Monday, July 09, 2007

Tebakang trip

A few Saturdays ago, I went to Tebakang to have lunch with my colleagues. But since most of them couldn’t make it, only the five of us went. So it was me, Jo, Simon, Asmah, and Dayang. Born and bred in Sarawak, I never even knew a place called Tebakang even existed! And to imagine, how paiseh (memalukan) it was that a Singapore city girl (Jo) even had to introduce the place to us -_-“

Tebakang is a place somewhere between Serian and Tebedu, approximately 45 minutes drive from the city centre. On the way there, it was amazing that there were still places in this world unpolluted from the rigours of city life. The air was fresh; the sky was clear, there was lush greenery, unexplored forests, vast fields, and rows after rows of plantation. It truly was a feast for the eyes. =)



Upon reaching Tebakang, I was surprised to see that it was actually, in essence, a VERY small, tiny short stretch of road. Basically, it was just a few clapboard houses, with only one row of shop lots, with a small river flowing downstream.




Dayang and I

Jo and Asmah

We stopped at Jit Hin, a small kopitiam at the end of the shop lots, and Jo went to order our meal.

Later, we sat down, and waited for our food to arrive. So what did we have? We had tomato prawns (Tiger prawns cooked with tomatoes, garlic, egg, onions, and goes well with rice), noodles cooked with cangkuk manis (a local vegetable delicacy) and deer meat, ‘Ka Na’ vegetables cooked with tiger prawns, steamed tilapia, and Kampung (Village) chicken cooked with ginger. All the dishes are organic, meaning the vegetables were grown behind the shop lot, the tilapia bred in the little pond beside the corner shop, the chicken grown and bred in the pens in front of the shop, and the tiger prawns caught from the river. All without pesticides, or growth hormones. ^.~

Needless to say, I was impressed. The ‘Ka Na’ vegetables were sweet, not too old, and hence, crunchy to the bite =p the tiger prawns were bigger than usual tiger prawns, and the fish meat was delectable. Even though there were five of us, the portion was so large, that we all felt full even before the dishes were finished! But we felt sorry that all the good food should be wasted...therefore, we finished it! *rubs very full tummy*

Sorry ya, because Jo went to pay and she wouldn’t tell us the price, I can’t tell you all the price. Asmah tried to pry it out of her, but all she got was: “If you come back again with your family members, then you’ll know the price lar” and a cheeky grin from Jo. But I can vouch that the price will be lower than the price at Buntal. I will never look at Buntal food the same way ever again. If we were at Buntal, with the same fare, I daresay it would be WAY more expensive. That’s because, Buntal is way too commercialized already, so the price would most definitely be hiked up, right?

7 comments:

zewt said...

hey there! thanks for dropping by my blog. so you're an accounting student eh? Are you going to join one of the Big 4 and be a part of the modern slavery world after you grad? :)

hope to see ya around...

Tunku Halim said...

Dropped by from Zewts. You're got an interesting blog. Good photos too!

choulyin.tan said...

zewt
thanks for dropping by my blog too yea =) Yup, i'm an accounting student who hopes to work for the big 4 one day ^_^

haha, everyone will be a part of the modern slavery world at one point in their life, don't you think so? ^.~

tunku halim
thanks! I liked your blog too! ^_^

Anonymous said...

i never knew such place existed too! shame on me :(
seeing the leftovers in the pic makes me hungry too. gawd i miss kch food.

choulyin.tan said...

ivan
haha...don't worry, I doubt anyone knew it existed =p Kuching food is the best. no matter where you go, you wil still miss Kch food, aye? =)

jackson
don't worry, the days are still young. sure will have a chance to drive up there and try the food. it is delicious =)

Anonymous said...

hey this Jo..I only read this blog NOW...like donkeys mths later....by the way, I'm returning to Kch next week hope to find time to go Tebakang again..luv it!

Anonymous said...

Jo,

I was a British soldier based at Tebakang in 1966. A very happy time for me in a truly beautiful place. I am delighted to see that it has changed little in the last 44 years