communal ruai. But a celebration like this is rare and far in between because the lelabi is no longer Common Food. The increasing population of Sarawak has reduced the lelabi population to a very small number.Scientifically the lelabi is called Dogania subplana .(Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809)

However one of my friends has successfully reared a lelabi to a giant size. It is his pet and he will not have it in the pot!! And I hope no one will steal his beautiful pet. The market value is RM 35 - 40 per kilo. Some people may just buy the blood only to prepare a longevity herbal concoction.

The lelabi is 2 feet wide (shell only) from side to side and about 2 1/2 feet long. It should be about 20kg in weight if not more. Aged 4 years from the time it was scooped from a puddle!! The labi labi is a very dangerous animal in fact. Never put your finger near him. The safe distance is 2 feet because that's how high he can jump from the water. A camera can easily be snapped into pieces by him. According to local beliefs only a clap of thunder can release your hand (if it is not yet swallowed) from his mouth...So never tickle a labi labi!!

Beautiful round eyes.

Interesting nose. This is a good angle..you would be transfix by how his head retracts into his body and he would swim away gracefully.

Neck area...don't ever try to tickle him. His neck can extend up to a good foot.

Cute giant asking for more food. He is a vegetarian.

I often wonder why the Foochows call it a Tong Ngii or long fish. This soft shelled river tortoise is believed to give one longevity and good health. But again it might just be the reason to cause its extinction. The Ibans like all the other rainforest peoples consider it a very clean and organic meat and supplied by nature. They kill what they need and never over hunt.

Perhaps it is a good idea to rear labi labi in a farm so that this species would not become extinct!!

White Christmas - the Song

2011-12-04T07:45:00.003+08:00

This post is dedicated to all my friends who grew up in Sibu 1950's-1960's....

Having grown up in Colonial days of Sarawak my idea of Christmas has been a very English one with robin and holly and red cherries . Christmas food then would be minced pies from Kim Guan Siang and Mackintosh toffees. The fruit cake would be tinned cakes all the way from Dundee! Days like those did not last of course because of the Communist Insurgency and the formation of Malaysia.

My late father did his best when we moved to Sibu town from rural Pulau Kerto by giving us an English Christmas. He registered all three of us for a small kids' party organised by the wives of the local government officials. My mother was too shy to go and we were then too young to remember except the fact that we had gifts from the red bag and I suppose it was the English Sibu Resident who gave away the gifts and there was no Santa Claus. My father had paid a small fee. I can still remember I had a toy tea set and was delighted by it.

The following month I started school and could not even write the figure "1" on my first day. I had no kindergarten education or pre school education because I was living in Pulau Kerto prior to that! I actually felt very illiterate. The next day my teacher taught me to make a circle and helped me say ZERO. I felt Zero no doubt for a long long time because other town kids who already had two years of pre school were able to write not only the Chinese numerals and but say ABC till Z without prompting.

But I did show my achievement to my mother I remember. O O O O O O all over my second page of my new exercise book for Arithmetic.

But that year my school teachers taught us to sing White Christmas because the radio kept on playing that song before Christmas . I did not know the name Irving Berlin until I went to secondary school But my father was a fan of Danny Kaye and owned a few of Bing Crosby's records.

White Christmas was sung by Bing Crosby in his 1954 musical film "White Christmas" featuring the songs of Irving Berlin including White Christmas. Starring Bing Crosby himself and Danny Kaye.

I was not to know that less than 10 years later my father would pass away suddenly.....He would always be the "Bing Crosby" singing this song forever and ever.....my special part was singing along with the children "listen to the sleigh bells" etc and my father would whistle...We would have only 9 Christmases together and I must say today literally I am still dreaming of a White Christmas..

It is strange that after so many decades I still want to hear my father whistle......

May your days be merry and bright...
and may all your Christmases be white!!

The Zhang (Tiong Clan) Sarawak Building in Upper Lanang Road Sibu

2011-12-03T22:38:00.001+08:00

This post is dedicated to all my Zhang relatives all over the world...One of the recent developments in the history of the Zhang Clan in Sibu.

The Tiong or Zhang surname is one of the biggest Chinese surnames in the world. In the Chinese language Zhang is therefore ranked as a Big Surname. The word Zhang is made up of two Chinese characters "Bow" (on the left) and "Long" (on the right).

Sibu has a large population of the Tiong family. And recently the Tiong leaders established a Zhang Clan Building which also houses a History Gallery.

These photos will tell you all about it.

The Chinese Character "Zhang" written by famous Chinese calligraphists throughout the ages.

Statue of the First Zhang with his long bow

Long bows and arrows on display in the gallery

The Sarawak Zhang Clan Building of Sibu funded by the Zhang Association headed by local tycoons.

