Taste the Bitter and Sweet Together
Tonight, we had a "Resilience Dinner" gathering, with 16 people signed up to participate, and only one absent.
The chef responsible for preparing our Resilience Dinner was Ah Kang. The dinner started at 6pm, but he had already purchased the ingredients at 3pm and arrived at Medical & Health Station, nervously preparing for the evening.
For the first time cooking a "Resilience Dinner" for old friends, Ah Kang bought two large cans of Ayam Brand's signature sardines, five tomatoes, and seven large onions. Additionally, he made a dish of scrambled eggs with onions.
Originally planning to prepare two dishes for everyone, he was concerned it might not be enough, so to avoid anyone feeling short-changed, he also prepared two packs of pickled vegetables, adding an extra dish to the menu.
Dinner began promptly at 6pm, and seeing everyone enjoy their meal, Ah Kang finally breathed a sigh of relief. We interviewed Ah Kang about his own experiences of hardship. Hailing from Malacca, near the sea, he was adopted as a child. He recounted that after his adoptive father passed away, his adoptive mother supported him and his sister by selling groceries, making their lives extremely challenging. At one point, he even had to eat plain rice with boiled water.
"Ah Kang once had a time when all he had was plain rice with boiled water. Can anyone here relate to such a hardship? Please raise your hand."
Only a few people raised their hands, indicating that they had experienced similar hardships at some point in their lives.
"But today, Ah Kang didn't serve you plain rice with boiled water because he was worried you wouldn't come back next time... So today, he prepared three dishes for you to enjoy."
"Yes! This is a very rich dinner. Where's the hardship?" Everyone chatted, joking that this meal couldn't be considered a hardship.
"I officially declare that Ah Kang's 'Resilience Dinner' for tonight is a failure!" one of the members Malaichai joked.
"If it were up to me, I'd just make plain rice with soy sauce!" Siew Yong added.
The manager of Medical & Health Station Wong Moi and Madam Chang Leng gave Ah Kang a thumbs-up and kept praising the delicious food he had prepared: "I never knew you were such a good cook! It's really impressive!" Ah Kang blushed and smiled modestly.
Once upon a time, everyone had tasted the hardships of life, especially during our childhood when we experienced extreme poverty. However, even a simple meal of plain rice with a fried egg brought us immense satisfaction.
Nowadays, those difficult days are in the past, and everyone is doing well. Yet, from time to time, reminiscing about those old days, even though they were hard, they were also filled with happiness. Back then, without smartphones, with simple minds and pure hearts, we were content with life.
The reason for inviting the elders to Medical & Health Station to share a simple childhood dinner was to encourage everyone to reminisce together about the days of growing up in hardship and remaining resilient in the face of adversity. In this world devoid of hardship, let's come together for a simple dinner, foster good relationships, and compose a chapter of happiness together.