Tsunami Jepun-dan Tsunami di Malaysia

Tahun lepas aku berkempatan membawa ibuku ke Sungai Petani. "Kenapa nak holiday di Sungai Petani?" salah satu pertanyaan yang telah diutarakan oleh kakakku, mungkin merasakan agak pelik aku memilih tempat yang dekat. Maklumlah kami ni orang utara. Ibuku sekarang tinggal bersama kakakku di Alor Star. Sungai Petani dengan Alor Star hanya setengah jam perjalanan.

Sebenarnya ibuku sudah lanjut usia dan kadangkala aku berkesempatan membawanya pergi 'holiday' untuk mengelakkannya daripada terperap aje kat rumah. Ibuku sudah tak larat untuk berjalan jauh walaupun dengan kereta. Jadi aku pilih Sungai Petani sebagai salah satu destinasi percutian khas untuknya. Sebenarnya aku sendiri jarang ke Sungai Petani kerana aku tidak mempunyai hal tertentu untuk ke sana. Biasanya aku berulang alik dari Pulau Pinang, tanah kelahiranku dan Alor Star, rumah kakakku.

'Jom kita pi tengok tempat tsunami dulu,' ajakku kepada ahli keluargaku." Buat apa, mak? Bukannya ada tempat peranginan di sana," kata salah seorang anakku. " Tak apa, mak saja nak faham macamana boleh berlaku tsunami kat situ," terangku.Oleh kerana tidak ada rancangan lain, ahli keluaragaku pun bersetuju.

Wah, rupa-rupanya perjalanan dari Sungai Petani ke   Kuala Muda sungguh jauh ke pedalaman. Mulanya kami hampir berputus harap nak sampai ke sana sehinggalah anakku teringat untuk memasang GPS di telefon suamiku.Berpandukan kepada GPS kami telah melalui sebuah pekan kecil dan melalui
sebuah jalan yang agak sunyi.


Tiba di suatu simpang kami ternampak sebuah tugu yag dibuat berbentuk perahu yang disusun
bertingkat. Rupa-rupanya itu ialah tugu peringatan Tsunami. Sebaik saja kami membelok ke kiri kami ternampak sebuah kawasan berpagar yang terdapat rumah-rumah usang yang telah pecah
Sebahagiannya. Inilah tapak kawasan perumahan yang antara paling teruk dipukul gelombang tsunami pada tahun 2004. Pada ketika yang sama Acheh juga mengalami tsunami yang paling teruk dalam sejarah dimana ratusan ribu telah terkorban.


Rumah- rumah ini berhadapan dengan satu kawasan terbuka yang berangin kuat. Setelah melihat keadaan begini dimana rumah- rumah ini dibina berhadapan kawasan lapang yang berhadapan laut, barulah aku faham bagaimana tsunami berlaku. Cuma aku kurang faham setelah berlaku tsunami, kenapa tidak nampak langkah-langkah pencegahan yang dilakukan oleh pihak bertanggungjawab agar ia tidak berulang lagi di sini. Aku juga kurang faham kenapa didirikan kawasan bencana ini satu kawasan berpagar yang lengkap dengan kantin dan lain-lain kemudahan
sedangkan perkara ini tidak perlu dibanggakan malah ia sepatutnya menjadi iktibar bagi kita agar mengadakan langkah-langkah pencegahan agar ia tidak sampai ke kawasan itu lagi.

Tsunami di Jepun tahun 2011 merupakan antara tsunami yang paling teruk mereka alami sejak tahun 1896 dahulu. Bencana yang yang tidak disangka akan berlaku seteruk ini telah mengorbankan puluhan ribu. Gempa bumi yang bermagnitud 8.9 skala richter ini telah mengakibatkan tsunami setinggi lebih 20 kaki. Kawasan sekeliling sehingga 10 km  dari pantai semuanya dipukul gelombang tersebut. Yang lebih menyedihkan ialah ia telah merosakkan reaktor nuklear dan mengakibatkan pencemaran nuklear sehingga berpuluh-puluh kilometer jauhnya. Ribuan nyawa terkorban dan jutaan lagi kehilangan tempat tinggal akibat ketiga-tiga bencana yang tidak di sangka itu.

Namun satu perkara yang agak ketara diketengahkan oleh para pengunjung atau sukarelawan asing ke sana idalah sikap orang Jepun sendiri yang menghadapi bencana ini. Orang Jepun dikhabarkan tidak menunjukkan rasa sedih walaupun ditemubual. Sekiranya mereka menangis atau meraung mereka mungkin akan ditegur oleh masyarakat di sana. Mungkin ini bukan kebiasaan(norm) bagi mereka di sana. Di tv, saya dapat melihat sendiri riak wajah mereka tidak menunjukkan apa-apa kesedihan walaupun mereka menyatakan mereka sangat sedih. Tampak kecekalan di wajah mereka.