(All photos courtesy of Steve Ling)

Words by Sarawakiana
one of the Zhangs.

Demolition of 1950's Wooden Shophouses of Bekenu

2011-12-02T05:43:00.003+08:00

Bekenu (also known as Bekenu Bazaar or Bakenu) is a small fishing town near Miri, in Sarawak, Malaysia. It takes about 40 minutes to drive from Miri to the small bazaar from Miri using the new coastal road.

If you drive from Kuching it will take you about 8 hours as the distance is approximately 870.6 kilometres .

The town has a few rows of shophouses(some wooden and more concrete ones now) a fish market, several places to eat, and a pleasant esplanade which lies beside the small river named Sibuti. The town square faces the river, and on the opposite bank are a few Chinese homes and a large Malay kampong.

Many of the wooden shophouses date from the 1930s. Although some were built in 1950's. Even the present( and still in great use )godown is old and run down dating from the 1930's.

The most serious recent flood in Bekenu was in 1962 when shops were flooded up to the first floor and people had to be rescued by fishermen in rowing boats.

People from Miri and as far as Brunei would drive to Bekenu during the weekends to buy fresh fish and vegetables. A few local Chinese restaurants serve jungle fare and exotic meat. In fact some people actually drive for 40 minutes or less just to have a good lunch in Bekenu.

The reason why Bekenu is fairly thriving is because there are many villages around this area. There are also many primary schools in the Sibuti district of which Bekenu is the major bazaar.

Interestingly the locals are of Kedayan descent a special group of bumiputras only found in Sarawak. They are good agriculturalists and fishermen. The women are also known for their innovative basketry skills and food gathering. Their home made belacan sell well and so are the vegetables they gather from the jungle. They are experts in the gathering of nipah shoots and making of nipah sugar (gula apong). You should not be surprised by the sago worms they sell in the tamu. Besides many of the Kedayan women also make some of the best kuihs (cakes) by using gula apong and coconut milk. Most of their cakes are hygienically wrapped in organic leaves in different shapes and sizes.

They are also well versed with jungle herbs and cures. If you need a head ache cure they will promote their jungle leaves and you might even be introduced to their rattan shoots e.g. laris which may help you lower your blood sugar!!

These are the kampongs you may come across:-

Kampung Kuala Satap 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) north
Kampung Lusong 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) north
Kampung Jangalas 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) northwest
Kampung Ajau 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) northeast
Kampung Tengah 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) west
Kampung Sinop 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) east
Kampung Padang 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) north
Kampung Sungi Tiris 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) south

However what is very intriguing is the social milieu of the bazaar and the people who gather there. Bekenu originated because the Brooke Government established a small administrative district office on top of a hill overlooking the "kuala" or mouth of the Bekenu river to keep the "peace" and to collect some customs and excise. In those early days there were already many fishing villages along the \coast and the river banks.

The first shops must have thus been established in the 1930's when Miri and Marudi were already flourishing.

Later a rural district council was established to provide some social services.

In the 1990's Bekenu became a thriving palm oil growth point. Today the little township is packed with 4x4 Hilux and other brand names and planters discuss crop prices and government policies in the few Malay and Chinese owned Kopitiam which still have the essence of old time kedai. The lingua franca here has been a mixture of Iban and Malay. Almost all the Chinese shopkeepers and their children speak great Iban and Malay. Cultural mix is the order of the day .

Last week when I took a few friends to Bekenu I was pleasantly surprised that a transformation was being initiated. The first row of wooden shop houses from the District Office has been earmarked for demolition and I was told that the new block of concrete and modern shop houses would be completed within ten months probably in term for the National Day celebration in 2012!!!

First shop from the landward side. Note the wooden wall on the first floor.

One of the oldest shops in Bekenu.

the ubiquitous Singer signboard. Water level reached the signboards on the first floor in 1962 flood.

the Town Square and its lovely trees where many villagers would enjoy looking at people and waiting for family and friends. A delightful place to catch up with friends too. Not the New York Central Park but it is still a central park!! I will miss it if one day it is taken off for progress and development. A part of the special atmosphere of Bekenu will be left only in the minds of those who love Bekenu.

Red Seeds for Birds in Winter - England

2011-12-01T04:24:00.011+08:00

(This is a scheduled article for lst of December 2011 which I wrote earlier on in the year in case I would be too busy towards the end of the year....I thank all my friends who helped make my trip to England so wonderful and memorable. I thank Judy for asking me to accompany her to the "ends of England" and I thank God for his Provisions every where I go.)

