|
|
2002-04-09 - 1:33 a.m. I mentioned kempunan in an earlier entry (mothers 4), which I defined as the subconscious desire for death that supplants everything else when one's desire for food is denied. Wandy pointed out that he was often late precisely because of this 'kempunan' thing; his mother would insist he eat her food before leaving the house, no matter the time. Same thing at home; as a matter of fact my mother is additionally adept at making impunctuality a conscience-free act. 'Don't swallow so fast, you'll choke,' she would say, 'Do you want another helping?' she would ask, beaming with life-protecting benevolence, 'Have some more.' There is this idiom in the Malay language, 'janji Melayu', which means 'a Malay person's promise'. It has a self-deprecating tone to it, and I'm not going to entertain anybody's notion of cultural deficit theories (that was so last millennium, go and read Alatas or Zubaidah Rahim). Anyway, it pokes fun of the stereotype of the Malay who can never be on time for appointments. Now, if Wandy's theory holds true... Our mothers are to blame. And what will their answer be? 'Better late than dead.'
|