Satu lagi sikap orang Jepun yang boleh dibanggakan ialah mereka tidak mengambil barang yang dijumpai.Apa lagi menyamun rumah yang mengalami kerosakan akibat tsunami. Barang yang mereka jumpai mereka letakkan dalam satu kotak dan disertakan pula dengan tempat mereka jumpai. Para sukarelawan yang membersihkan rumah yang ranap dipukul ombak tsunami juga melakukan demikian dimana diletakkan nama tuan rumah dan tempat barang dijumpai dan senarai barang yang dijumpai. Walaupun kita menyedari  orang Jepun itu sendiri mengalami kesusahan dari segi tempat tinggal dan barang keperluan, kelihatan seolah olah tiada barang yang kecurian. Bahkan sekiranya tuan rumah itu sudah meninggal dunia barang- barang itu ditinggalkan juga ditempat pengumpulan agar siwaris dapat mengambil barang- barang tersebut sebagai kenangan atau untuk kemudahan mereka.

Di dalam surat khabar tempatan ada juga diceritakan bagaimana sikap orang Jepun yang tidak suka berebut- rebut semasa mendapatkan makanan bantuan. Mereka sudah biasa beratur dan sekiranya ada yang potong 'que' orang itu tidak akan dilayan.

Bila difikirkan cara orang Jepun menghadapi musibah, kita sebagai orang Islam sudah semestinya berasa malu dengan sikap kita. Tak lama dahulu beberapa kotak wang syiling terjatuh dari sebuah kereta.Kejadian ini berlaku di negara kita. Dikhabarkan ramai orang kelam-kabut mengutip wang tersebut untuk diri sendiri tanpa memikirkan wang itu bukan hak mereka dan wang dikutip oleh mereka itu ialah wang haram. walaupun jumlahnya sedikit namun apa saja yang kita belanjakan dengan menggunakan wang itu tetap haram.

Mengambil kesempatan juga merupakan antara sikap yang memalukan bagi kita, orang Islam. Ada juga dimana berlaku kemalangan dimana orang mengambil kesempatan mengambil barang-barang berharga kepunyaan orang yang cedera di tempat kejadian. Yanga kaki loteri pula sibuk mengambil nombor tanpa kisah dengan orang yang terlibat dengan kemalangan.

Walaupun orang Jepun kebanyakkannya bukan Islam,kita tidak seharusnya menoleh pandangan bila melihat sikap terpuji mereka. Seharusnya kita sebagai orang Islam harus bersikap terbuka untuk mencontohi apa saja sikap terpuji orang orang bukan Islam meskipun ia mengamalkan agama yang tidak kita persetujui.




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Mabul, A Spectacular Tropical Getaway

Ever heard of Mabul, an island off  the coast of Semporna. For someone who is a non swimmer (and of course a non diver), one might think what on earth is she doing on that remote island. It must  be pretty wierd to take the trouble to go such a distant place like Mabul! First I have to take a flight from KLIA. Not to mention the one hour ride by taxi from home just to reach the airport. Then a 2 hour and 45 minute flight to Tawau. After that another one hour drive to Semporna. Finally a whole 45 minute boat ride with water splashing right onto your face and your clothes (no, you will not be drenched when you reach there). Believe me, all the hassle of  a non stop travelling was really fun and definitely a worthwhile effort.

What made I go there in the first place? Well, to tell the truth, we managed to get the Air Asia free tickets to  Tawau. 5 free tickets! Don't want to waste free tickets, right? Why did I pick Tawau? Maybe because it was one of the place I haven't been in East Malaysia.  We just chose randomly the places that we haven't been before and the availability of free tickets. When I browsed the internet  to check if Tawau has any interesting places, I couldn't find any. Then from there I found out about Mabul. Even though, I had heard about Mabul from the TV before, I could not imagine myself going there because I know it is a diving haven and I could not swim!

The boat that took us from Semporna to Mabul

So there I was in February, 2011 Alhamdulillah, the first time I set my foot on these remote Island yet enchanting............. "Welcome to Mabul", greeted one of the staff as he gave a hand and carried our bags onto the resort. Hmm... a warm welcome... something that I haven't experience for  a long time as a Malaysian when I entered  a Malaysian hotel , of course not as a foreigner. As we  went up  the resort jetty onto the verandah, we saw a few Malaysians relaxing in the dining area (that was the only area to relax, of course). We were told that we would be given a temporary/transit room because our room was not yet vacant since we had arrived early. The group of Malaysians were just chatting to let the day go by. They were going back to Semporna that evening. Just then we saw a container containing 3 big fishes which included a young stingray. They told us that the fishes were sold by the Bajau Laut for only RM 13.00. So cheap! One would have to pay more than thirty ringgit back in KL and mind you, this fishes were freshly caught and brought right to you at the resort jetty. The Bajau Laut, in my understanding were natives of the surrounding sea. They were also called sea gypsies as they had a nomadic life where they don't have a permanent site  that they regard as home.Most of their lives were spent in boats and they only went to the island for trading and buying daily necessities.

