Kedah Village Still Enjoys Free Wedding Catering Services

By Fatin Najmi Mohammad Shah YAN (Kedah), Feb 20 (Bernama) -- Weddings can undoubtedly be costly as there are so many things to prepare for. Imagine then what a blessing it must be to have the catering services handled for free. For the villagers of Yan Kechil, there was little question as to who would cater for such a special day. “It is not something we worry much about because we have our own “chefs”,” said Faizatul Izham Mohd Fadzir, who prefers to be called Am. The 42-year-old was referring to a group of people in the village who were called “mentara”. In other places, the word may refer only to servers and ushers at weddings. However, in the village, the mentara do a variety of tasks relating to wedding feast preparations. “The group would willingly prepare the wedding feast as arranged by the host without setting any fee or limitations on the services provided,” said Am, whose sister’s wedding was coming up. Despite it being free of charge, the services provided by these mentara are not second rate. In addition to preparing a variety of dishes, desserts and drinks for guests, they also make up the wait staff. Hosts only need to prepare the raw ingredients for the dishes and request the kind of menu they would like for the big day. The practice of gotong-royong (community engagement) in the preparation of wedding feasts is common in villages in the olden days, but such volunteerism is becoming a rarity today. Hashim Md Lazim, 70, better known as Tok Keruau, is one of the people who are still pushing forth to keep the tradition alive. Today, he heads the free service of catering for weddings in the village. The Yan-born Hashim has been involved in such services since over 30 years ago. The title Tok Keruau is given to the head cook during such ceremonies. He is usually the busiest person during weddings, second only to the wedded couple’s parents. BOOKING Hashim said that the mentara group encouraged future hosts to determine the number of guests first before engaging their services. “They can inform us at least a month before the event is taking place,” he said. Am explained that the group has a system in place to help them manage bookings, which includes a schedule table that records booked dates and the division of tasks, among others. “The group will be divided into men and women. The women will start preparing the dishes in the evening, a day before the ceremony. The activities will usually start after Asar prayers,” he said. Women walking about carrying knives wrapped in a sheath fashioned from newspaper are a common sight in the village, prior to a wedding. This is because they are preparing the raw ingredients for the dishes to be cooked by the men the next day. While they are busy peeling potatoes and chopping onions, the men would set up a makeshift station near the site of the ceremony to ease cooking duties the next day. HANDLING THE EVENT Prior to the event, the host would invite all the mentara to a meeting to discuss the wedding menu, the guest list and other details, said Zamri Hashim, who is a mentara himself. “The discussions would help us in deciding the number of dishes to prepare, in addition to easing wedding affairs,” said the 51-year-old. The meeting is usually attended only by the men, who will then go back to inform the contents of the discussion to their wives and mothers. Despite not having any professional training or qualifications, the dishes prepared by these mentara are always delicious and highly enjoyed by guests. Each mentara has his or her own assigned tasks. Some are fry cooks, some are servers, some are tasters. “The taster has the most important task. His tastebuds will determine what is tasted by 2,000 others (guests),” said Hashim when explaining the tasks of each mentara. However, he said, they worked as a team. The food taster would be assisted by 10 others. Prior to the taste test, they would refrain themselves from eating in order to work up an appetite. “We would eat in small quantities, like half a plate. The first thing we would check in a dish is its savouriness. Then we will check for other flavours,” he said. READY TO SERVE IN FOUR HOURS Hashim said that on the day of the wedding, the mentara would start at 7am by cutting the meat for the dishes into pieces. “When that is done, everyone will split up to do their respective tasks. The tasks are assigned by the mentara chief and by 11am, the food is ready to be served,” said Hashim. It is hard to believe that these cooks can prepare a number of delectable dishes for thousands of guests within four hours, but these mentara proved that with teamwork, it could be done. “Many of us have been doing this for over 20 years. “So it is no surprise that we have the recipe, ingredients and quantity needed at our fingertips,” he said, laughing. It is a rarity these days to find anyone willing to provide such commitment and teamwork without payment. It is, therefore, unsurprising to find that the mentara in the village comprises only the elderly. “It is the team effort that makes this work easy. What we need now is those who will carry on for us when we no longer have the strength,” said Hashim. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIDEBAR NASI APOLLO (APOLLO RICE) Nasi Apollo is one of the specialty dishes that guests in Yan, Kedah, look forward to during the wedding season. The rice is steamed in a large aluminium can that is shaped like a rocket, resulting in a crustless rice dish. “The rocket-shape of the can is what gives the dish its name,” explained Zamri Hashim. Fourteen trays of rice can be cooked in the can at one go. The tip of the “rocket” cover is tied to a rope that is attached to a higher station. “When we feel that the rice has cooked, we would all pull on the rope (to raise the cover),” Zamri explained as he demonstrated the movement to this writer. At least three people would be needed to pull on the rope to lift the cover. Seeing the effort involved in raising the cover, this writer knew that the mentara could not be checking on the rice as frequently as they wished. She then enquired if they had a tip or technique in which to know when the rice is properly cooked. “We would put wet cloth around the can. When the cloth is dry we would know that the rice is cooked,” said Zamri. -- BERNAMA