There is a town that time has forgotten.
Here, the ceiling fans spin slowly. The whirring is so gentle that the revolutions don’t even raise the dust that covers everything. If you don’t move for more than a heartbeat, onto you a layer settles. Time is age is a blanket of hours the entire town is smothered with while her people sleep.
Would you like to rest here, and let your years pass?
.
.
Take five, grab a table and chairs for two. Let’s have some local coffee, an appropriate brew. Let’s have a conversation, let’s have the truth. Is there anything between me and you?
No, of course, you are right. A kopitiam isn’t the best place to speak of this. It will never do.
A kopitiam is meant for breakfast, for roti bakar and half-boiled eggs doused with pepper and light soy sauce – not serious discourse. A kopitiam is meant for reading the newspapers and loud exclamations of dismay and disbelief at what passes for news these days. We shake our heads, we nod, we perform a million gestures.
We don’t need words, we hardly do.
.
.
You are a touch hungry, you say. Here, come, let me feed you. Let me order you a plate of the local delight. Tuaran mee, their proud speciality. Wet and flavourful, blessed by the breath of the wok in which hundreds of plates of these eggy noodles have been fried.
Ignore the fire-engine red of the devilish char siu, no artificial colouring can distract from the honest taste of this home-cooked meal. Take a bite, let it linger in your mouth. Allow its flavours to mingle with your own flavours, to marinate in seconds, to burst forth anew, in savoury sensations and unfamiliar hues.
You are almost sure you have tasted this before, but not quite. The experience is fresh, a new delight. What a treat this is!
.
.
The man at the next table has been staring at us. He is not reading his papers anymore, hasn’t been for the past hour. Everytime I turn to look at him, he looks away. He’s not doing a really good job at playing this game.
Then again, it could just be the news. For all the exclamations of dismay and disbelief, nothing much really happens. Not in this town, a town so quiet even the mosquitoes hibernate in the tropical heat. I guess our conversation and our meal are as much excitement as our neighbour’s going to get today.
Or was that yesterday?
.
.
One never knows, with this town. Time passes so slowly, like the gentle whirr of the wings of the fans in an old kopitiam. This is an ageless land.
A little girl walks over to our table. She asks, “Uncle, is this chair free?”
She means if it’s available. We only have two. One for you and one for me. But you are not here, you have never been. I have been waiting for you here for some time already, it seems. How long, who can say? Time passes slowly here.
I nod, and the girl carries the chair away with a smile on her face. I sit at the table alone and wait and think of you.
Would you like to rest here, and let your years pass? The rest of your years. It’s a good living if you like it.
.
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Restoran Tai Ann • Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia
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Copyright © 2010 Kenny Mah Ying Fye. Photography by Kenny Mah.
~ BORNEO: Tales, Trails and Travels in Sabah & Sarawak ~
Part 1 • Sabah I: Merman
Part 2 • Sabah II: From Dusk Till Dawn
Part 3 • Sabah III: Kinabalu
Part 4 • Sarawak I: Kuching
Part 5 • Sarawak II: Tua Pek Kong
Part 6 • Sabah IV: Mamutik Island
Part 7 • Sabah V: A Town Called Tuaran
Kenny Mah believes in the good in people. He has been blogging for over ten years. No, his hands aren't tired. Yet.
Love your post. Tore at my heart when you reached the part where the girl asked if the chair was free. You’ve made my morning a beautifully melancholy one, now.
Also, gotta love the photos. Especially the one with the ceiling fans.
*loves*
@Michelle: Good morning good morning! The first comment of the day and you brought a smile to my face. I was worried that the story was a bit oblique and readers are not gonna get it. Glad to know it works.
You might be interested to know the photograph of the ceiling fans was a last-minute addition, an afterthought when the group of pictures just didn’t feel complete somehow.
Now I can’t imagine it not being there. Strange how things turn out, eh?
The first time I heard of Tuaran Mee, the sweet local girl said it with such a thick accent, I thought she cursed “Toolan Me!” Hahahahahaha
Your pictures may capture the moment nicely, but not as good as your words capture every passing minute.
@A Lil Fat Monkey: Yeah, I thought it prudent not to try and recapture the local accent in writing – be hard to replicate their unique beauty.
I guess I was lucky to have heard of the dish before, and being in the town itself made it easy to figure what was said.
Your photo captures of this town make the place so mysterious. Even the noodles are mysterious – is that wonton noodles or not? ;p
@tigerfish: Haha, the noodles aren’t that mysterious, really – just surprisingly delicious!