Sea weed and starfish under the resort area

The resort was actually a wooden house built on stilts in the water. That means directly beneath our rooms were only sea water. Amazingly the water was so crystal clear that we could see the sea bed if we look beneath. The water around the resort was more than 5 feet deep but we could clearly see the sea bed with lots of seaweed on it. Small fishes swam  among the stilts and several star fish could be seen lying among the seaweed. It was really amazing. MasyaAllah.

A few budget resorts and the Suluk Muslim houses by the sea

As we were seating at the dining area, one of the staff invited us for breakfast. Breakfast was mee goreng and bread. We met many foreigners relaxing and having their breakfast at the dining area. Some of them seemed in a hurry, getting ready to go diving, the purpose of their coming to this area. The Chinese couple that got in the same boat with us from Semporna were  asked to view a video on diving. They had planned to go diving later of the day.

We decided to take a walk around the island after breakfast. Earlier,we were told that it would only take less than an hour to walk around the island. There were no tarred roads, no cars and no motorcyles,that means no exhaust fumes. The very much of clean air that I've been yearning ,away from the nasty pollution of the city. To get to the village from the resort we had to walk on board walks made of wooden planks. Surprisingly just as we step on the soil of Mabul, we were already in the Bajau Darat or Suluk Muslim village.

The Suluk Muslim village

It was Saturday morning. The villagers were busy with their daily activities. Housewives were seen busy with their house chores i.e, cleaning and cooking. There were several small stalls selling vegetables and food items. One obvious stall missing was the fish stall. Yep! There were no fish stalls because most of them catch fish by themselves. Even the children had their very own small plastic sampan.Therefore it made no sense selling fish when they can easily catch it in the shallow waters nearby.Children, however, were seen everywhere playing happily using what was available to them There were no sophisticated toys with them.Small sticks, a couple of cans or bits of stryrofoams were enough to be transformed into toys. They  always seemed to be happily laughing and playing the simple toys, quite different from our hometown children where they were always busy with their tuition or playstations whenever they have free time.

Just as we passed the surau, we saw Muslim children going out of  their classes  from separate nearby building. I mentioned to my yougest daughter of how easy it was to just walk back home after class,without having to worry about traffic jams or riding in a sardined packed school bus. My daughter couldn't agree more and smiled gleefully. After that we passed by a beach and saw a few children swimming in the water. Not far from the area were some people trying to cut the trunk of a coconut tree to be made into benches. "Hmm..use anything that is available here. Waste not and avoid pollution," I said to myself. The beach was rather quiet in the morning , a moment of peace and tranquility.

Sunset near the resort

Lunch was ready by 11.30 am. After the scrumptious meal, we headed to our transit room for a rest. There was no electricity as I was told by the Malaysian guest that electricity was usually  only available after 7 pm. However, electricity was available throughout the day at the dining area.We had no choice but to take a nap inside the room eventhough it was hot. However, right after we got the permanent room, we immediatley took a bath  to cool ourselves and performed our jamak zuhr asr prayers.

We had spent the afternoon at the resort and later took a stroll again around the village. Eventhough it was small, it was indeed a village with  full of activities. Housewives were seen chatting and cleaning their surrounding areas, boys and girls playing with whatever they have, shouting and laughing at each other. Some of the men were relaxing while others still at work. We bought an apam balik at one of the stalls and ate at one of the beach nearby. We noticed that there was not much sandy beaches around the island and as we passed by  there was a  resort forbiding passersby the beach in front of their chalets. Many people ignored the signs since that was the only pathways to go around the island.

The Bajau Laut community

About 6.30 pm, the sun moves slowly towards the horizon and we had witnessed a stunning sunset with the  scenery of the boats of the Bajau Laut nearby. The Bajau Laut men were seen chatting in a group in one of the boats before the dark sets in.

The next morning, we decided to join the group who went snorkeling. Initially we didn't take any snorkeling package since we did not know what was actually available in Mabul. We were lucky because all of us in the boat did not know how to swim except a Tunisian guy and the resort staff . Therefore the staff took us to a quite shallow area somewhere around Mabul. Though not that deep (about 6 feet) and we were able to sea the ocean floor, most of  us were still afraid at first to take a dip. All of us were supplied with a life jacket to enable us to float and had our first snorkelling experience. Despite persuaded by the resort staff that we were safe with the life jackets many of us still cling to the aluminium stairs  that was placed on the boat. It was indeed an exciting experience for most of us even though all we could see were only the reefs. They were indeed beautiful when we saw them alive in the sea. We had the whole hour to practise our snorkeling skills. Then we got back to the resort to have a rest.