December is the last month of the year and my family of Foochow descent since 1901 usually get ready for Christmas and the New Year. As we count the days and sing carols (or play DVDs of Christmas carols on the player) we also prepare our hearts and our homes for the Birth of Christ. We pray for peace and joy and good will to all man kind. You will be surprised that we actually carry on with this tradition in a Western way due to the influence of Rev and Mrs. James Hoover who served in Sibu for 35 years!

Their first Christmas in Sibu was much anticipated and the whole Sibu congregation came to celebrate with them!!

Back to the present.

And how wonderful it is that we can take a lesson from nature. From God's loving kindness. There is always beauty in God's way. In comparison man's ways can be ugly - kicking dogs and animals around -abusing wives and children - giving crumbs to old people - and being impolite to people of other races - and trying to kill some illegal looking migrants on the road when driving a huge 4 Wheel....

Feed the birds!!

Nature has its marvellous ways. In the cold winter God provides enough nourishment for birds when some ever greens give their best red seeds to feed the birds!

How wonderful nature is. All these shots were taken in England recently at fairly close range but no bird was in sight though. A pity.

These red seeds remind us how nature takes its course. And I in response would say we too must do our best to provide as much as possible for God's creations whether they are big or small. We have the help the defenceless and the weak. Let the strong do what they can..but let the weak live because they too have the right to life!!

these red seeds have always been meaningful to us who have been sending Christmas cards to exclaim the birth of Christ and wish the best to our friends.

Red is a good colour..
..it is the colour of blood.
..it is the colour of love and heart
..it is the colour of happiness
..it is the colour of joy
..it is the colour of celebration
..it is the colour of life!
..it is the colour of Christmas
..it is the colour of gifts
..it is the colour of strength
..it is the colour of birth and therefore renewal!

It is my dearest wish that as we anticpate the birth of Christ this Christmas we too must share our blessings with all around us and bring Peace and Harmony to the world...and that means every one or every living being on this earth!

May the Prince of Peace come with a message of love for all. Peace! Joy!

Andrew Sii - He Celebrated a Life with Songs!!

2011-11-30T09:00:00.005+08:00

Andrew Sii was a little shy cherubic angelic child as a student.

And then his powerful voice "conquered" the world. No one could fill the post of Musical Director of the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference of Methodist Churches better than him. He had won international prizes for with his voice and conducted many concerts for Sibu and Malaysia. For that the people of Sibu must remember him.

Andrew leaves behind a great following of singers and music lovers not only in Sibu but Asia. He leaves behind his beloved wife (Lau Kung Mih ) and three sons.

My uncle Lau Pang Hung (Kung Mih's father) and his family especially would be saddened by his departure.

" Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (启示录Revelation14:13) Quoting Dr. Tie King Tai (another cousin)

Group photo

Family photo of Andrew and his parents in law and his lovely sons and wife.

Fabulous Singers

His 2011 Concert - Ref : Wong Meng Lei's "A Warm Night". (There was a power stoppage but the concert went on..

A beautiful candle has burned out in our midst.

But God truly loves Andrew Sii.

In this time of grief his family and dear ones would need all the prayer support and sympathies. These photos photos have been "grabbed" from his album.

Brief Translation of the orbituary from the Chinese Newspaper
Home address: ( Sibu)Gambier Road 11B.1 Lane 5A
Home tel : 084-335298
Sii (Household) Chuong Yung (elder) - origins = Fujian China Ming Ching 2nd District How Loong .
On 29th Nov 2011 at 11.55 left this world. He breathed his last at the Rajang Medical Centre. He is with God now. Born on 8th July 1960 he lived on earth for 52 years.

His funeral will be on 2nd Dec at 7.30 with a prayer service at his home and burial at Mile 10 Oya Road.

A post funeral lunch will be held at 12 noon at Peking Restaurant for friends and relatives.

To all business friends..relatives and Christian brothers and sisters
Respectfully

Wife : Lau Kung Mih
Sons: Sii How Kai
Sii How Peng
Sii How Hung

(This orbituary is courtesy of Wong Meng Lei who scanned it from the Chinese Newspapers..In Miri we do not have the same news as Sibu...hence my contribution here for all Methodist friends of Miri and beyond..)

The Private Maternity Clinics of Sibu in the 1950's - 1970's

2011-11-29T10:04:00.000+08:00

"Where were you born?"

You can be asked this question in your Form Five Oral English Examination as a warming up activity before the real exams start.

How would you answer it?

These were some of the answers I obtained when I was an Oral English Examiner:

"In a long boat."
"In the padi field."
"At home."
"In the longhouse."
"In a bus."
"In an aeroplane."
or
"In the hospital."
"In Sibu..."

The last answer would be typical of those born in the 50's and 60's when we were trained by our teachers to answer "In which town were you born?"

And this brings me back to the time of Jesus when the Jews had to be born in their ancestors' villages and also return to their home town for registration.

