Kerabu Fiesta

Jemput Menjemput and undang mengundang is very synonym in Malay culture. It is one way of expressing your liking to someone. You make her special and important when you personally invite her for a kenduri or wedding. You make her think she is your family, close friend, neighbour and even just a member of your community. So, it’s a simple logic by any definition…If you are not invited….Daaa (reproduced with permission by CempakaDesa with approval)…you are not in my list!

Well….making invitation is neither easy! You would have somehow missed someone whom you regard very special to you in your list. However, this is very unlikely to happen if you live in a very small and close knitted community like KebunGetah. In the first place, it is not even a community…but a family! However, it was not the case to the recent Kerabu fiesta where many sisters had not even knew it until it was posted by FB.

I wonder why the invitation was not extended to as many family members of KebunGetah as possible. Probably, Queenana was worried that her sweet and perfect little food sharing affair with close encounters would become a nightmare if any Mak Limah and Joyah were invited. You know what I mean….not enough foods….a pile of dirty plates from the guests who are ‘allergic’ to detergent…..and bla... bla…bla. I understand it very well knowing a sophisticated Queenana who always wants to do things in style and perfect hygiene.

I heard about Mimi the one and only planning to showcase her inherited kerabu recipe long before the fiesta. I could not figure out when exactly she was planning to have it. So..i missed it! During the night of the fiesta, I naively pay a visit to KebunGetah after my hubby’s birthday party in Balakong. With nice gesture, Mimi and Queenana invited me to try the special kerabu before it became a leftover. I would definitely have tried it if I wasn’t full at that time. Ironically, it has been two instances that I had this suprised food feast at the clubhouse and it seems that whenever I came and not being invited, there was always extra amount of food available on the table. Then I started to question…. Is that about not enough food for many or Queenana just being so proudly sure that without invitation people will just flock into her nest because (pause) I am worth it??

Well…I think it was rather a message by Queenana that her friendship is solely based on a popular vote as much as Missluvbondage’s arrogant little phrase..”Mak Anggam”! Both are a chief in their own style…the difference is only that Queenana believes in statistics which means the more friends she has would make her looks confident and stronger while Missluvbondage always turn to her same long time confidant for private sharing of little secret and self expression. One is more of a PR person and another is more of a PRIVATE person.

However, they have one thing in common! They know what the people in KebunGetah like most and they are both just so good at doing it for popular votes! Hmm..no doubt….they like to feed them!

See you at IRI-IRI party everyone! (wait......when is CempakaDess's birthday party, anyone?)

Miss Africa