Two hours after that we went snorkeling again. The  Chinese ladies that were in our group kept reminding  the resort staff that all of us didn't know how to swim except the Tunisian guy . " Bawa lekat-lekat (dekat dekat) saja. Tak boleh dalam-dalam! Tatak tau belenang! Nanti takut" she said." Aiya, Amoi! Kalau lu takut, kami lagi takut lo!," said one of the staff, teasingly. At first, they brought us to an area that was said to have beautiful fishes. " Haiya, ini manyak dalam! Tak boleh nampak dalam laut!" said the Chinese lady again. It was looked very deep indeed. I was told that it was more than 10 feet but I wasn't sure. "Kami tatak tau belenang," the Chinese lady lady kept saying to the staff. Seeing that most of us were afraid to go down into the water the staff decided to bring us to another area.

Snorkeling in Kapalai- the crystal clear turquoise water

The another area was Kapalai, not actually an Island but rather a large sandbank area in the middle of the sea. There was only one big resort here with surrounding stunningly turquoise water MasyaAllah. The area seemed tranquil with very small waves. Beneath we saw the sea floor dotted with live reefs and starfish. We went down again, snorkeling around the area. While clinging to the float, one of the staff brought some members of the group to a deeper place where they could see the fishes."We saw stingrays and nemos!", exclaimed my youngest daughter as she climbed up the boat after snorkeling quite far with my other daughter with the help of the resort staff. It was indeed exciting for most of us in being able to snorkel in such a beautiful area.

We didn't went out  for snorkeling again as we were tired and had to pack our luggage. Those who went diving got back an hour later.

At 5 pm, it was time to leave and we were asked to board the boat for Semporna. New friends made overnight seemed like we've known them for along time.We made friends with Hikari from Japan, Mathias      from Switzerland, Carrie from South Africa,  Ali  from Tunisia and a couple from China. Not to forget the group of Malaysian Chinese from KL and a young man from Sibu, Sarawak. Friends shook hands with each other and had pictures taken together. As our boat disembarked from the jetty, other guests formed a bee line facing the boat and together waved us goodbye. It was really heartening. Deep in our heart we had hoped to meet them again even though they were of different nationals.

Thanks to the helpful and friendly Billabong Resort staff. We had indeed an exciting and enjoyable stay. I was grateful to God who enabled me to view the underwater world even though it was only for a few minutes. I would like to explore more of the spectacular God's creation of the lives underwater, InsyaAllah.
Mabul was no doubt a tropical getaway.



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Every insignificant action has an impact on others, whether you realize it or not.

I happened to read the Navel gazer  by Alexandra Wong in the Weekender of the Star recently. The article was about how she met a stranger during a train journey to Ipoh,  who happened to read her article using his blackberry. His last words before they departed really motivated her regarding her writing.

" Your stories remind me that every insignificant action has an impact on others , whether you realize it or not."

Just like Alex and probably many others, I had almost given up writing having experienced many times producing books ,then cheated by individuals and book publishers. This had led to a lot of frustrations and demotivations.
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I used to love writing. There were times when the moment I scribbled on pieces of paper, ideas kept pouring that I could write several pages in one go. This happened normally when I'm alone. However, now  I have to take more time in getting ideas after a long break from writing. Adding to that, I have to look out for the suitable vocabularies needed.

I had read one of my daughter's book  Murabbi Cinta written by Ustaz Hasrizal Jamil which tells about his experience of being a father and how he handled his kids Islamically. Besides giving some knowldge about Islam,Ustaz Hazrizal also urged us to write(be it our experiences or views) so that it can be shared with the future generations. This could also a part of dakwah.especially to muslims. I've read another book by Ustaz Hazrizal called ' Secangkir Teh Pengubat Letih' which is a travelogue. This book is a bout his student days and how he spent much of his time in Turkey observing the people, culture and politics.

As a housewife and a mother of 24 years( Yep, my oldest dauughter is already 24 years old), I did not have much chance going out station i.e., out of state or overseas by myself. The only opportunity I had was to accompany my husband whenever he went out station.  Of course, accompaniment means everyone in the family which includes all my children. I started following my husband when my daughter was still a baby. Yes, it was tough travelling with babies. Having to take care their needs- milk diapers, travel discomforts made me weary even before we reached the destinantion. But it was worth it since it involves less expenses.

When both my husband and I were blessed with 3 more kids, travelling still includes the whole lot, which means more expenses. How did we did it? We lead a simple life. Buying luxury household and unecessary items were not on our priority list. Dining out was only during weekends.  

When the kids were older, we started going on family vacations. For a start we went to East Malaysia since we had travelled in Peninsula Malaysia during the short school holidays. It was fun having to organize our very own itinerary. And it was also fun to be able to take the flight for a change instead of driving.(more relaxing for my husband who was normally the family driver)

Then a year after that we went to Lake Toba, our first family overseas vacation. It was one of the best holiday package that we had experienced. We had a excellent tour guide an were given a first class treatment(of course, that was our personal opinion).

