The Thing About Malay Language

In Malay we have two common 1st person pronouns which are "Aku" and "Saya". But if you go to Terengganu and listen to how we speak you would notice that some of us use the word "Ambe" instead of "Aku" or "Saya". Lately, "Saya" is more commonly use. "Ambe" is usually used by older generation and sometimes only used within a certain group of speakers. I myself don't use "Ambe" that much for my dialect has been watered down by standard Malay.

"Ambe" is derived from the word "Hamba" and it is used to refer to a singular first person speaker. Back in the olden days, "Hamba" was used widely as the 1st person pronoun. If I'm not mistaken and correct me if I do, only Terengganu and Kelantan dialect still retain the use of word "Hamba" in daily conversation.

Now you might think, "What? Why are these people still use such an outdated and degrading word? Why not use "saya"? That is less degrading".

Well, you should know that "Saya" and "Hamba" bring about the same meaning. "Saya" is originated from the word "Sahaya" which translated to "slave". The word "Sahaya" itself is used in conjunction with the word "Hamba" to enforce its meaning. Pronunciation and spelling of words change with time; therefore, "ha" in "sahaya" is dropped to form a shorter word "saya".

Why not use "aku" instead?

In most Asian languages, there is level of politeness that needs to be observed when speaking. It is not as stringent as it is for the Korean speakers, but Malay do still preserves some level of politeness when speaking to different class of people. In formal setting, "Saya" is most commonly used while "Aku" is reserved for when speaking to someone close to you or when speaking politeness is not observed.

Let's go back to "Saya" and "Ambe". By using these words, it doesn't mean that you refer yourself as a slave. The word "Hamba" and "Sahaya" are used in the context of servant. When you speak to someone, you are serve your listener by communicating with them. It shows that you are keenly and politely communicating with them. This also shows that you place a certain amount of respect to them. This is because, Malay, as a culture, emphasizes courtesy in every activity. This is apparent even after hundreds of years, Malay still maintain this conduct in mean of language.

So why am I writing about this?
No reason. I just want to.

Adieu

Food Face-off: Squid Boy vs Shihlin

Dah lama aku kepamkan gambar-gambar ni dalam draft tapi sebab malas menguasai diri baru kali ni sempat nak buat write-upnya.

First of, aku tak la minat mana mee sua ni. Adik aku yang suka sangat. Biasanya dia beli dari Shihlin tapi tiba-tiba hari tu cakap nk try yang Squid Boy pulak. So aku cadangkan apa kata buat perbandingan dua brand ni? Walaupun perut aku dah kenyang melahap lamb chop hari tu, gagahkan jugak beli satu serving mee sua dan crispy chicken.

Squid Boy

Shilin

Mee Sua

Kepada yang tak biasa makan atau yang tak tau mee sua tu apa, mee sua tu sejenis mee yang diperbuat daripada tepung gandum. Rupa dia kasar sikit dari mihun. Tapi mihun diperbuat daripada tepung beras so texture dia lain sikit. Ada macam-macam cara nak masak mee sua tapi yang jual dekat Squid Boy dan Shilin ni taiwan style, Oyster mee sua. 

Note: Atas Shihlin, bawah Squid Boy

Perbezaan paling ketara antara dua brand ni adalah daging ayam. Shihlin ada tambah carikan daging ayam dalam resepi mee sua. Squid Boy takde ayam tapi ada banyak sos. Mungkin payah nak nampak sebab kualiti gambar tapi warna mee sua Shihlin lebih gelap berbanding Squid Boy. Bilangan tiram yang diberikan adalah sama, 3 ketul. Shihlin juga lebih pemurah bab daun ketumbar. Umm.. yum.

What about the taste? Shihlin punya mee sua rasa masam sikit. Sebab sos dia kot. Personally, upon first bite aku lebih prefer Squid Boy sebab rasa dia subtle je. Tapi lepas berkali-kali suap cepat rasa muak. Unlike Squid Boy, Shihlin mee sua x rasa macam tu. Aku pun tak paham kenapa. Tiram Shihlin pun lebih firm dan berperisa. So for this round, Shihlin menang.

Crispy Chicken

So ada perbezaan yang sangat ketara antara Crispy Chicken Shihlin dan Squid Boy. Shihlin tak potong ayam tu. It comes as one whole piece of chicken. Squid Boy pulak potong ayam tu kecik-kecik macam ayam Uncle Bob kat pasar malam. Cara diorang tambah serbuk perencah pun lain. Squid Boy letak perencah kat sebelah je bahagian ayam so rasa dia tak sekata tapi takde la tak sedap. Ok je. Both taste almost the same. Texture-wise, Shihlin won by a landslide. The science behind this is not to cut your chicken. Kalau korang tengok packaging tu, Shihlin punya paperbag ada basah sikit tapi paperbag Squid boy memang basah teruk. By not cutting the chicken, they retain the juice inside the chicken longer. So kalau korang planning nak tapau bawak balik rumah, pilihla ayam Shihlin. Tapi kalau nak makan terus, baik amik Squid Boy sebab less messy to eat in public.

Tapi kalau dua-dua ni lawan ayam uncle bob Putrajaya, dua-dua pun takleh lawan. Uncle Bob reign supreme. Shihlin and Squid Boy found dead in a ditch.

Harga

Hmm.. Aku tak tau mana aku campak resit-resit ni tapi Shihlin lagi mahal la. Berbaloi ke tidak tu depends on korang punya preference. Bagi aku memang berbaloi la sebab hmm sedap.

Masa Penyediaan

Serius Squid Boy lambat gila buat kerja. Customer tak ramai pun slow buat keje. Dah la silap Aku mintak crispy chicken perisa wasabi dia bagi perisa biasa. Shihlin laju sikit la. Tapi dua-dua pun slow bila sampai bab Crispy Chicken sebab masing-masing goreng based on demand to control the freshness. So kalau korang order ayam memang la lambat sikit.

So, tu je ceritanya.

Adieu