BANANA LEAF MEAL, MALAYSIAN CULTURE AND THAIPUSAM

By Zulkiple bin Ibrahim
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- "Thaipusam is around the corner. Would
you like a vegetarian meal of rice on banana leaf?" A friend asked this writer
as he stopped the car that we were in, adjacent to a popular restaurant that
caters for Chetinaad cuisine.

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on
the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb).

The restaurant in Petaling Jaya was well patronised as it was lunch time and
eating rice on banana leaf is no longer exclusive to the Indians but also among
Malaysians of other races.

For Dr P. Ragesh and afficionados of the south Indian cuisine, having a meal
of rice on banana leaf is a unique concept. Nowadays, the meal is popular among
Malaysians from all walks of life.

Now it is a common to find civil servants and those from the corporate and
private sectors loosening their neck ties and rolling up their sleeves to enjoy
the meal.

MALAYSIAN CULTURE

"Eating rice on banana leaf is not a new culture in Malaysia", said social
activist Fatimah Mansur. She rejected the notion that culture of eating meals on
banana leaf was imported.

She said in the years before and after Merdeka, eating meals on banana leaf
was common among the Malays in rural areas. They also brought along food wrapped
up in banana leaf when they were working in the paddy fields or elsewhere.

Then, why is it so special eating food placed on the banana leaf?

In a banana leaf rice meal, hot and steaming rice is placed on a huge banana
leaf before being deluged with various curries, a variety of vegetables, pickle
as well as the papadum (lentil) crackers. Traditionally, banana leaf rice is a
vegetarian meal for the Indian community.

"Banana leaf rice is used as it is believed that when hot rice is placed on
the banana leaf, this would initiate a reaction from the surface layer of the
banana leaf that helps digestion.

"Eating banana leaf rice also enhances the spirit of brotherhood and family
ties as those who dine would be able to share what is on the banana leaf. In
other words, there is no restriction on the banana leaf.

"The concept reflects the culture of the Malaysians,"," said Dr Ragesh.

THAIPUSAM

And for Fatimah, Thaipusam which will be celebrated on Jan 30, is a
celebration for all Malaysians as it is part of the culture in the country that
involves people from various races. It is also a symbol of solidarity and unity.

"The celebration shows the solidarity that unite the people in the country
apart from the responsibility to their respective religious belief," she said.

The tolerance and acceptance shown by Malaysians from all walks of life to
the religious sensitivities of others is well depicted and entrenched in the
Malaysian society.

For community leader K. Periasamy: "The Thaipusam celebration reminded us
that patience and perseverance can overcome the existing weakness that we have.
The patience and perseverance need to be supported by the goodness apart from
being combined with wisdom to ensure the achievement of success".

A private school teacher Wee Tek Seng said Thaipusam augurs well for close
understanding in the society as it invites others to take part in the
celebration.

He said the significance about Thaipusam is that it draws the celebration
from all communities including the foreign and local tourists.

During the Thaipusam celebration, hundreds of thousands of devotees from the
Hindu faith would throng temples nationwide including the Sri Subramaniam
Temple in Batu Caves, Selangor.

Thaipusam is also celebrated at another cave site, the Sri Subramaniar
Temple in Gunong Cheroh, Ipoh, Perak and at the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple
along Jalan Waterfall in Penang, both northern states respectively.

-- BERNAMA