Shopping was usually not our favourite ittinerary especially when it was a package travel. We felt like we were forced to buy things that we did not need and it was really tiring. ( This disappointing itinerary happened when  we travelled to China. We were forced to go to so many shopping places which were required by the Chinese governemnt). We normally enjoyed the sights and sounds of different cultures and picturesque sceneries  of the lush greeneries, snow capped mountains and beach.

Now that my children had grown up, the youngest already in secondary school,  travelling is less frequent. Maybe age is catching up or is that just an excuse? I remember reading in one of Dr HM Tuah's book where he told us how he had encountered with a 70 year old woman taking the  same tour package with him. I wondered how she got the energy and guts to travel alone. However, I do look up to her wish to see the world eventhough it means travelling alone.  She had used the safest way to travel by using the travel packages.

I do not know when was the last time I travelled just with my husband( without my kids) except when we went for Haj back in the 80's.  Nevertheless I am grateful having able to travel  to many countries and all the states in Malaysia, together with my kids, to be able to cherish  the moments together and witness the spectacular panoramic view of God's creations.      

I do wish  that my travel stories here will have an impact on others, if not large, well... maybe  a little.

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Makanan Melayu di Pulau Pinang -Bahagian 1

Takua Rendang 

Kat mana nak dapat makanan Melayu di Pulau Pinang? Kena tahu tempat- tempat penempatan Melayulah. Walaupun kadangkala kita nampak kat Pulau Pinang ni sekali imbas memang banyak makanan China, ada tempat- tempat tertentu yang banyak makanan Melayu. Sekiranya kita berada di kawasan Padang Kota Bharu( kat mana ni...biasanya orang luar tanya.) padang Kota baru tu Gurney Drivelah. Padang kota lama tu dekat dengan jeti. Padang kota Baru ni berdekatan dengan pekan Pulau Tikus dan Tanjung Tokong. Arah pergi Tanjung Bungahlah.

Padang kota baru ini satu kawasan di sepanjang tepi laut. Terdapat kawasan pejalan kaki  di tepi laut dan kita boleh memandu di sepanjang Padang Kota ini  sambil menghirup udara laut. Kalau  kita pergi masa yang sesuai  kita dapat merasai hembusan bayu laut yang dingin di sini. Bermula dari Jalan Kelawei  ia berakhir di sebuah bulatan(roundabout). Di hujung roundabout ini terdapat  satu open air foodcourt yang menyediakan makanan  Melayu dan makanan Cina. Foodcourt ini terbahagi kepada dua bahagian. Bahagian halal dan bahagian tidak halal.

Sebagai orang asal Pulau Pinang, makanan kegemaran saya dan emak saya yang di jual di food court ini ialah takua rendang. Hah... takua yang dibuat rendang ke? Takua tu tauhu. Orang Penang kadangkala menggunakan perkataan rendang ini menggantikan perkataan goreng.. Jadi takua rendang ni tauhu gorenglah. Tapi yang specialnya bukan tauhunya. Sebenarnya hidangan ini terdiri daripada cucur udang yang campurkan dengan  taugeh dan daun bawang di dalam tepungnya, tauhu yang digoreng dan timun.Itu saja. Tapi ingat kesedapannya tetap terletak pada kuahnya  yang di bubuh keledek, bijan dan lain-lain. Biasanya mamak jugaklah yang buat tapi hidangan ini tidak boleh didapati di kedai nasi kandar, hanya di gerai-gerai tertentu sahaja.

Seterusnya jika kita meneruskan perjalanan ke arah Tanjung Tokong kita akan dapati deretan gerai-gerai Melayu di hadapan tanah yang telah ditambak dan dibuat rumah. Dulunya kawasan ini berhadapan laut dan terdapat sebuah padang kota juga.. Malangnya ia kini telah di tambak dan ini menyebabkan pemandangan di sini kurang menarik lagi. Walaubagaimanapun ia masih satu perkampungan Melayu yang terletak tidak jauh dari Georgetown. Saya biasanya pergi ke Pasar malam Tanjong Tokong ini untuk mencari makanan kegemaran saya iaitu popia dan putu mayam.

Rasanya makanan Melayu  di Pulau Pinang hampir sama dengan yang terdapat di tempat lain. Kalau lauknya, biasanya semasa saya kecil-kecil dulu, asam pedas, kuah pindang, gulai dan kuah lemak merupakan hidangan biasa bagi kami. Cuma lauk yang kami makan taklah pedas terganga-nganga macam masakan orang Negeri Sembilan. Kami jarang menggunakan cili padi dalam masakan kami. Kalau tak silap, makanan Melayu Pulau Pinang banyak di pengaruhi oleh pedagang Arab, mamak dan juga Cina. Maklumlah dulukan pulau ini  mempunyai antara pelabuhan yang termaju di Semenanjung Tanah Melayu.Jadi banyak berlaku perkahwinan campur sehinggakan makanannya  pelbagai.

