Daun Upeh

Minggu yang lalu, selepas habis berurusan dengan e-Warehouse for Ummi Aiman's laptop, we stopped over at Simpang Bedok for dinner. Ulka, Aini, Jaimie, Jazz and myself. The eating place was crowded as usual, but the very enthusiast service staffs had taken us aback.

"Sini bang, sini kak... kat sini bersih... sini boleh order, kalau duduk sana tak boleh order" chanted the lady in green t-shirt.

I asked innocently, "Aik! Kalau duduk kat sana tak boleh order? Abis apasal ada meja & kerusi?"

"Kat sini boleh order dengan saya, kat sana tak boleh"

"Oooh... abis... kalau saya nak makan barang yang kat sana?"

"Apa yang kat sana ada, kat sini pun ada Kak!"

"Kalau gitu, saya order kat sana aja lah, kalau dah semua sama" I said.

Bengang lady in green. Apakesajer... sana sini sama makanan, kenapa nak order kat sini, tak boleh order kat sana, sebab kita nak duduk kat sana. I thought touting is illegal in Singapore. Where is the democracy of seating where we please?

The Lamb Chop was delicious. Ulka ordered Mee Goreng Pedas served in daun upeh (It's a broad leaf – from pokok pinang or kelapa -that was used as a food wrapper in the days when paper or plastic films were too costly for use as disposable food wrappers). Jazz and Jaimie shared French Fries with Cheese.

After a disappearance of maybe 20 - 30 years, the daun upeh has made a comeback. Now we see some noodle stalls boasting that they serve up their products on a daun upeh, just like in days of old. The claim is made that the leaf adds a taste to the dish after the gravy has been in contact with the leaf for a while. I can't vouch for that, but it seems to me that even if so, that would only be possible if the daun upeh is used as a take-away wrapper with the gravy staying in contact with the leaf for a period of time. Just like in olden days.

However, in the places where the daun upeh has reappeared, it is currently used almost as decoration, and I do wonder whether people are just imagining that the dish tastes different, when gobbling it down mere minutes after it's been served.

I took home Kway Teow Hongkong packed in dauh upeh for Erin. But when I got home, she asked me to transfer the Kway Teow into a Tupperware instead. She has never seen daun upeh before, and the thought of eating off the upeh seems very yucky to her.

Anyhow...The sight of Simpang Bedok reminded me of something else...Roti Prata at 3 in the morning! Never fail to bring tears to my eyes...of too much laughing!