It’s wetter than normal “kon loh” noodles, but it doesn’t come doused in a sauce like dry wonton noodles. Instead, it’s fried in the gravy itself, giving it a very fragrant eggy aroma.
Gosh, all this talk about Tuaran mee is making me want some right now!
This post reminds me of this song by The Beatles:
“There are places I’ll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all…”
Btw, Uncle Kenny, one day…when you decide to publish a collection of short stories, please include this post with all its meaningful photos.
@jemima: I love that song by The Beatles, and so many others by them. They are truly the musician’s musicians.
And as for publishing a collection of short stories, Lil Jemima, who knows? If Uncle Kenny ever gets off his lazy bum and gets to it…
Beautifully said there Kenny. :)
Makes me wanna head down to Tuaran for the authentic Tuaran mee this weekend. Although we do have some coffee shops in the city that sell the same noodle.
I could eat on behalf you! Heehe :P
@Eudora: Where are you exactly, dear? Would be great to catch up the next time I’m in Sabah! And do, do eat some Tuaran mee on my behalf… Right now I can only dream about the wonderful strands of eggy noodles…
once again, i tak faham!!! i can’t tell if the “you” in the story is dead, or whether he/she is someone who left the narrator, or whether he/she never actually existed and might only be someone whom the narrator pines for. bah, u’re gonna tell me it’s open to interpretation :P
the narrator is quite creepy leh. like one of those keepers of a crypt or something. and living in tuaran sounds like being trapped in limbo/purgatory, where we’ll have all the time we need to reflect on our sins :D
on the bright side, the tuaran mee could help the time pass faster! i’ve never heard of or had it before, but it looks yummmmmmmmmy! (and for once, i don’t think this dish needs any cockles in it) :P
@Sean: Well… it’s open to interpretation.
*cackles evilly*
There is, as we have discussed before and I admitted, an author’s version of what a story should mean. However, I maintain that everyone’s own version in their heads are the most interesting version. Variety is a beautiful thing, mate.
But aye, the narrator could be a tad creepy. Or lonely. I started the story in one direction, then it went to another (thanks to the Tuaran mee, I guess), and just when I thought it couldn’t get weirder, the little girl appeared.
It’s like those mystery/horror films. You know there’s trouble when a little girl appears…
hmmm, my version is that the characters are stuck in a small-town version of the island in ‘lost.’ and the narrator’s lover went missing years ago. the last time he heard from her, they were supposed to meet at this kopitiam. so there he spends his time, waiting, waiting, waiting…
p.s. your new ‘stop to smell the orchids’ profile pic is deceptively chirpy, considering the general content of your blog leans toward the languid :D
@Sean: Ok, I kinda like your version too, surprisingly. And it’s maybe 25% similar to my own version…
P.S. My blog, languid? You make it sound so tepid. I thought it was more exciting than that.
And when one is at the Cameron Highlands, that’s not much one can do beyond smelling the orchids and other flowers…
though of course, the tuaran tourism board wouldn’t be too happy with that version :P
p.s. if your blog were an animal, it might be a pet cat that pops in and out of the house at will, often disappearing for ages to heaven-knows-where. and when it finally reappears, it stretches its limbs sleepily and purrs languorously :D
there’s something else to do! eat scones and strawberries!
@Sean: Is there even a Tuaran Tourism Board?
P.S. Hmm, I like that cat. (It may jolly well be the only cat I like cos I don’t really have affinity for domesticated felines as a general rule.)
And oh that we did. Tons of scones and strawberries!
But…but…I love felines :P Your post makes me wanna go to pack up, leave and explore Tuaran now! Did you take photos of the reostat controls of the fans?
@unkaleong: The reostat controls? I might just well have. I take pictures of nearly everything, after all. (And then spend hours sifting through hundreds of lousy photographs just to find one or two semi-decent ones.)
And I think you’d love exploring Tuaran and the rest of Sabah, you adventure-seeker you!
Lil Jemima???
Hahahahaha… I ain’t that Little. Neither in age nor in size. :P
Trust me! :D
@jemima: Oh but you are little. Maybe not in age or size but in how delicate your sensibilities are, how simple the pleasures you seek, how sweet the life you must imagine for yourself and your loved ones.
Lil Jemima. It’s a good fit, if it’s the heart that needs fitting.
