The Runaway Cook

Today I grated coconut in the traditional way. Surprisingly sitting on very unique looking wooden box with a mini curry comb appendage, felt very natural. I quite enjoyed taking jagged coconut-half after coconut-half and slowly moving it across the grooves in a curved motion. Apparently, it was just very funny to all the locals, meaning they blatantly stared and giggles as I did my job. When I asked why, they told me that it was just that they had never seen a westerner perform such a task.

After an hour of grating, I had finished. What was all this coconut for? Oh, it was merely to coat little palm syrup filled dessert dumplings. No big deal right, taking an hour to grate coconut. . HA! They don't really do perform this technique in the kitchens here, but I've been told that many Malaysian mothers and grandmothers still do.

Apparently, this task was only ever performed by women and depending on the fluidity of motion, attitude, and perseverance a man could tell if a young lady would make a good wife. . . .I wouldn't take that too seriously since every kitchen task that requires someone to grate, crush, pound, and roll some tedious kitchen tool was supposedly a good-bride gage. I think that was just what they told the young girls so that the older mamas didn't have to sit in a strange position holding something heavy for hours on end, but what so I know :) To watch me grate coconut click this link Grating Coconut.

After a long morning and an Malaysian lunch (where we were forced to eat with our fingers), we were all extremely. . . no very, a lot, more than normal, exhaustingly exhausted! SO, taking the bus straight to agian massage place was exactly what we wanted.

On the way there, most of us began to think, “Gee. . .how is one place going to massage 26 or so pe

ople all at once?” When we arrived, that question was answered. We were ushered into this room that had at least 60 massage beds. . and that was just one of the multiple large rooms. Can you believe that! After all of us changed into these pajamas of sorts, 20-some masseuses filed in and the experience began.

I have no words to describe my massage other than: astounding. All the stress from today, yesterday, and the whole trip for that matter, melted away as this guy kneaded and pressed it out of me. I didn’t know a massage could be so good. I believe I will have another, thank you... oh yeah and a glass of coconut water with some young coconut please.