Tubby maitre d' at the mamak shop wielding a sharp long-blade knife
over the banana leaves. A split down the middle, second cut removing the thick
stem. Clean away any irregular strings at the bottoms. The leaves have already
had some preliminary squaring from the supplier. Occasional leaf has some kind
of unwanted accretions here and there that can be dislodged by the point of the
knife. Flick.
One or two in the pile had been perforated by a number of
horizontal slits that rendered them useless. For the discard pile, which
collected 2 - 3 other misshapen and otherwise inadequate. Supplies arrived from
the other side of the river at Tangkak where the industrial estates are sited
that employ all the Rohingya, Bangla, Myanmar and Indonesian cheap labour.
(Documented 2.135m and estimates suggesting double that figure with illegals.)
First sighting Tubby greets with the anticipated drink order recalled from the
two days previous. The food from yesterday, however, had slipped.
Such and such he offers, only to receive a waving finger for his trouble.
Dramatic pause that the man fails to use effectively. Flummoxed a tad.
— Pongol.
— Pongol no have.
Then uppuma.
Same. Same as yesterday morning. (What kind of place was this? signed with
delicate expression that the man seemed incapable of reading.)
OK then. Rawa dosai/thosai, what you will.
Coming right up sir. Smiling. (Marked down nevertheless: ought have
remembered.)
Regulars adjacent joining the general cheer, both bearing the bindi.
Such a
time needed in order to find an old Indian eatery in Muar had been unexpected.
Down at Sri Geylang in Singapore Mr.
Sharif’s vivid person had suggested one on every corner.
Likes pongol and uppuma,
chap explained to the pair at the other end of the table.
Down in JB Razali the Tamil Convert, who ran a food cart himself, among other
enterprises, lamented the decline of the eateries in his home-town. What had Muthu on Jalan Trus once been, what repast
back in the day when Razali’s old dad had taken him, the curries, chapatti, pongol and uppuma. Always served on banana leaf.
Muar, Southern Malaysia March 2016
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