Cross-Cultural Conversations

Observations by a Malaysian studying in Australia

Gone Peanuts!

 

On most other days, for breakfast I will help myself to a bowl of cereal and peaches, with a dollop of vanilla crème yoghurt on top, all of which is then drained in milk for the finishing touch. Nice and healthy, if a bit conservative.

 

On Sundays however, all caution is thrown to the wind as I indulge myself in 4 perfectly toasted bread, 2 of which are judiciously spread with golden margarine and peanut butter, and the other 2, an equally generous blend of that all-important ingredient, peanut butter, with raspberry jam.

 

 All the senses are invoked as the saltiness of the margarine is interspersed with the smooth texture of the peanut butter; they’re further rejuvenated once the fat and alkaline of the wonderful peanut butter are neutralised by the sweet and slightly acidic tang of raspberry jam.

 

As the different flavours ooze into your tastebuds, all those bewildering Eastern concepts of Yin and Yang, Shangri La and Heaven-On-Earth do not seem so incredulous anymore. I have been to the Garden of Eden and the Forbidden Fruit is actually a peanut!

 

The Thais are quite adept at incorporating this delightful kernel into their sumptuous cuisine. Who would’ve thought chopped peanuts would work wonders to a bowl of stir-fry noodles?

 

In Malaysia, the most well-known peanut dish is the satay sauce, the ubiquitous accompaniment to the aromatic satay kebabs. This humble meal is arguably Malaysia’s most famous export after Mahathir Mohamad’s news-making vitriol against the West. It is undoubtedly the most-loved.

 

In Australia, so popular is satay that ready-made satay sauce-in-glass-jars line the aisles of virtually every supermarket – something rarely found in Malaysia – you’d think Satay originated in the suburbs of Sydney.

 

This is of course unsurprising; Malaysians, and it seems, Malaysian products, tend to do better overseas than in their home country.

 

However, quantity is not a measure of quality, and the same applies to our satay. While the original satay sauce in Malaysia is a thick red broth – from the chilli and spices – blended with finely chopped peanuts, the Australian satay sauce is essentially peanut butter packed in a satay-branded jar. The spiciness is missing, the aroma virtually non-existent, and the texture, smooth and creamy, just like peanut butter.

 

Every time the boarding house serves us vegetable kebabs in satay sauce, I cry invisible tears of disappointment as I dip the kebabs in what they say is satay, but what I know is really extra-smooth peanut butter, and endure the agony of digesting a soiled Malaysian dip.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I like peanut butter, but I detest peanut butter disguised as satay sauce.

 

And so it would be, that every time I visit the supermarket and walk the aisle of shame, I cringe, yet again, invisible tears of disappointment as I reluctantly look at those huge jars brazenly displaying bold big words of SATAY SAUCE, with the contents looking no different than your average peanut butter.

 

posted by: Tembaga2 at 10:18 | link | comments |