I was going to take the day off so to speak, from reading and assignments yesterday... So I had my niece over. We baked late into the night or rather early morning and thought we could have a lie-in. Of course, it was not to be so.. We have to wake up at 6.30am on a Saturday morning. It was to rush over to school to hand over the key to the PBSM room!
So what do we do after that? We drove all the way down to Petaling Street for breakfast. I remember that many years ago my parents would wake us up early on weekends and go to this shop called Yook Woh Hin for 'tim-sum' breakfast. We could never understand why or what is so great about this place or food. Our thought was - hei, it's a weekend and we want to sleep in as it is not a school day! Anyway I thought I should initiate the next generation to something we used to or really forced to do - when we were young.
Well, it is good to revisit. At least it was a good experience for my niece. There are two marked differences from our time. First there is a marked reduction or no pork fat in the 'siew mai' and 'tai-pow'! So it is much healthier but 'tougher'! Then there were more families - ie other parents used to drag their kids to such places. But it is not so now! My niece feels out of place as she was the youngest. Her comment was - every one here looks like kung-kung/grandpa and por-por/grandma, even the waiters and waitress!
So what has happened to this tradition - where do families go for their early morning tim sum. Maybe the preference is for more posh restuarants now that our standards of living is higher! Definitely it is the sign of the times! In this post modern age, there are much less occasions that families share. If at all, it probably would have been the early Mcdonalds breakfast meals!
Perhaps the most telling observation my niece made was - the old waiters and waiteress are so polite! Humility and servitude verses 'I', me and myself? We as parents of the next generation must take responsiblity for the standards and traditions we set.
__________________________________________________________________
