Yesterday I had a small fried bawal putin (white pomfret) fish at my usual lunch place.
Here is the reminiscent tale I told my son:-
Probably twenty over years ago I was tagging along with Angie, after picking up something from a friend's house, we dropped by May Leng's.
That year both of May Leng's children were in morning session school. We all three were regulars at the mothers' group. Smelling a fragrant fried fish scent, I lifted the food cover and saw one tiny (as big as my palm) bawal putih fish, nicely fried with some flour coating it.
Later in the car, Angie and I expressed our surprise at serving one fish for two growing children. It is not that Angie was rich or I was lavish in serving sumptuous lunches. I guessed that May Leng might later fry a vegetable and had steamed egg in the rice cooker. Angie was adamant that a fish and white rice was lunch. She said that she would bet $10 against five cents that she was right. I was not a betting type and I let the challenge slid.
As she drove me home she reminded me that the tiny house could boast of a Compaq computer, a Sony VCD player and a wide screen Panasonic TV... May Leng's husband probably lived it up as a graduate lecturer in a prestigious University in KL. Yet May Leng and the children lived a most economical lifestyle in Silver City. Angie had been marketing with our economical friend many times and she was appalled at how little the thrifty woman purchased at a regular basis.
After that day, I was a little more observant and the accumulated information over time did reveal a similar story as the image Angie painted. If my husband values me for my knowledge and insight, May Leng's probably loved her for her economic prudence. To each his own, I supposed. Today, I look at the two healthy grown children(yes, I am still in touch), it is quite ok to be brought up on simple, economic fare.
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