What's your beef?!

Barring the period of war, my father had, in his own estimate, an idyllic childhood. Post-war, the schools had not yet opened, and being part of a large family, he was pretty much left to his own devices. Baba remembers with a twinge of nostalgia, running bare-feet on the streets and generally being the vagabond of the family, roaming around Singapore and returning only for his meals and when it started getting dark.

It was therefore to the great disconcertment of his parents that it was realized, when finally schools re-opened, at the age of 7, that Baba did not know how to read, let alone know his alphabets or numbers. He was virtually tied down to a study table and given a crash course before being bundled off, kicking and screaming, to be admitted to Raffles school, Singapore's oldest and one of its more prestigious schools....not that my dad was in any way impressed by this. Torn away from his Huckberry Finn existence, he craved for his days of old dogs and worn-out shoes! So, when the opportunity arose, in the form of the Singapore Boy Scouts Association, to wander wild and free, he jumped at it!

One of the many tests a Boy Scout took was to travel across a certain region of Singapore from point A to point B, a journey which would take two days to complete. This was because Singapore was still a marshy wetland in many areas and the Scouts were to make this journey by foot. To Baba, nothing could be more perfect! He was teamed with another older boy and the two of them started off with great cameraderie. Baba recalls leaping through streams and jumping over rocks, stopping for swigs of water from their canteens and 'borrowing' rambutans from a nearby field to eat for lunch.

At dinner time, therefore, the two were pretty famished. Stopping at a suitable spot under a tree, they quickly gathered sticks and built a fire and his older comrade started preparing a meal in a saucepan of eggs and canned meat. After walking the whole day with just a few fruits in his belly, the food was perfect, even though it did taste a bit unfamiliar. After voraciously devouring the first few spoons, Baba paused to ask his friend what the meat was. The older boy, a Muslim, told him, "it's beef" and then clapped his hand over his forehead in sudden dismay! For Baba was Hindu and was not supposed to eat beef!!

It was the great moment of the Big Decision! To continue eating or to fling the 'unauspicious' bowl away and rinse his mouth with water to try and rid it off its "vile" contents!!


It was of course, a no-brainer! They still had another day before they reached civilization! Baba finished his meal and declared it great! That was the beginning of an era which involved exploration and experimentation with many different new foods. Even today, beef is one of Baba's favorite meat!