This also applied to the Chinese and Koreans during the many regimes of their history...Children had to be born in their parents' hometown to facilitate demographic documentation.

Today with all the modern mobility and technology one can be born any where in the world. No doubt one day we could even have children born in MARS - another planet.

Many of my FB friends were born here - People's Maternity Clinic. The first private Maternity Clinic in Sibu operated by Mrs. Koh Yik Keng or Madam Wong the eldest daughter of Dr. Wong Chii Hua of Tong San Road.

Many were born here. It is also possible that many Sibu-ians had three generations born in the same hospital (The Lau King Howe Hospital) This hospital was closed when the Sibu Government Hospital was constructed in Oya Road in the 1980's. It was very inconvenient at first for the downriver and upriver people who came by boat but in a way the geographical factors or obstacles were removed when the Rajang was not longer used as the main means of transportation. Today at extra costs every could DRIVE or TAKE the bus to the Sibu Hospital. I still remember many people rowed their boats to the LKH and carried their sick and their very pregnant relatives to the hospital. Hospital orderlies were ever so helpful then in helping these humble people up the jelutong or jetty.

Advertisement in Chinese - People's Maternity Clinic of Sibu (a scanned photo of a 1960 photo which is very faded)

another popular private clinic - Tai Tong operated by a company which employed two dedicated midwives - Madam Maria Wong and Madam Marian Wong. The father of the two sisters was the popular Foochow doctor Dr. Wong Chi Hua.

I have no photo of the Lau Fong Fei Maternity Clinic where two of my children were born.

Perhaps one day I would be able to get better photos for you.

One of my school mates had easy birth and two of her children were too excited to see the world. They both arrived in their father's Mercedes. So they could have answered the question :where were you born?"

Answer :"In a Mercedes."

Pink Rice Cup Cake

2011-11-28T13:11:00.003+08:00

Pink rice cup cakes would always bring me back to the days when the most "happening place" in Sibu was the Tua Pek Kong Wharf where the local villagers would arrive as early as 6 in Sibu to do some buying and selling.

I would be receiving my grandmother and other relatives and in those "days of no family car" as a representative of my parents. I would accompany my grandmother and walked all the l km (only) to my home in Kampong Nyabor. The other relatives would do their shopping and selling of the rubber sheets or ducks or chickens. Grandma would stay one or two nights. (Foochows always say...stay two or three nights..never days..as the meaning would be "pass the night".)

But before doing so my relatives would have a Foochow breakfast at Moi Suong Coffee Shop as a treat for themselves and especially for my grandma. A bowl of bian niik would be a must for her. However if she wanted fish balls we would have to go to another coffee shop called Lok Tien Yuen or Garden of Heavenly Happiness. I love that name...

And one of the tempting and sumptious cakes I would pick up would be the pink rice cup cake or Huat Koh..or Fatt Koh. As a child the pink colour was attractive and I would choose it for its sweet taste too. I would eat it instead of a hard boiled egg or a Toast with Butter from the charcoal stove. I must have developed my sweet tooth from this cake!! Indeed most Foochow cakes are more savoury than sweet.

The beauty of this cake is the cracked top which is actually the scientific result of rice flour mixed with the right proportion of raising agent and the correct steaming temperature. Its special text is a honest proportion of the ingredients. Any cheating would cause the cake to be sticky and lumpy......My grandmother used to say you can even tell the character of the maker from the Huat Koh...Do you agree?

Today the Fatt Koh is smaller and is in a paper cup...To some people it is very easy to make. But to be honest..making a good fatt koh is an honest thing to do...One must never cheat with the ingredients because by doing so the quality of the Merng Goh (Fatt Koh) would deterioriate and there is no Fatt ( or merng) in the cake.....

Many people try to use Eno or 7 up or baking soda and so many other ingredients to make it puff up or double its size...but there is a trick in using traditional raising agent...and the cake will not be sticky or lumpy...I hope I can catch the traditional recipe soon. I often wonder how our ancestors knew so much science to make the cake rise so well....

These Fatt Koh come in pink and white ...and they really look lovely on a marble table inside the traditional Foochow marble table "food glass case which has a lid that opens upwards ". Eating one every now and then would take me back 50 years to the early and honest days of my Foochow people in Sibu....

P/s I would like to have a photo of the traditional glass case for kuih on marble tables in coffee shop. Any one knows what I am hankering for? Even better I would like to buy one....

A Bornean Rural Library - Baruk Style

2011-11-26T07:05:00.000+08:00

In many parts of the world one can see Round Houses. In Borneo the Bidayuh also has their special community hall called the Baruk which is circular in shape.

