I believe many people not have heard of the place called Baladin in Sarawak.
Well my cousin, who is only one year older than I was trained as a teacher in the Rajang Teachers' College in Bintangor. Upon graduation she was sent to Baladin to teach in the small village primary school. She taught there for a few years and met a fellow teacher who she married after some years of procrastination. She was often accompanied by her mother who came from the Rajang just to stay with her for a while.
She was also able to bring her youngest brother to stay with her. She educated him as she played surrogate mother.
those were actually very tough years in the Rajang because of the Communist threats. Many villagers moved to Sibu so that their children could go to school. In fact those who stayed on in the villagers did not fare well and many children had their education interrupted. some just went to work in timber camps with the little education they had.
While in Baladin she learned to live like the villagers, in fact like a Malay and enjoyed all the fish available.
She was most impressed by the fish maw from the fish called Panjang.
Because she was so deeply immersed in her teaching career, she never thought of making or drying fish maw as a side line.
She told me, if she had done so she would have become a very rich woman today!!
In fact she only bought fish maw three or four times a year for her parents and relatives. Probably it was because the fish maw then was so dirt cheap.
"It was a lot of work, for very little money...." Today fish maw from Baladin costs an arm and a leg.
cousin Ms Lau used to teach in Baladin and is now retired. I remember her stories of beautiful fish maw from ikan Panjang. Now as compared to the prices of 1970's the fish maw is beyond affordable. The best fish maw in Sarawak is from the male ikan panjang (which may now fetch RM40.00).
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