THOUGHTS DURING DABAI HARVEST

Written by Mrs.Money

Mr. Money called me a night ahead to pick up freshly picked Dabai from Cat City bus station. He said a week ago he helped his mom to sell Dabai harvest in Sibu, but the price was not reasonably high, so he decided this week he rather gave free Dabai to his wife. He knows I love Dabai and would be able to produce his Dabai in different variations, whenever my friends told him that his mom’s dabai was good he was so happy.

I love to give fresh vegetables to one of my overseas returned friend, she would always tell me, “Oh my hubby loves it, thank you!” So I decided next time whenever I got something nice she would be the first friend to call.

When I was young, someone who got a garden would always give us left over fruits due to he knew we got so many children. One time my dad out of the blue inspected the fruit, he found out none of the langsat was a perfect one, so he called all my sisters and gave us a lecture, “Come and look at all these semi-rotten fruits, now let me tell you and remember this: whenever you give something to people, you must give the best one to them, if you are not able, so don’t give! Hear it?”

I think we most worry and suspicious about giving something we harvested to a friend who would make bad remarks in front or our back, “Money tai tai gave me some eggplants but all were so small.” or “Money tai tai vegetables are not so nice, I can get a lot better ones from the market.” Thus if a tai tai always made bad remarks about other tai tais, I always hesitated and worried to give away my harvest to her.

Someone told me this: whenever she heard wherever new restaurant or kopitiem got nice and special foods, she would invite one of her friend out to eat, but after many times she decided never ever bring her friend out anymore, as her friend would always make negative comments about the foods they ate that made her felt embarrassed because she was the one who paid. For example her friend would remark, “This beef noodle is not the best, there is one in downtown which is a lot better!” or “I can cook a lot better than this!”

I think even if one got connoisseur’s tongue, as she is not a spy for Michelin, so unless she pays for her own foods then she has right to make her own opinion, for the polite suggestion, I think if people invite us for a meal, we give thanks and praise for a good meal, but if the foods are not nice, just keep quiet, let the hostess makes the noise. (I think a good hostess would feel bad to make you eat inferior meal, or don’t further on depressed her.)

Ones can be blunt but not blunt up to a stupid rude way! To show off you are a good cook or having connoisseur’s taste buds that’s not a right way and time to say.

Another thing is if you are invited for a meal by a friend, always feel happy, smile while eating, nobody enjoys a sour face eating in front of them first thing in the morning or after a tire day. Your friend pays your meal, to show that you appreciate her kindness.

Many years ago, suddenly an old friend visited me, so I brought her to eat in a five stars hotel, but after the meal, she told someone, “Now, Mrs. Money got so much money, she took me to eat in a five stars hotel.” I always wonder why she couldn’t say, “Wow, Mrs Money! What an old friend of mine, she took me eating in a five stars hotel!”