In a recent road trip I had the opportunity to visit Mt. Singai which is in Bidayuh "country" of Sarawak...And I had my first real encounter with this magnificient Rural Library (Perpustakaan Desa) in the shape of a Baruk - the traditional Bidayuh Round House which was once used as community hall for warriors to display their trophies as well as a very egalitarian meeting place for the whole community. In this way the Bidayuh professed their classless society and remained harmonious and united.

The Bidayuhs also live in longhouses but their round house is their architectural pride. Parts of the roof can be opened like shutters. The original roof was made of atap or leaves (You can still find several of these original Baruk in parts of First Division of Sarawak). The opening of shutters on the roof let in breeze and the sunlight.

This kind of building structure is truly GREEN and environmentally friendly.

Main door way of the Baruk

Baruk from the side. I am sure like the Mongolians the Bidayuhs can easily dismantle this Baruk and move it piece by piece to another site.

The Government Rural Library of Bau

Cement Water Tank

Side view of the building with traditional supporting poles. According to the historical documents available a house like this was traditionally built without a single nail. Twines and ropes made of natural fibre would bind the wood together. The Baruk is usually built 1.5 metres about the ground. Sometimes this was used a the community's granary besides many other functions. It is no easy for anyone to climb into the building...Look at the shutters (white) and see how easily it can be opened upwards.

so now when a rural district library is housed in a Baruk it thus becomes the most unique library in the world!! A Round House which is a House of Knowledge!!

What a wonderful and intelligent idea. It kindly portrays the Bidayuh egalitarian philosophy that knowledge is for all to share.

To me a Baruk is a good symbol for "No Child Left Behind" policy of egalitarian education.

Small Things Matter

2011-11-25T05:17:00.000+08:00

What are the small things which matter in your life?

Many..here's my list:

1. tug boats - they pull bigger ships slowly

2. Zaccheus - a small man who climbed a sycamore tree

3. tongue - without it we cannot eat

4. small mustard seed - our faith is like a mustard seed. It can grow bigger.

5. A smile - it makes the whole world brighter

6. A small boy with 5 loaves and 2 fishes - he helped to feed thousands

7. The bamboo shoot - small but can grow into a wonderful plant of thousand uses!!

8. Two cents worth - we often use this phrase....

9. A gentle touch - it heals many wounds more than you realize

10. A tear drop - an emotional expression

Life on the Rajang

2011-11-24T05:08:00.058+08:00

The Mighty Rajang is 360 miles or 563 km long. It is the longest river in Malaysia.

And it is life giving as well as the best means of transport for the people living and working along its banks. It is not huge like the Huang He or the Ganges but it is equally important and well loved.

If you have heard of Borneo you would have heard of the Rajang - home of the Iban Headhunters or the Melanau people or the Chinese who created a town out of a swamp in 1901.

Kapit originated as fort or garrison town created by the Brooke Rule in 1880. The lovely Fort Sylvia has attracted many tourists in recent years..

In the 1960's it was normal for a student to return home from Tanjong Lobang in Miri or Three Rivers in Mukah to catch a movie in Sibu (as a holiday treat)- after a two day boat journey- and then stay the night in the motor launch with blessings from the boat owner. Early the next day the motor launch would chug its way up the Rajang to Kanowit or Song or Kapit making a whole day and whole night trip. From Miri to Kapit then would take more than five days by water transport for a poor student. Friendly shop keepers in Kapit would offer free lodging in their store room.

Today a trip to Kapit from Sibu is roughly 3- 4 hours with the new special speed limit and also the power of the express boat.

What is life on the Rajang today ? View these photos...

A red clotton head piece which might be used as cloth belt is a clear indication that this man is a wharf labourer or Kak Koh. Kapit wharf still has many of these helpful and strong men. A wharf labourer is no longer the special job of a Chinese. He might be an Iban or a Malay and of course Chinese. This profession is a very ancient profession from the time there were ships plying from one place to another - especially in China.

A clock face is very practical way of helping the illiterate to know what time the express boat will leave. This one leaves at 1.45 p.m. The small prints provide other information in English and Chinese. Usually from Kapit to Sibu in the morning..and from Sibu back to Kapit in the afternoon. You can always catch an "earlier express" or a "later express" to Kapit from Sibu. They seldom provide ETA so a traveller would have to ask more detail questions. The Jagaruan (boat captain) could tell you. If you ask just any other person do not be surprise when you get an answer like.."I am blur lah!" Please don't be offended by the answer because it only implies "I am sorry I don't really know." In Bahasa Malaysia "Kabur lah".
Well soon you will be picking up a bit of Manglish like this " Hope you don't go to Kapit and be blur blur." "Give the porter some kopi-o(tips) if he helps you carry your barang (luggage)."

