A Singaporean In Australia

Last week was Ah Hua week. Many of us fondly refer Stephen as that because, well, we are fond of him. I met him on Thursday. He came for dinner along with M, the Singaporean mum who finally came for a week to look at Perth and Ryan, the kind heart who sent us an ang bao for Albany without knowing us. We met them both for the first time, knowing them for more than half a year respectively. 

On Friday, Ah Hua lent me a helping hand transporting a bed from Shamirah to Thusara so that he could sleep on something rather than the hard, cold floor of his new temporary home at Yan Chun. That was kind of him, because I made the promise to help and couldn't fulfill it due to cock-ups in my planning. Ah Hua saved the day by agreeing to help to save my ass. I'm thankful for the help.

If that wasn't enough, Ah Hua opened his 'shop' on Saturday and invited us over along with the folks who lived nearby. The noodles he whipped up was delicious. The soup looked deceptively ordinary, like those in our hawker centres many of us would not finish drinking. It tasted exceptional, brewed intricately from bones, without enhancers or flavourings. The taste of the dish was more authentic than many of the current Singapore noodle stalls in the food courts. It was the taste of the owner-hawkers, the nation builders of the yester-years which is fast becoming a rarity in the richest country in the world. Our rich food heritage will vanish in a generation or two because we did not expect it to, and did not make plans to preserve it.

Ah Hua gave me lots of face and came along with our family on Sunday, all the way up to Lesmurdie Falls. The problem was that it was Sunday. Sundays are for cooping at home. It was his birthday and I thought it would be nice to breathe some fresh air instead of cooping up at home on birthdays. He came along anyway and we were glad. Both Steph and Joni like Albany. You'll like people who treat your children well, it is natural. We planned to do a quick visit to the Falls and return home to have a rest but we ended up spending a long day instead. The chat was good, on the peak of Lesmurdie Falls. Fantastic air, fantastic view, no mosquitoes, free parking, sparse, no crowds.

There are lots to learn from Ah Hua, to begin with he shares some interesting life philosophies now and then that I can actually think about. Before that, I  think I will benefit from the lessons of his wicked cooking.