Padir (that's what we call him in the family) was maybe in Std 1 or 2. As usual in the morning, weekends, we'd wander around the College. One time we found ourselves at the cookhouse, where the cooks were cutting and frying fish that day, inside the netted area. It was to keep the flies out, but there were still plenty inside because they were entering and leaving the room and the pesky pests simply followed suit.
Lots of fish were on the large knee-high cutting table. This was the meal for the entire College. They were expertly cutting out the innards and cutting each fish into two or three, and throwing the pieces straight into the large "kwali" with cooking oil boiling. One would stir the frying fish, and scoop out the cooked ones, and pile them into the waiting enamel basins. The cooks were not really paying attention to us boys, curiously watching the whole thing. We were inside the netted area - the cooks didn't seem to object and went on with their work.
I saw Padir picking a couple of cooked fish sections. I know we could slip out with a few. Just then the Assistant Steward suddenly appeared. We didn't see him coming. He exclaimed "what are you doing here, get out !" Then he grabbed Padir by the shoulder and demanded "what have you got there !" Padir had quickly put his hands behind his back when the Assistant Steward suddenly jumped on us. I guess he must have let the fish drop. The Assistant Steward chased us out of the cookhouse.
This was the new guy helping the real Steward, Jamaluddin, whom we knew, because he was staying with his family in the staff quarters area we all shared, and his son Jalalulmahli Jamaludin was one of our age-group friends.
Jamaluddin went to the Malaysia Hall, London as Steward years later. His son joined the Armed Forces , though I remember him as a "softie".
Padir ended as Group MD for the Felda Group, which had training centres, restaurants, and hotels with kitchens of their own. I wonder if he ever tried to pinch any fish there ?
...................................................................................................
No comments:
Post a Comment