Cross-Cultural Conversations

Observations by a Malaysian studying in Australia

621: The Devil’s Number

 

 I was browsing through the supermarket when I accidentally passed by the instant noodles section. Now, I have never been a fan of instant noodles because of their industrial taste and “aroma”, but once in a while I’m forced to buy a packet or two of Instant Hot Thai Noodles just to inject some mind-numbing spiciness into my tongue.

 

I swore to myself never to buy the 50 cent Trident Noodles, so I had a look at the Suimin Thai Laksa, one of those that came in a bowl you can eat straight out of after adding hot water. Examining the Nutritional Information table, I was surprised there was no mention of MSG. I guess the higher price must’ve compensated for the absence of that most reviled flavour enhancer. There were however, a few numbers whose significance I haven’t a clue.

 

One of them, 621, seemed very familiar, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint where I’ve seen that number before. Ah, it’s probably just my weight in pounds back when I was the fat kid in school. I hastily dismissed the number and bought the noodles, not wanting to tread the painful path of childhood memories.

 

But dismiss it I couldn’t. After a quick check through my Chemistry book, I realised where I’d seen that number before. Those little food company devils! 621 is in fact the code number for MSG! The food company probably figured that replacing those three taboo words with the innocent-looking 621 will help increase its market share.

 

The noodles still didn’t taste very good despite the flavour enhancers. Just goes to show, any food that needs MSG to enhance its taste, is not worth eating in the first place. But just remember, if you’re one of those people who religiously scrutinise the Nutritional Information at the back of the food package, the figure to watch out for is not MSG, it’s more likely to be 621.

 

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 07:08 | link | comments (3) |

Tongue-twisters For A Thirsty Mouth

Ramadan is upon us, and more than a few bloggers would share and recount the fasting experience on their online journals. As I was browsing through one of them, I came across the word ‘iftar’, a word I can’t say I’m familiar with. Some words have a way of explaining themselves just from the manner in which they are employed and I figured out (read: simply assumed) that ‘iftar’ is the Arabic word for the breaking of fast.

 

The common Malay word for this is ‘buka puasa’. I presume ‘iftar’ is either another addition to the already heavily-borrowing Malay vocabulary, or a symptom of our continuing obsession with Arab-ising the local culture, in the belief that this will make us appear more Islamic. A few years ago, I remember a slight literary furore erupted when one politician/academic (I’m pretty sure it was a politician) suggested that the word ‘Aidilfitri’, a Malay word adapted from Arabic, should be altered to reflect its correct, Arabic pronunciation, to Eid-ul-Fitr.

 

I thought to myself then, what a ridiculous proposal! First, my vowel-loving Malay tongue could not possibly pronounce Eid-ul-Fitr without some physical tongue twisting, and secondly, the word simply could not fit into the general Malay vocab without sounding awkward (Imagine saying, “Eh, tak sabarlah, dah tinggal lima hari je lagi ke Eid-ul-Fitr!”).

 

In the first place, does it really matter if our version of Eid-ul-Fitr is not pronounced “correctly”? The beauty of the word, and spelling of, Aidilfitri, is that it allows us to enrich our language while adapting it to suit our cultural, or rather, literary mores. Although I prefer the word Hari Raya to Aidilfitri, I really don’t mind the latter, and I would not want it to be permanently altered just to suit those Malaysians who are obsessed with the proper Arabic pronunciation.

 

Then again, it all boils down to personal preferences. Just as some women fancy the flowing purdah, and some the basic tudung (scarf) while others would rather not cover altogether, there are those who prefer to receive the divine ‘nur’ rather than a ‘panduan’ (guidance). I probably should just learn to relax and ‘redha’.

 

Selamat Berpuasa dan Berbuka.

 

 

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 10:28 | link | comments |

The S I Series

 

As I reluctantly finished my scoop of Wasabi ice cream at the Crown food court, it suddenly dawned upon me that there’s not a lot of green-coloured food that tastes good.

 

As I reluctantly finished my scoop of Green Tea ice cream, straight after the Wasabi-flavoured one, I now know for a fact that there is no green-coloured food that tastes good.

 

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 12:50 | link | comments |

The S I Series

 

As I pretend to be fascinated by what my friend was talking about, I realise that I wasn’t.

 

 

 

 

 

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 12:49 | link | comments |

The S I Series

 

As I gaze at the fluorescent green road sign with the words GEELONG M1 printed in yellow on them, I realise I could make up more than a few words with the city name.

 

Gel, Eel, Long, No, Go, Log, Gone, Leg, Gee, Egg, On, One, Neo, Leo, Geo, Len – MS Word didn’t draw a red scratch line on this word, but what in the world does it mean?

 

 

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 04:20 | link | comments |

The S I Series

 

After staring intensely at the Starbucks logo for 5 minutes, I still couldn’t see the connection between the mermaid figure and pretty good coffee.

posted by: Tembaga2 at 04:19 | link | comments |

The S I Series

As I eat my 8^th 0.7 cm by 11 cm slice of Cheddar cheese, I come to the realisation that cheese, and other thick and creamy food, are actually quite nauseating after all.

 

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 23:31 | link | comments |

The S I Series

 

As I finish reading two whole chapters of my Chemistry text book, I realise I have absolutely no idea what I’ve been learning in my Chemistry class the past term.

 

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 23:30 | link | comments |