Orang memberi, kita merasa...

We received a surprise last Thursday - a package from Malaysia, and one weighing almost 11kg.

I was shocked - but grateful nonetheless, since the arrival was quite timely. We were running out of stock on some dried goods (Maggi Mee and chilli sauce among others), so it was really a pleasure to discover these among the 'small treasures' we received.

The kind sender visited us a few weeks ago. We were advised by Ali-san, a friend of our friend Telat, that a Malaysian called Syahri or Sya'ari from PERKIM, would be visiting one Thursday noon, so I prepared some lunch. Hubby and I had no idea that our guest would turn out to be a leader of Regional Islamic Dakwah Council of the South East Asia and Pacific (RISEAP), an NGO based in Malaysia.

Lt-Col (R) Shahrir Hashim, was clearly happy to learn that there is a Malaysian imam in Tokyo. "Kalau tahu ada orang kita kat sini, baik saya tidur sini saja, bukan di Otsuka," he claimed after chatting with us for a while. He came accompanied by Ali-san from Japan Muslim Association (JMA), which has ties with RISEAP, thus acts as Colonel's host during his stay in Japan. Several JMA representatives had accompanied Colonel visiting several mosques and Islamic centers throughout Japan, and he was scheduled to go to Sendai the following day. Brother Abdullah, an ICOJ member who had been to Colonel's house in KL a few years back, came to see him at the mosque too. As it was already noon, Brother Abdullah invited everybody for lunch at Siddique restaurant, but I told him that I already prepared lunch for Colonel and that he and Ali-san are invited too.

Actually, I only prepared the lunch with one extra person in mind. Although there was enough chicken curry and vegetable soup for 4 adults, I didn't cook that much rice. I quickly fried some ikan masin and keropok while the men chatted, and cooked additional pots of rice, on high temperature mode (so that it get cooked faster). Mak said in time of doubt, selawat more and insya Allah whatever we had would be enough - and miraculously, that was exactly what happened. Somehow, the available rice was enough to feed all 4 men, and the newly cooked rice was not touched at all (but I felt secured having extra rice, of course).

The lunch was no big deal. Hubby and I are only too happy to share a main meal, be it lunch or dinner, every time we receive a guest from Malaysia.

Apparently, what we deem as 'no big deal' was interpreted differently by the kind Colonel. In his reply to our email thanking him for his generosity, Colonel boldly declared that after visiting over 17 countries in the world, he found that often Malays living overseas are arrogant and egoistic. He claimed that only hubby and I had offered him Malay cooking although he did not ask for it since he understand that everything is expensive in Tokyo.

I chuckled upon reading "Harga petai di Malaysia hanya RM5.00 untok 4 papan. Mungkin kos nya kalau Ustaz jual kapada orang Melayu di Tokyo RM500.00!!" I love petai - for sambal ikan bilis - so no hope of making easy profit from 'em. In fact, I was childishly happy to discover all the treasures that he thoughtfully included in the package - Milo, Kicap Cap Kipas Udang, lemongrass, cili api, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaves, instant nasi himpit, assorted ikan masin, ikan bilis, udang kering, belacan, dried chillies, assorted spices and instant sauces, kek lapis, agar-agar strips, and even a copy of The Star. Yes, we do read online news, but there's something natsukashii (nostalgic?) about reading good old newspaper...

He thanked us for our hospitality, claimed that he "tidak pandai simpan budi lama-lama", and promised to bring his wife along for the next trip before we return to Malaysia.

We look forward to receiving you again Colonel.
Terima kasih atas kiriman yang amat kami hargai!