Antara kuih yang biasa saya makan sewaktu kecil dahulu ialah dangai, serabai dan pulut udang. Dangai ini dibuat daripada tepung pulut, kelapa muda dan gula pasir. Serabai pula perlu dimakan dengan kuah manis atau kuah durian. Serabai ini biasanya di buat daripada tepung beras. Rupanya sama seperti penkek.Pulut Udang ialah kuih yang di balut dengan daun pisang. Pulut udang ini ialah pulut yang intinya dibubuh kelapa dan udang. Kalau dulu setiap keping pulut udang ini mesti ada udang di dalamnya. Tapi sekarang ini, janganlah di harap sangat kecuali kalau kita pergi ke arah kedah dimana makanannya lebih murah.

Antara kawasan penempatan Melayu yang  terbesar terletak di kawsan Gelugor. Kawasan ini memang mempunyai banyak restoran Melayu dan gerai Melayu. Kawasan ini  terletak berhampiran dengan USM, dan ini menyebabkan ia cepat membangun. Oleh itu mudahlah kita menadapat makanan melayu disini.

Satu kawasan yang special yang sudah lama tidak saya kunjungi ialah Gerai Ikan bakar Teluk Tempoyak. Kawasan ini  merupakan kawsan nelayan yang terletak betul-betul di tepi laut. Untuk sampai ke kawasan ini kita perlu pergi ke arah Batu Maung dan pandu kereta menaiki bukit kemudian menuruni bukit semula. Pemandangan disnin memang  indah, biasanya gerai ini hanya dibuka lewat petang saja. Oleh itu  ia biasanya dikunjungi oleh pengunjung selepas pukul 6 petang.

Itulah sedikit sebanyak makanan melayu Pulau Pinang dan kawasannya atau tempatnya.



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Lagi kisah makanan Pulau Pinang

Selain daripada nasi kandar dan popia, pasembur (orang Penang sebut Pasembog-ada sebutan 'ain kat belakang) ialah satu lagi makanan istimewa Pulau Pinang. Kalau di KL atau tempat lain ia disebut Rojak. Pasembur Pulau Pinang ni kesedapannya terletak pada kuahnya yang di buat daripada keledek. Kalau pasembur kuahnya macam kuah kacang, tu bukanlah pasembur Pulau Pinang. Pasembur Pulau Pinang ni boleh dipilih sama ada yang biasa atau yang mahal . Bagi yang biasa ia terdiri daripada campuran cucur, tauhu(taukua), telur, kentang ,sengkuang dan timun. Bagi yang mahal bolehlah pilih sendiri cucur dan juga udang serta ketam.
Adakah pernah kita terfikir bagaimana makan pasembur yang ada ketam? Sebenarnya ketam goreng yang djual sekarang berbeza daripada ketam goreng pasembur yang dijual dahulu. Sepatutnya ketam yang digunakan adalah ketam lembek. Tahu apa ketam lembek? Ketam lembek bukannya ketam yang sudah tak elok seperti yang kita pernah makan di beberapa restoran. Orang Penang kata ketam yang tak elok itu ketam medak. Sebenarnya ketam lembek ialah ketam yang baru salin kulit. Ingat ketam selalu salin kulit ketika membesar....rujuk fakta sains...ketam dan udang mempunyai rangka luar tak sama seperti mamalia, manusia dan burung.Maknanya kita boleh makan ketam dengan kulit-kulitnya sekali sekiranya kita menggorengnya. Sekarang ni dengan laut tercemar bukan mudah nak cari ketam atau udang lembek.  Jadi bolehlah kita bayangkan betapa sedap dan puasnya makan ketam dan udang lembek yang sudah di goreng!

Selain daripada pasembur, Pulau Pinang mempunyai jenis roti canai yang dibuat dalam bentuk dan rasa yang berbeza. Selain daripada roti canai, roti telur, roti sardin, disini ada roti tisu dan roti helikopter. Sebenarnya kedua-dua roti ini sama saja cuma bentuknya berbeza. Kedua-dua roti ini sebenarnya roti canai yang dicanai nipis dan dituang susu pekat diatasnya selain dari gula dan majerin. Cuba kita bayangkan kita mengeluarkan tisu dari kotak dengan sopan menggunakan 3 jari saja. Ada satu ketika ia akan berbentuk kon. Itulah bentuk roti tisu. Manakala roti helikopter berbentuk kipas helikopetr, dimana roti ini di gulung berbentuk kipas helikopter. Tapi rasanya tak ada bentuk kipas pun. Roti tisu dan helikopter ini biasanya tidak mengenyangkan. Hanya sesuai dijadikan snek saja atau sebagai sampingan bagi sarapan pagi.

