DREAMS AND MEMORIES

Went to this hawkers center near the Stadium Indera Putera after dropping by the Ipoh PC fair for 40 minutes. practically starving when we reached the hawkers center. Since only Cres and Bart were with me, it was only natural that I speak Sabahan bahasa with them (something that I’ve picked up throughout my years at University) asking them what noodles they wanted to eat.

 

Proceeding to the lady boss of the fried kuey teow stall to place my order, I started to make my orders in fluent cantonese. This is what happened after I finished placing my order.

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(2 second pause before she could stop staring and start talking )

[Conversation translated from Cantonese]

Lady Boss 

ARE YOU CHINESE????!!!

 

Audrey

(Puzzled) Yes. I am Chinese.

 

Lady Boss

Owhh.. They why were you speaking Malay Language with your friends then?

 

Audrey

Owh, they’re from Sabah, not Chinese and normally speak Bahasa or English only. (Sorry here Bart, easier to explain to the lady by saying you’re not chinese instead of explaining to her that you’re half chinese and the whole long story and we’ll end up not getting our dinner)

 

Lady Boss

I see. So what’s your order again? And urmmm… can they take pork?

 

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Settling back at our table, I noticed that some neighboring table people were staring at the bunch of us in total shock. :-P

Probably surprised that a bunch of non chinese looking people speaking Bahasa, suddenly order food in Cantonese, and asked for ‘lap cheong’ in the noodles as well.