Gosh! Your words have lifted me up there on to the Little pedestal. *HUGS*
“It’s a good fit,if it’s the heart that needs fitting.”
I’m really touched… for as Rob Thomas sang:
“Let it slide
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine,
Till you feel it all around you
And I don’t mind
If it’s me you need to turn to
We’ll get by
It’s the heart that really matters in the end“
@jemima: My words are but a vehicle for the truth, my dear. Your posts, more frequent and less esoteric than mine, have always been a source of support and serenity during the duller days when work threatens to overwhelm the better part of me.
I only need to look at your more recent posts to find ample evidence of this – your ode to Simplicity, for example, still brings a smile to my face everytime I think of the boy and the girl.
hello uncle! i reli like this post of urs, i do! definitely one of my favs ;)
Lol.
The uncle at the next table seems to be staring at you very very suspiciously…
@Jun: Do you like it enough to take me along the next time you head off to Spain? The adventures we would have! The stories we could share!
@J the chocoholic: That pakcik is probably wondering why this fella is talking to himself…
the wiki entry on tuaran indicates no presence of a tourism board: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuaran … but it has an entire section dedicated to tuaran mee! as well as “bahar,” a special tuaran-made liquor that i’ve never heard of … hmmmmmmmm :D
p.s. i’m more of a dog person than a cat person myself. though i think it’d be nice to have both at home. dogs are nice when u’re in the need for affection, while cats are best when u need some space, rite…
p.p.s. tons of scones? never tar pau back for us also :P
@Sean: Haha, now you may have a reason to visit this sleepy town, after all! Some bahar would go well with the Tuaran mee, no?
P.S. I’m all for doggies! See my ode to Devil’s doggy back in JB – our sweet Kou Kou!
P.P.S. Scones how can tar pau one? Must eat fresh fresh!
tolong poslaju the noodle mari brazil…
@fufu: Poslaju to Brazil di it won’t taste the same lah, bro. Come back to Malaysia and we’ll for some freshly fried Tuaran mee, ok?
next time u go to tuaran, tar pau back a bottle of bahar for me lah. actually if u go anywhere and see non-perishable quirky food hor, just buy for me, really. i’ll eat anything from fermented goat’s appendix to salted dog ears :P
p.s. kou kou has nice-looking ears! yumms :D
p.p.s. microwave for five seconds and it’ll taste pretty darn fresh. but i’ve actually never eaten scones and strawberries while in cameron highlands before. i just used to go there for motivational camps back when i was a nice, religiously devout lad :P
@Sean: That actually sounds kinda fun. To bring back a sorta “Travel Meal Surprise” everytime I go on a trip. (Not sure if I’ll find anything exotic though; Malaysia can be rather safe this way.)
P.S. Dontcha get any funny ideas about Kou Kou. Grrr…
P.P.S. You mean you’re no longer a nice, religiously devout lad? Coulda fooled me…
leeches! we have an abundance of leeches in all the kawasan pedalaman that you frequently visit. get me the fatter ones, cos those might still have blood in them :D
p.s. was that you or kou kou growling? i can’t tell the difference :P
p.p.s. am a nice, devoutly agnostic, errmm, bloke now. feed me leeches. :D
@Sean: Aren’t leeches protected creatures, and you aren’t supposed to remove them from the jungles? Just like you’re not supposed to remove bits of coral from the sea?
Anyway, I’m not gonna risk those leeches thinking they found a quick meal with the dude that goes around trying to pick them up for his friend’s exotic snack back in the city…
P.S. It was me. Kou Kou is to sweet to growl. Grrr…
P.P.S. You give agnosticism a bad name, bro, you do. Folks are gonna think an agnostic is someone who feeds on leeches…
Leeches probably are as much a protected species as mosquitoes! (ooh and I have actually eaten a mosquito before, with a bit of someone’s warm blood in it, though I dunno whose). Am sure the ecological system won’t suffer if u bring back a dozen live ones for me :D
P.S. So cute, a reversal of roles between the master and the pet, with you growling in kou kou’s stead. Before we know it, kou kou might start blogging in your stead :p
P.S. Agnostics are unencumbered by religious dietary restrictions. So it’s a free for all! (Though some of us would still cling on to traditions like human sacrifice) :D
@Sean: I have no idea how you went about consuming a mosquito unless you just stood around all day with your jaw hanging wide open. Then again, I so could imagine you doing that if it meant getting even one drop of real human blood…
P.S. What makes you think Kou Kou’s not already blogging right now & replying your comment? Woof woof.