30 years ago...no cars in Kapit. Today people have the means to own some very luxurious cars and lots of Kancil of course. A man lifting a tyre from the express boat. Life styles have changed in many ways.

A man lifting his own boxes and walk up the hundreds of steps from the express to Kapit.

The ubiquitous plastic bag which can be seen even at Heathrow and here in Kapit.

A woman driving a longboat to welcome home a son or daughter. From the Express to the Long boat is a normal riverine activity every day!! An outboard engine with 40 horsepower is the dream of many Iban women. I too would like to own one.

Basket of Hard Boiled eggs ..for sale..Good whole some food for the journey

A lady hawker trying to make a few ringgit selling soft drinks and hard boiled eggs on board an express.

Gasoline!! In plastic jerry cans or drums....

Two express boats berthed side by side providing an alley way for boys to meet girls..here is a girl trying out her mobile...Signals are good!!

The Mighty Rajang will continue to be the lifeline of the people. We simply love the Rajang!!

This post is dedicated to all my travel companions :
Grace W
J.W.
Lisa K
Jessie K
Dr.D.S.
Daniel T
Alicia C.
Aaron H
Lina K
Keith C
P. Jonathan

and in a way to all those who travel by boat on the Rajang......

May God be with you always.

How do you call this new breed?

2011-11-23T08:50:00.001+08:00

A cross breed of pigs from a wildboar father and a kampong or indigenous longhouse female pig

= i-boar

(i for Iban)

or a Kam - boar (Kam for kampong)

I don't think i- pig would be appropriate.

i- babi (also not so appropriate)..

i-khinsir (Iban word for pig)

So I would leave it to you readers to name the new cross breed today......

New generation of the better and more intelligent khinsir. Each pig is certified healthy by the local vet department!!

Fu Chao Cafe of Oya Road

2011-11-22T03:29:00.002+08:00

We were given a wonderful reception at the Three Pillars Farm in Oya Road when we made a special impromptu visit. Our main aim was to photograph the Wild Red Durian Flowers and the huge chillies which were growing in the farm. Even the rain and the growing darkness did not dampen our spirits.

At the end of the tour when it was nearly 7.30 and in total darkness we left for a delightful canteen operated by Mr.Wong's father-in-law. The cafe was called Fu Chao Cafe. It interestingly serves all people from all walks of life and especially the farm workers who work in Oya Road. It is similar to a roadside cafe in the USA where truck drivers would stop for a meal of burgers.

However apart from serving the usual Kampua Mee earlier in the day this cafe is famous for its traditional Foochow Fried Noodles which is loved by most traditional Foochows who miss grandma's noodles. It is also a favourite item ordered by people from other racial backgrounds who enjoy fried noodles from different cuisines!!

Foochow Fried Noodles - the best well fried noodles - with lots of fresh vegetables and a bit of pork. The secret of frying this noodle is the skill of frying the noodles without getting them stuck to the bottom of the kuali and having each noodle strand separated from each other. Any gluey and sticky balls of noodles would not be a compliment to the chef!!

Foochow Fried Kuey Tiaw with tomato sauce.

Owners of Three Pillars Farm Mr and Mrs. Wong and their daughter Miss Wong. Mr. Wong like his brothers is completely "white haired" a distinguishing feature of the Wong brothers. Miss Wong is an excellent baker!!

Fresh midin - very delicious - and organic and so crispily fresh.

Hot Foochow onion and egg drop soup!! On a rainy day this is the best soup to share with good friends and family.
This reminds me of my very resourceful grandmother who was very hospitable to any passersby who was stranded in our village. He or she would be invited to stay over night. If we did not have meat or chicken on the table at any moment my grandmother would be able to produce a few new eggs from the hens and lots of spring onions from the garden. This egg drop soup is so welcoming !! It goes well with salted fish and may be a can of braised bamboo. A feast for a tired traveller!!

All of a sudden I felt that I really missed my grandmother and her home in Ah Nang Chong and how she treated the passersby so cordially. It goes without saying that aroma of a special dish brings back special memories. And this soup does it to me all the time.

And so it is a temporary good bye to Three Pillars' Farm...and I am sure we will be back again. (Photo from Three Pillars' Farm blog)
Thanks to the Wong Family.

Hidden Dangers in Miri

2011-11-21T09:56:00.000+08:00

I am not a rocket scientist or a road engineer. But I know what can be very dangerous when I see one or even when it is on paper. Call it a woman's sixth sense or intuition.

So allow a woman to point out one hidden danger in Miri.

Look at the statistics - more than 20 cars have been struck by this hidden danger in Miri (recorded by a proprietor in the area) in one year. That is more than enough proof that these steel bars or rods or whatever you call them are dangerous.

