A CULTURAL AFFAIR

Cooking at home is a chore for some; for others it is a hobby.  However, for siblings Sandra Jones and Shirley Hopkins, cooking at home is a necessity and a life skill – complete with technical proficiency, kitchen equipment and a high standard of food hygiene.

Known for their authentic Burmese style of cooking and use of homegrown/homemade ingredients, Sandra’s and Shirley’s cooking is addictive. Immediate and extended family members, and the Burmese Association of Western Australia (BAWA) members, have been their loyal consumers.  Each has been appreciative of their time, thoughts and efforts. States 94-year-old Noreen Vallis, “When my daughter Cheryl (Morris) told me that Sandra and Shirley were preparing the meals for our upcoming event, I knew I had to attend because their preparations remind me of my time in Burma.”  Noreen was in hospital for heart palpitations and discharged two weeks before the BAWA June luncheon.

The menu comprised rice, dhal (vegetable-cum-lentil gravy), pork vindaloo, egg curry, salad, pickle and Thagu Byin (almond sago pudding made in coconut milk) for dessert.  Dished out hot from the cooktop, the plated meals were placed on a trolley, wheeled to each table and placed before the guests.  This luncheon was attended by around 50 guests aged between approximately 60 and 90.  94-year-old Daphne Stevenson, who was unable to attend the luncheon, requested a takeaway which was delivered to her residence.  While the wet-windy-cold weather kept some at bay, it did not stop those who attended the event to buy the leftovers to be consumed at home at a later stage.

Come from Burma and settled in Perth suburbs Noranda and Bedford, respectively, Sandra and Shirley were raised by a Catholic mother and an Anglican father.  Their mother, a housewife, enforced putting together head-heart-hands in preparing fresh healthy homecooked meals.  Their father, the treasurer at his local church, invoked keeping the home open and offering a meal to whoever came to the door.  “You never know who among them is an angel.”

Both registered nurses, Sandra and Shirley begin their cooking from scratch and strictly follow their mother’s recipes.   It includes pickles, jams and sauces.  Say the siblings, “To entertain 50 guests, we need two full days to put together a hearty meal.  It would be easy to hire the services of Burmese eateries that are well-equipped to cook bulk quantities…But it would be at a compromise on the authenticity, quality and choice of ingredients.  And no guarantee that it would draw our elderly out of their homes and to the venue.”  Despite the resistance from their husbands, Sandra and Shirley continue to stir their pots; each is large-sized and around 20-40 years old.  Expresses Shirley’s husband, 70-year-old Patrick, “I peel and dice all the ingredients – onions, tomatoes, potatoes, ginger, garlic, coriander…the list is long;  before the cooking begins.  And after it ends, I clean up the mighty mess.”  Sandra’s husband, 70-year-old Reginald shares Patrick’s view.

However, it is the Mont-Lone-Yaye-Paw (rice and jaggery balls), that Sandra and Shirley prepared at the BAWA April luncheon to celebrate the Burmese New Year water festival, that calls for special mention.  This recipe attracted the elderly Burmese ladies to the event, had them participate in its laborious preparation and led to a lip-smacking experience.  By making cooking their way of expressing love, Sandra and Shirley have made public their cultural affair and kept private their intent to bring together thru food (and song and dance) their Western Australian Burmese community.

SOPHIE MENEZES