Ways of Life in Malaysia

Ayam Kampung (Home-rared chicken) I was doing my grocery shopping in a local supermarket on one very fine day. I came into a big refrigerated shelf displaying all kind of chicken meat. Honestly, I am always amazed by management of big supermarkets sorting out and displaying products of a same category in such a way that people can choose what they want. Suddenly, a price label attracted my attention. It read Ayam Kampung (home-rared chicken). By its side was another label read Farm Chicken. I remember my mum told me that ayam kampung is more nutritious than farm chicken due to the feed given to the birds. I stood at the stall looking into these featherless and headless slaughted birds and tried to be intelligent to distinguish them. Suddenly, a Malay customer passed by the stall and noticed me looking at the chicken. With a very friendly tone, he asked "Do you want to know the difference between ayam kampung and farm chicken?" I said "Yes, I do. But I hardly to distinguish them." Wittedly, he answer "That isn't too difficult. Hey, young man you see... ayam kampung wear no shoes (tidak berkasut) and farm chicken wear shoes!" I was anstonished by the answer and didn't know how to respond to him in seconds. After pulling myself back, I laughed myself off my head and I admitted that it was the most acceptable answer that I've never thought of! Anyway, I got myself a whole ayam kampung for a good dinner. Back to my kitchen, without thinking twice, I right away chopped both the chicken feet off (they must be dirty because they never have shoes on!) before preparing my chicken dish. The above story in the supermarket is my own experience, of which I've enjoyed most. Tell you what, mushroom chicken feet dish is my favourite.

Roads in Malaysia I remember our transportation minister has claimed that Malaysian road system is one of the best in South East Asia, if not in Asia. I think I have truly to admit this. However, it certainly reminds me a conversation I had with my friend. Probably, most of us Malaysian do not really notice how flexible our road could be - sometimes two-lane road can be made into three lanes, and other times three-lane road can be turned into two lanes. Many thanks to our Malaysian driving altitude. While driving to a restaurant for our lunch, I commented the bad traffic as our car was moving so slowly. My friend sitting next to me said "Our road users are very versatile indeed as they can turn two-lane road into three lanes." I looked out my car window and noticed that the two-lane road we were on now had been turned into three lanes as my car was flanked by other cars on the left and the right! I said to my friend "You are right. We are now having three lanes on a two-lane road." After having trapped in the bad situation for nearly half an hour, we finally got to a wider road with three lanes. What a relief! However, I suddenly noticed that there were many cars being parked on the most left lane of the road. I turned to my friend and said "Now you see, our three-lane road has now been turned into two lanes!" The idea of two-and-three-lane-road is actually originated from a conversation with my friend Bee Tian while a few friends of us were heading for our lunch in his car. We did have a bad traffic but our lunch turned out to be a very pleasent one.

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