Then aesthetically speaking...a major road to a shopping centre should be pretty and attractive. This small lane is more or less like a back lane for unloading and loading. And very often cars stop to let beautiful passengers off to enter the nice restaurants because of lack of parking space of the esteemed restaurant. When it rains cars queue up in this area because of the bottlenecking situation..and the roundable (which should facilitate smooth flow of traffic) is jammed up to Boulevard Shopping centre!! One can't say and forgive all the time..."This is Miri...."

Personally I think the width of the major road leading to this particular shopping centre is really too small. A small car like mine trying to be more on the left side of the road to give space to huge Harrier the size of a lorry will definitely hit the steel bar or whatever you call it!! Is it for safety? Is it to prevent cars parking here? If it is the latter..please just put some yellow lines or a huge sign board at eye level....Now are we seeing eye to eye? Well if the authorities insist then RAISE the Bar to eye level...and I think lots of young men would be sitting there in the evenings to admire the beautiful ladies passing by like the Italian men in Milan!! They really do that in style .

Well if MMC is so meticulous...it can always put a CCTV at that corner...Not long ago a huge Mercedes also has a punctured tyre...( according to a very good source). The Merc had to limp to the nearest garage. We all know that it is not easy to take out a tyre from a Merc. And a villager cannot do that easily. Not even the best of tyre thieves. What a waste of the important man's time!!

Can you see this bar from your car?

Try knocking your KNEE against this sharp end....

And I think a wheel chair would not like to meet this "fiend".

A very helpful Iban man helping an old lady with her punctured tyre. I think a tyre shop in this shopping centre would be a winner!!

Beyond repair...RM200 gone from the pension or hard earned salary...No more treats this month in the Resort City. They often say...Budget Pecah Sudah!! Like the tyre!!

More of these in Miri please!! And don't drive absent mindedly at any time in Miri...Yeah..don't drink and drive..don't answer your handphone...Can Nokia please make a gadget to tell callers that the phone owner is driving and cannot come to the phone because he/she is driving? Nokia..please help drivers who are driving in a dangerous town.

How best do we make Miri a better city?

I believe we have to give due considerations to the comfort and safety of our citizens - and even more so their pockets.. A city is supposed to be very civilized and well managed with no hidden dangers lurking in the roads - in the centre or at the sides...

Fish Roe Any One?

2011-11-20T14:18:00.000+08:00

Growing up in Sibu in those days meant that we had some of the best fish in the world when money allowed the purchases. And having uncles who were fishermen also helped because we could get bargains or even free fish.

I remember my father would also bring terubok and the females with lots of roe in them. Black pomfret also gave us a lot of fish roe. But the best are from mackerel or ma kah...and we often only had the fish eggs which could be bought separately in those days for 1 or 2 dollars only.

AT that time we have not heard of caviar of course.

this trip to Kuching gave me an extra new perception. New fish and new types of marketing strategy in selling of the fresh fish roe!!

Now it is not advisable for me to enjoy these fish roe any more...to be health-conscious one must avoid lots of food...

But it is good to remember the old days and walk down memory lane with siblings !!

Satok Road Market - which will be moved across the bridge soon.....has this special fish with its stomach opened up to show its roe...

Five of them in a plate with all the stomachs opened. This feature is rather unique in Sarawak. I do not think there is any other place in the world showing fish roe in this way...Correct me if I am wrong.
Many men believe in eating fish roe to keep their maleness healthy.

Guzheng (Chinese Zither)

2011-11-18T07:32:00.001+08:00

My very talented Sibu friend Yang Yi Fang is a well known Sibu journalist/author. One hidden talent she has is her skills on the GuZheng. At one time she taught several students this instrument in order to perpectuate traditional Chinese music and of course for the love of music.

I was once very keen to take up this instrument because my good doctor told me that it was a good instrument to play to "soothe the soul" but it was a daunting task because I could not find a Guzheng teacher in Miri at that particular time.

When I visited her she was so kind as to give a solo performance for me and I was really thrilled. That became a very memorable part of my hometown visit - listening to Guzheng played just for myself - few people would have that kind of privilege.

Guzheng music can help transport you to another world and help you to reflect more.

