For Whom To Remember By?

I stayed at the Orchard Hilton, Singapore, the former Mandarin Hotel for a week. I came to know this lady server working in the Executive Lounge through our daily conversations. She had been observing and was curious about what I am always writing into this thick and black journal between mouthfuls. A casual remake during one of our many chats, she found out that one mission of mine was to get this particular dark sweet soy sauce as it goes extremely well with a local dish - Hainanese chicken rice.

I was flabbergasted by her kind gesture when she gave me a bottle the next day. She had thought of me when she went grocery shopping. For once in my life, I was speechless except to utter a word of thanks. I could not imagine that she would go beyond her call of duty to please hotel guests in such a way. I know I had to reciprocate with something appropriate. Too cheap a thing would reflect badly on my upbringing and too expensive may be misconstrued that I was hitting on her!

Other than knowing each other’s name, we are practically strangers. Researched I did, by walking through the malls on my way to the Singapore Botanical Gardens. In the end, I found out that Sunny Hill pineapple tarts from Taiwan is a good idea as it is a popular dessert with Singapore locals. I got a small box. In terms of monetary value, she gained a ten fold profit from me. No matter, sincerity is priceless. Later, in the Gardens, I came up with an idea of gifting her a poem. It is something unique that goes well with the tarts. Had I not been generous, this inspiration of a poem would not have come into existence. Always a believer that kind deeds beget good consequences. This poem is a good way to commemorate this event.

1 黑抽一枝初相識 In our early friendship, given was dark soya of a bottle,
2 鳳梨還送為樂極 A gift in return of pineapple tarts was my utmost joy.
3 莫道未來各甚處 Speak not of what we’ll be in future,
4 微韻此首作舊跡 Let this lame rhyming of a poem be our old memento.

5 如癡如醉如烟雲 Like in a daze, like in a stupor, like in the mists and fog,
6 一絲一綫一夢織 One gossamer, one thread, one single dream woven.
7 布盡畫成蓬山去 Cloth no more, the tapestry is complete - to the Blessed Isles we go,
8 留挽往情為誰憶 These feelings of yore retained for whom to remember?

1 生抽 means light soy sauce and 黑油 is the darker kind. The more viscous ones are usually sweet and in this poem, it means the sweetened kind.

2 In different Chinese communities, the pineapple is known differently. The most elegant term is the “phoenix pear” from Taiwan. In Singapore and Malaysia Cantonese, it is known as the yellow pear - 黃梨, pronounced as “wong lai”, as a felicitous term for旺來 (prosperity coming) instead of “wong lei. For Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, it is 菠蘿. In Teocheow (潮州), 番梨 (foreign pear) and finally in Taiwanese Hokkien, 王梨 (king pear). In this poem, 鳳梨 is short for 鳳梨酥, for a lack of a better term, “flaky pineapple tart”.

5 Even though, a few months had passed, the event seems like a dream to me now. Perhaps it's a sign of getting old LOL.

7 The name of a mountain in the Blessed Isles. The imagery is taken from the Three Fates spinning the threads of life.

Thursday, September 1, 2022