P.P.S. Well, this human’s not meant for sacrifice ya…
This is totally unrelated to this post.
I’m just wondering why none of my female friends responded to the Simplicity post? :P
Care to share your opinion? ;)
@jemima: I cannot say, to be honest, on why none did. But if I had to venture a guess, if there really was a reason behind it, beyond chance, perhaps it is because some cynicism had set it, after years of Real Life, that perhaps they won’t ever find that Perfect Guy who would celebrate their anniversary with such a perfect dish of a simple peanut butter and jam sandwich, cut into two, for sharing?
But if this was really the reason why, then they may have missed the point of the video altogether, that it’s not about finding Someone – there may not be a need to; that what can be simple is Life itself, and Love itself as in Love For Yourself and Love For All Around You, and Contentment in the simple things, and such.
But, of course, this is just an opinion, a wild stab in what must be the dark. May we have light, though, especially today, on Deepavali, the celebration of Light and Good Triumphing Over Evil.
@jemima: P.S. The above long, long comment might just not be what you were expecting, haha, and so, my apologies. Happy Deepavali, dear!
beautiful! just got back from ipoh and taiping. LOVED taiping.. so slow you can hear the seconds tick by eh? But sometimes, slow places have a way of making you feel tired.. i dunno – i won’t be able to stay forever coz i may lose my identity in the quiet.
@ciki: I know what you mean. I love all these small and quiet towns, for their smallness and their quietness, but I doubt my restless heart, my greedy soul, could ever be content staying on and never leaving.
One day, maybe. But for now, the seconds of my heart are ticking, are beating, very much faster…
Hey! No apologies needed. I am the one who asked for your opinion & I accept it wholeheartedly. :D
Someone else may think that my female friends are not into “simple living”! LOL!
Happy Deepavali to you too, buddy. :D
@jemima: Simple living. It isn’t for everyone. I say I want it, I say I wish for it, but truth be told, I am yet far from achieving it…
One day…when I’m free to live my own life again.. I ain’t going back to my highly-paid job. I will just back-pack & travel around Europe or elsewhere..working as a care-giver or nanny. I will get to see the world & at the same time have a simple living..I can foresee it somehow.
@jemima: And I can forsee it coming to pass. It shall happen, as you want it enough. *hugs*
Thank you for the assurance when everyone else whom I share this with thinks that I’m crazy…
*HUGS*
@jemima: Someone (usually those dear to us and caring for us) will think our plans and actions are crazy. It’s to be expected. It’s how we know we are loved.
This is a good thing.
To balance it though, fortunately, there’s almost always someone else out there who does believe in us and that we are not completely off our rockers.. that we have our dreams and they’d be glad for us that we want to chase them… And their support, I find, is what gets us to the end of the rainbows and beyond.
*teary*
*nods in agreement*
*HUGS HUGS*
@jemima: *TRIPLE HUGS BACK*
And so it is. Life is good to us, dear, it really is.
wah.. the man looked really pissed! haha
@gina: But once he sees how wonderfully I’ve captured his intense likeness here, he’ll be well chuffed, I imagine. (Or, perhaps not. Heh.)
oh… ohhhh… i had to reread d last para b4 i got it… :oops:
my bad… speed reading whilst at work… catching up on my unread in reader… =.=
but oh… such melancholy… but i dun think uncle looks pissed… more like amused… like he was trying 2 surpress a smile… :)
@asstha: Hahaha, that’s an interesting take. I’m pretty sure he’s not trying not to smile… Hehe.
Reading this post make me thinking about going back to Tuaran. Yes, I’m from Tuaran and always a number 1 Tuaran mee fan! Hehehe..
It’s a great post you have here Kenny and this post has made me proud to be a Tuaranian.
@Jason Aaron: Coolness! I loved every minute I spent in your hometown – something very comforting about it… and the Tuaran Mee is out of this world! I am getting hungry now just thinking about it, haha.
Yes Living Tuaran for the past 10 years, even though I am Orang Putih, I still feel like I am a Sabahan from Tuaran, lived in K.L. for 3 and was missing Tuaran so much, back now home sweet home Tuaran, Life is great here, nice page you made, i also in the making of one, hopefully finish it in months to come.
Hi there, Roland!
I’m so glad you have returned to Tuaran where you enjoy life so much. I would love to visit Tuaran again one day and enjoy the famous Tuaran Mee in its proper environment.
Keep well, sir!