T

The Chinese character for "zheng"() is composed of two parts: the upper part means "bamboo"() and the lower part is "argue" (). According to a legend, there was a master of se (), 25-stringed zither, who had two talented daughters who loved playing the instrument. Now there came a time that the master became too old, and wanted to pass his instrument over to one of them. However, both daughters wanted to have it. The master felt very sad that he had only one instrument, and in the end, out of desperate, he decided to split the instrument into two - one got 12 strings, and the other 13. To his amazement, the new instrument sounds mellow and even more beautiful than its original. The happy master gave the new instrument a new name "zheng" by making up the character with the symbolisms representing "bamboo" and "argue". The word "zheng", the name of this instrument, pronounces the same as the word "zheng" which means "argue" or "dispute". The origin of the Chinese character representing this instrument seems to indicate that the early version of the instrument was made of bamboo, which is different from that of today. However, this legend, though it might be true according to the origin of the Chinese character for this instrument, should not be taken too seriously. It might well be the case that the character is just "borrowed" here for the name of instrument due to the fact that its pronunciation is a closer imitation of the sound the instrument produces. It is very common is Chinese literature, particularly in ancient poems, to described the sound of the guzheng as "zheng zheng", similar to the case of pipa.(http://www.philmultic.com/guzheng/)

Today the Guzheng has a new position in any good orchestra be it western or eastern. The CCTV and other medium (e.g. Youtube) have helped increased its popularity and more and more young people are taking up the instrument.

For me its music will always remind me of the pure water which used to flow down the Rajang River...bringing life to the people. Its music will always encourage me to live better and be stronger!! It also reminds me of how hard my ancestors worked to turn formidable terrain into cultivated and bountiful gardens!!

Broken Rice

2011-11-16T15:43:00.005+08:00

"Broken rice? We don't eat broken rice." I still remember how offended my rich relative was when I wanted to discuss my essay topic with her. I was in Fifth Form then and I was to write about rice cultivation and types of rice. She rolled her eyes and puffed up...she ate only the best of rice specially milled in the local mill. She chose the topic "The Importance of Cars". So I was wondering perhaps poor people wrote on poor people's topics and rich people wrote on rich people's topics.

So I took myself off and interviewed shop keepers about rice etc. It still did not dawn on me that eating of full grain rice was important for saving face in those long ago days.

Rice in those days (1960's) came from Paloh and the lower Rajang and was milled by the Chinese who owned rice mills. This kind of rice was fairly higher end rice. Imported rice came from China and Thailand. 100% China rice was also known as the rice for poor people. Broken rice was sold at cheaper rates and a few varieties were available with some even designated as animal feed However occasionally we did get Iban home-milled rice (home pounded) rice. And this type of rice was for the feeble ones or children. I remember this rice as rougher and slightly brown in colour but the taste was very very good. The 1960's were also the years when people talked about "miracle rice" or double cropping of rice or the "Green Revolution". Those were catch phrases of the day.

The indigenous people were not yet selling their rice in the market. Tamu was not yet in the Sibu scene then. Bario rice was unheard of in those days.

So when I came across this bag I just had to photograph it for keepsake. And after 45 years I realise that I should not have felt so intimidated by what a rich relative said to me....broken rice is not something that we should look down upon for today we know more about different types of broken rice. We must never look down upon people and especially on what they eat.

And I found something else too after I googled ....Broken Rice as a dish in Vietnamese cuisine...
"Broken rice (Cơm tấm) is a dish that was historically eaten by rice farmers who couldn’t sell off their leftover broken rice grains. "
Vietnamese broken rice varies a lot around Vietnam, but it’d be safe to say that the dish is normally made up of broken rice, marinated pork chops, shredded pork skin, steamed pork and egg patty, a sunny side up fried egg, pickled carrots and daikon, sliced cucumbers and tangy fish sauce for dipping.

"I know it's the lower grade rice, but the texture of the broken pieces of rice is spectacular and I'm pretty hooked. I think it's sturdier per grain than whole grains of rice, so when the egg yolk pops and pours over everything, the combination is to die for. "(comment from one writer...)

One of my uncles would only eat porridge made from broken rice. My aunt would especially choose the rice in the shop and when took the rice home she would carefully sort out all the stones and other impurities. It was an act of love for her husband. To her and her children eating broken rice porridge was a very important family memory. Uncle would always say his broken rice porridge was special because his loving wife's care in cooking the best porridge in the world.

Reflecting on broken rice I can say again and again that children are easily traumatised by what adults and even what their peers say. And especially when they say very unkind and cruel words which hurt for years and perhaps even a life time.

I was slightly more sensitive then because my father had just passed away and we had really to stretch the proverbial dollar. So in a way I was "heart broken by broken rice" !!

However after we became educated and have jobs we have been very fortunate to be able to eat some of the best rice produced in Sarawak. The local indigenous rice especially the Kanowit variety is sweet and soft and milling will always produce fine full grained rice.

There is indeed Kanowit broken rice too! It is the residue of the milled full grain rice..and this is collected into small packets - sold especially for cooking of porridge for small children and older people. Now that kind of broken rice is higher end rice!! But it is still broken rice and we love it.

I love my broken rice be it from Vietnam or Sarawak.....I cannot now be broken by broken rice.