Itulah sedikit sebanyak makanan mamak di Pulau Pinang yang di rasakan agak special.




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Makanan Istimewa Pulau Pinang

"Mak, kenapa depa nak mai Penang untuk  bercuti? Best sangat ka Penang ni?," tanya anakku. "Banyak tempat menariklah kat situ berbanding negeri lain kat Pantai Barat," kataku sambil mempertahankan negeri asal usulku. "Kita dah selalu mai sini, sebab tulah tak rasa macam tempat holiday! Penang ni tempat bersejarah pun ada, tempat bersantai pun ada, " kataku lagi. "Tapikan...kat Penang kalau makanan Melayu tu kena tau tempat dialah. Paling senang makanan mamaklah," kataku lagi.

Aku teringat salah seorang rakanku pernah menelefon bertanyakan tentang tempat makanan Melayu. "I kat Komtar ni menuju ke Jalan Burma. Tak nampak makanan Melayupun.Mana nak makan ni.?Help!" tanya rakanku yang kali pertama pergi ke Pulau Pinang. Hari dah semakin gelap ketika itu.Rakanku ini orang Terengganu. Memanglah di Terengganu cukup senang nak makan sebab kebanyakannya penduduk di sana orang Melayu. "Sebenarnya you should go arah ke Glugor or Bayan Baru. Situ kawasan Melayu banyak.Tapi tak palah.Okay, lani you pi arah  ke Tanjung Tokong ajelah.Kat situ ada kedai mamak dan gerai-gerai Melayu.Kedai mamak tu bersih sikit," kataku, sambil bertindak sebagai pegawai Pelancong sementara. " Kedai mamak...ala kedai melayu tak ada ke?" tanya rakanku lagi, tekak 'ganu'nya susah nak terima masakan mamak." Ada gerai kat kawasan tu tapi parking susah sikitlah. Ada satu tempat dekat roundabout Gurney Drive ada section makanan Melayu. Tapi tempat ni pun susah nak parking sebab lani weekend and school holidays," kataku lagi.Sepuluh minit kemudian dia sms bertanyakan nama kedai mamak tersebut sebab nak gunakan GPS. Dia tidak menghubungiku lagi selepas itu.

Sebenarnya makanan mamak yang biasa kita makan di negeri-negeri lain ada bezanya terutama sekali  nasi kandar. Aku dah pergi ke banyak kedai mamak di Lembah Klang ni. Satu kedai pun tak memuaskan hati. Kalau nak nasik kandar yang betul nasi ini mesti di bubuh dengan sekurang-kurangnya 8 jenis kuah kari  termasuk daging masak hitam. Kuah daging masak hitam ni mesti pekat dan berempah. Ada seorang mamak yang menerangkan kepadaku ketika aku memintanya nasi kandar. "Kena tunggu sikijap. Kuah tara cukup.Misti ada 8 kuah baru cukup!"katanya. Tapi 8 kuah tu bukannnya disertai dengan 8 lauk. Bankraplah kita kalau nak beli sepinggan nasi kandar dengan 8 lauk. Biasanya nasi kandar yang aku beli hanya satu lauk (samada ikan bawal hitam adatu daging) dan satu jenis sayuran beserta papadom. Hah! Tu lah nasi kandak(kandar) yang sebenar-benarnya. Kalau lagi banyak jenis kuah lagi  menjilat jarilah.

Satu lagi makanan special Pulau Pinang ialah popia. Hah! Popia Pulau Pinang! Biasanya hanya orang Penang saja tahu bezanya antara Popia negeri lain. Popia Pulau Pinang ni jenis popia basah. Antara isinya kacang panjang, sengkuang, takua(tauhu),taugeh dan udang fresh. Kulit popia ini yang biasanya dibuat hari itu juga mula-mula sekali di sapu dengan secret saucenya. Lepas tu diletakkan inti. Kemudian dibalut dan seterusnya disapu dengan kuah pedas pula. Selepas itu ia di potong dan dicurahkan dengan kuah. Biasanya jika intinya banyak, popia ini cukup mengenyangkan. Cukup dua keping popia untuk makan tengahari. Tak payah benda lain dah. Namun sekarang, saiz popia semakin kecil. Tak sesuai lagi di makan sebagai makan tengahari. Emakku masih boleh makan popia sahaja sebagai makan malam kerana dia sememangnya tidak  makan banyak untuk makan malam.

Asalnnya popia ini  makanan orang Cina. Namun, oleh kerana sejak dari kecil lagi aku dan keluargaku was-was dengan makanan cina, kami telah memilih popia mamak yang kulitnya dibuat sendiri oleh mereka. 100% produk mamak. Jangan terkejut kalau orang Pulau Pinang memanggil 'keling' sebagai istilah bagi mamak. Macam Masjid Kapitan Kelinglah. Di Pulau Pinang, orang pure Penang panggil mee keling, popia keling,  keling roti dan bukannya mee mamak, popia mamak dan mamak roti. Kalau di lembah Klang panggilan keling ialah satu panggilan yang hina bagi orang India.(Ini menurut bekas anak muridku yang berbangsa India).

