Fostering togetherness through food: (From left) Kabeerjeet, Yu Wai Yin, Harreshvarmar, Noor Aira, Josephine (third from right), with other friends enjoying their breakfast at Bukit Mertajam High School in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
BUKIT MERTAJAM: School canteen food may seem simple, but it means a lot to many Malaysians, who still cherish delightful memories of their favourite dishes even decades after having left school.
Whether it is nasi lemak, roti canai, curry mee, popiah or curry puff, there is just something about canteen food that makes the flavours linger long into adulthood and you may find no other version of these dishes seems to quite match the taste you remember from your schooldays.
One reason could be that at Malaysian schools, where pupils of different races eat together, the canteen cooks have to adjust the flavours to make the dishes satisfying for all the fussy children.
This clever fusion of flavours is what makes Malaysian food unique and agreeable to all.
For Kabeerjeet Singh Tarnjeet Singh, 16, nasi lemak is his all-time favourite at his school canteen.
The Bukit Mertajam High School student said he enjoys eating at the canteen where his schoolmates of all races gather for meals.
“We not only learn together in class, we also mix around and eat together – this is a blessing,” said the Form Four student yesterday.
He said such communion helps him get to know his friends better and enables him to learn about the different cultures of his buddies from other races, thus promoting unity among the pupils.
“Only through unity will we succeed and bring the nation forward,” said Kabeerjeet, who aspires to be a pilot.
T. Harreshvarmar, also 16, who lives in Bukit Tengah, said he learnt to embrace unity at school by sharing food with his friends.
“This is the best moment of togetherness.
“I present myself as Malaysian first, not as an Indian, because that is what I believe,” he said.
His classmate Josephine Tan echoed his sentiments about unity, adding that students must be accepting of differences between classmates.
“For me, unity means not stereotyping each other, which is especially important in a multicultural society like Malaysia,” she said.
She added that instead of being confined to one race, mixing with others made her more knowledgeable and this made her more thoughtful of others.
Her friend Noor Aira Aleesya Marwizan said respecting each other would strengthen unity among races.
“For me, being united means we learn to respect each other,” she said.
She said you could find inspiration from your friends of multiple and diverse backgrounds.
“Only through unity can we bring all of us to a greater height,” she said.
