I asked our Dutch guests and they too knew what it means, so it is universal. But nobody knows for sure how it came about.
Anyway, the night when we had 'nga choi kai' or bean sprouts and steamed chicken, which Ipoh is famous for, Arne actually liked the 'kwaytiau' so much that he ordered another bowl. When he offered to pay for the meal, my wife obviously would not have any of that, and used the by now well worn reasoning that he could pay for meals when she goes to Holland. This is obviously an advantage to Malaysians because of the higher exchange rate of the Euro. Then I joked that he could then say, 'Let's go Dutch since we are in Holland' and get away from that!
Anyway, today we took the arduous drive (though less so with the new route) to Cameron Highlands. A brief stop (actually to go to the loo) at a nursery next to Avant Chocolate and I was tempted by the cheesecake because I was feeling hungry. Asked if any of them was interested and the answer was no, but I was really pissed off when my wife told me off like a small kid, 'No! how are you going to eat it? We are in a hurry because they are going for jungle trekking...' How much time do I need to eat a slice of cheesecake even if by myself?
By the time we reached Boh Tea plantations it was past 2 pm and yet she was set to show them the factory first while I had a quick snack at the really nice tea house overlooking the tea plantation. We spent time chatting and enjoying the panaromic view while they had late lunch of sandwiches. By the time we reached Tanah Rata to ask about the trekking they could only set off at around 4.30pm for a quick round. A guide to ensure they come back without getting lost in the jungle costed them Rm100 which I described as 'paying to suffer' but they seemed to enjoy it.
Anyway, while chatting I asked Jannake whether she had heard of the Dutch tale of a small boy who saved them from a big flood when he put his hand into a leaking hole he found at a dyke until he slept overnight. Then Arne said he heard the same story from an American, and that everybody else seems to know the story except the Dutch!
Anyway we waited for them to come back from trekking until 7.20pm before we could start our dinner at Mayflower, a family owned restaurant run by my wife's childhood friend from Pusing. While we were having steamboat, an American couple came by and I told Jannake to tell them that the food was good. Later, the man actually asked us how to go about cooking the food and SP had to show them. On my way out, I told them that the main thing to know is the cooking time of each item and to let the item with the longest cooking time go in first, followed by the next and so on. The Cantonese would describe my action as 'sik siew siew parn toi piu' or know a little yet pretend to represent something!
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Anyway, while chatting I asked Jannake whether she had heard of the Dutch tale of a small boy who saved them from a big flood when he put his hand into a leaking hole he found at a dyke until he slept overnight. Then Arne said he heard the same story from an American, and that everybody else seems to know the story except the Dutch!
Anyway we waited for them to come back from trekking until 7.20pm before we could start our dinner at Mayflower, a family owned restaurant run by my wife's childhood friend from Pusing. While we were having steamboat, an American couple came by and I told Jannake to tell them that the food was good. Later, the man actually asked us how to go about cooking the food and SP had to show them. On my way out, I told them that the main thing to know is the cooking time of each item and to let the item with the longest cooking time go in first, followed by the next and so on. The Cantonese would describe my action as 'sik siew siew parn toi piu' or know a little yet pretend to represent something!
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