Of Delicacies, Old Man and Angel

Of Delicacies, Old Man and Angel

If you ever travel overseas and the locals suggest you try their delicacies, beware.
What is delicacies to the local is often extreme gourmet to you.

For example, durian is the delicacies of Singaporeans. We will never never understand why foreigners think it is as pungent as the sewerage.

In a recent documentary, Singaporeans went to China in search of exotic delicacies. They puked on eating body parts like the eyes and organs, and strange insects like rats ,insects and worms.

I think I will stick to plain vegetables.

Yesterday my RC group went out for supper. An old man, probably age over 70, went with us. I know that every old person WAS once a cute baby, WAS once a young suave man, was once an attractive person enough to get married, WAS once an achiever. So I enquired about his background. He WAS working in the bank for 25 years. He WAS the Chairman of the RC 25 years ago. When he first settled at Simei, there was no coffeeshops or MRT. Just swamp.

I said he had such a history that he ought to write his life story before the world forgets the past. Today he whiles the day away, sometimes on mahjong sessons.

When I look at an old person, I see my father in them. They were once like us. They were young, handsome and capable once. They went through life's harsh experience. They have accumulated life's wisdom. So I never never belittle them. They come from a different generation where the values are different. Someday, we too will grow old.

I enjoyed talking to old folks cos they have such a rich history of experience.
That one regret I have is that I am unable to converse deeply with my parents cos of my limited vocabulary in my Hakka dialect. I am unable to record their history. I have lost the history of my forefathers. The Govt's campaign to eradicate the use of dialects in media had permanently erase the culture that comes with the dialect. I am a Chinese yet I unable to appreciate the beauty of a Tang poetry or the rich Chinese literature.

In my time, it is a normal ritual for a family to eat together, for people to spend with cash only, for matchmaking. Today, the Govt has to do a campaign to encourage families to eat together, a campaign to 'Romance Singapore'. Today, people are spending with money they don't have via credit card. In the past, to divorce is a shame. Today, divorce is a norm. In the past, cohabitation is a shame. Today, it is a norm. In the past, virginity is prized. Today, virginity is something to be laughed at. The societal values have changed.

Today I asked my 4.5-year-old Sarah what she wants to be when she grow up.
"An angel", she said.