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Travelog Perjalananku di Amerika Syarikat. Sedikit Kupasan tentang Putik-Putik Islam Yang Kian Berkembang

Buku Putik-Putik Islam Yang Kian Berkembang sebenarnya sebuah travelog yang menceritakan tentang pengembaraan penulis sekeluarga melawat beberapa buah negeri di Amerika Syarikat bermula dari New York hinggalah California iaitu sebelah barat Amerika Syarikat.Selain daripada melawat tempat- tempat menarik di sana, penulis telah berkunjung ke masjid, Islamic Center dan penempatan orang Islam di sana. Menariknya  penulis dapat bertemu dan berinteraksi dengan beberapa orang Islam di sana untuk mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang cara kehidupan orang Islam di sana seperti cara mereka menyara hidup dan pendidikan Islam contohnya di Dearborn, MIchigan. Oleh kerana penulis pernah belajar di California selama beberapa tahun, penulis sekeluarga sempat bertemu dengan salah seorang sahabat yang juga bekas AJK masjid Fresno, California. Penulis juga di ketemukan  dengan beberapa orang Islam di sana dengan tidak disangka-sangka seperti pegawai imigresen, kerani syarikat menyewa kereta, pemilik kedai dan pemandu teksi.Alhamdulillah, Allah telah permudahkan pengembaraan penulis semasa berada di sana dengan bertemunya insan-insan tersebut.


Selain daripada itu, sambil berkunjung kembali tempat yang pernah penulis belajar dan tinggal di California, penulis telah mengimbau kembali  kenangan sahabat-sahabat lama yang pernah sama-sama belajar dan berusrah.  Sahabat-sahabat itu ada yang terdiri daripada mat saleh(Caucasians), black Americans, Iranians, Chicano dan Indonesian.

Penulis dapat perhatikan daripada pengembaraannya, Islam kini berkembang luas di Amerika Syarikat dengan jumlah masjid dan Islamic Center yang kian bertambah dan  begitu ramai umat Islam yang tinggal di sana terutama sekali apabila bertemu ketika menunaikan solat jumaat. Di sana solat jumaat dihadiri oleh kaum wanita juga. Oleh itu penulis sempat bertemu dengan wanita Islam dari pelbagai bangsa.

Penulis tertarik dengan artikel dalam  Harakah 22-24 okt 2010-oleh Abd Shukri Harun berkenaan Joseph Cohen, seorang berbangsa Yahudi yang berasal dari Amerika Syarikat yang telah memeluk Islam semasa berada di Gaza. Dalam artikel itu Yousef Al Khattab(Nama Islam Joseph Cohen) menceritakan bagaimana dia mendapat pendedahan mengenai Islam melalui  peribadi muslim sejati yang ditunjukkan oleh penganut Islam di Barat iaitu lebih kepada kepatuhan mereka terhadap ajaran Islam, dalam masa yang sama  mampu menyesuaikan diri dengan pelbagai golongan masyarkat di US. Ketika  umat Islam di sesetengah negara Arab tidak boleh diharapkan, umat Islam di dunia Barat kelihatan benar-benar sedang bangkit.

Benarlah apa yang didendangkan oleh penyanyi Islam yang terkenal, Maher Zain dalam lagunya

 Awaken

Chorus:
I'm walking with my head lowered in shame from my place
I'm walking with my head lowered from my race
Yes, It's easy to blame everything on the west
When in fact all focus should be on ourselves

We were told what to buy and we'd bought
We went to London, Paris and Costa Delso
We made  sure we were seen in the most exclusive shops
Yet we felt so satisfied

We felt our money gave  us infinite power
We forgot to teach our children about history and honor
We didn't have any time to lose
When we were
so busy feeling so satisfied.

Kita biasa dan selalu menempelak pihak barat dan mengatakan kita orang Islam yang dah ok tapi sebenarnya kita hanyut  dengan keadaan okay Islam kita dan peranan kita sebagai Khalifah Islam di bumi sendiri. Sedangkan di barat, orang Islam sedang bangkit menjadikan  Islam sebagai cara hidup dan panduan hidup mereka. Paling terkini ialah tertubuhnya Kolej Zaytuna, Universiti Muslim pertama di California. Fikir-fikirkanlah.  

Untuk mendapatkan  buku Putik-Putik Islam Yang Kian Berkembang sila lihat posting dalam blog ini juga. Boleh di beli secara online.
 http://myqisah.blogspot.com/2010/11/travelog-pengembaraanku-di-amerika.html