Say 'Blue' Cheese

I was a little girl when the lyrics of Anak Singkong, blazed through the radio waves on a daily basis. It was a catchy song and it took the audience by storm. I remember it being very popular with my favorite being, “aku suka singkong, kau suka keju, ah! ah! ah!” What I didn’t know then was the hidden message that rings true and deep into the Asian souls that now disturbs me right to my core.

The occupation of the West has long left Malaysia. This year, Malaysia celebrates her 54th years of Independence. Unfortunately, the master and servant mentality still plaque many of us and that is a sad reality. An ex-colleague once described Asians similar to dancing pagans, running in circles and worshiping these white men (and women) like our forefathers once did around fire. We still feel inferior and they remain superior because we let them.

I once queued at a hotel to get my room key with a Caucasian man standing behind me, waiting for his turn. Once the counter was opened, the desk counter lady waived for the man behind me and ignored my existence. I was naturally agitated and walked up to her and said, “Who’s your manager you little ingrate! You think my money is worth less than the Mat Salleh behind me? I probably am paying more than he is because I am here on a corporate account! I want to talk to your manager NOW!”

The Mat Salleh was embarrassed and stepped up to apologize on the ignorant counter girl’s behalf and told her that I came first and should get preferential treatment. He said he could wait for his turn. But, now adamant, I insisted on the manager and created a bloody scene.

The manager came and I waived my corporate reservation and gave the manager a piece of my mind…I got an upgrade and a fantastic service aftermath! The Mat Salleh caught up with me at the pool and bought me a drink. I politely declined but had a cordial conversation, very much keeping the ball in my court! I was determined to have the upper hand and show him who’s the master. It really isn’t that hard to take pride in your existence, and a civilized individual would easily recognize such substance. I am sure, the Mat Salleh left my company with a new admiration for my Asian bred tenacity, if a little annoyed with my arrogance, I really don’t care.

The subtle superiority complex can be seen everywhere in the company of the Mat Salleh. May they be British, American, Australian and Brazilian; for some funny reason being white gives them the right to criticize and be haughty amidst the coloreds. They mask their conversation as jokes, making fun of our language, our food, our social conducts and even our celebrations. They do it openly and in my opinion, gullibly and ignorantly accepted by the locals; most often to the men, women and families these Mat Salleh marry into.

A typical Leng Chee Kang.  YUM!

My husband and I had the opportunity to regain some honor for our Asian folks and pretty much ‘subtly’ expressed our non-acceptance of Mat Salleh whims and nonsense talk about Asians. A westerner was ‘subtly’ making fun of local delicacy, the “Leng Chee Kang”, one of my favorites that is a dessert made from boiling herbs and sweets, plus some fungus for that extra crunch. They said it was murky and, “I’m not surprised there’s fungus in there.” And the room burst in laughter…I thought, errr, not funny. I love my Leng Chee Kang!

The King of Fruits

Then the topic of durian came up. The Mat Salleh said, “…there is a reason why the nose was positioned above the mouth – it’s to stop from putting grossly stinky stuff into it”. Another burst of laughter! Well, okay, I must give it to him that the nose part was funny, but I love my DURIANS. I had to say something!

The Creamy Flesh that is Durian!

I said, “Durians to us are like blue cheese to you! That’s rotten milk that you allow fungus to grow. It stinks and it tastes like crap. But it is your delicacy…right?” Taken aback, the Mat Sallehs (plural here) looked at me, went mildly silent and meekly said, “fair enough”… I said (under my breath), in the spirit of the Morning Crew…GOTCHA!!!

The point here is, if we are proud of our culture, we should not allow anyone to make fun of it in a degrading manner. Although we should be able to laugh and make fun of each other, because lifestyles are quirky, we shouldn’t allow foreigners to belittle us for being who we are. There will be an exchange of mutual respect, if only we demand it for ourselves. For as long as we believe we are beneath the Mat Salleh, then we will always remain the dancing pagan worshiping the false fire Gods!

After all, many foreigners are here with family in tow, making a living and enjoying the luxury our land is giving them. If there is so much to criticize, why are they still here? They say, when in Rome do as the Romans do. We should say, "you're in Malaysia...deal with our quirks! Your rules don't apply!"

Anak Singkong
the lyrics


Kau bilang cinta padaku
Aku bilang pikir dulu
Selera kita terlalu jauh berbeda

Parfummu dari Paris
Sepatumu dari Itali
Kau bilang demi gangsi
Semua serba luar negeri

Manakah mungkin
Mengikuti caramu
Yang penuh hura-hura

Aku suka jaipong, kau suka disco
oh! oh! oh!
Aku suka singkong, kau suka keju
oh! oh! oh!

Aku dambakan seorang gadis
Yang sederhana
Aku ini hanya anak singkong
Aku hanya anak singkong