Accompanied my dad on a trip to KL to settle some of his business. Flew Air Asia thinking we go a great deal only to realised that it would have taken us the same number of hours to get to the hotel had we taken the coach. And at a fraction of the already very low airfare!
So anyway, I look forward to the trip as I get to meet up with DrS and was planning to stuff my face with Malaysia food!!
Morning breakfast was at Restoran Yi Xin Ge. Very rustic and possibly been around for years. Granted the Bak Kut Teh in Singapore are also damn good at some places, the one thing that made it stand out from all the Bak Kut Tehs I've tasted was the soy sauce.
Yes, you heard me right. Not the bak kut nor the soup. It was the soy sauce. For some strange reason, it was very tasty with a tinge of sweetness which we later discovered was due to the fact that they blend in caramel into their soy sauce.
I also noticed that there were a lot of Myanmese worker there. Had it be in Singapore, it would have been PRC Chinese instead. So I ask why. Friend told me that it could be (speculative) due to the fact that the Malaysian Gahmen don't like too many Chinese to be in the country and as such made it difficult for a PRC Chinese to get a working visa here.
So this particular Myanmese was a supervisor at the restoran who took out orders. He spokes excellent Cantonese!
Oh yes. Cantonese. KL is a weird place where Cantonese is THE dialect of choice regardless if you are Teochew or Hokkien or any other dialect group other than Cantonese. From what I've heard, it is some kind of a status thing that you are branded second class if you can't and/or don't speak Cantonese.
I find that particularly sad
Again, from what I've heard, this thing about speaking Cantonese is no longer as elitist as before as more and more Chinese are not going out of the way to make that distinction any more.
Is that true? Can any Malaysian Chinese readers here verify?
- Voxeros
1. naeboo left...
Thursday, 13 November 2008 3:38 am :: http://naeboo.liquidblade.com
yah it's true. now more and more chinese in kl willing to reply u in mandarin when u speak back in mandarin. less cantonese-only crap ald compared to last time 2. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 13 November 2008 10:35 am ::
naeboo: Makes me wonder why the distinction in the first place. And why Cantonese of all the dialects? 3. spiller left...
Thursday, 13 November 2008 2:15 pm
because of TVB and canto pop influence in the 80's and 90's, i suppose. 4. KH left...
Its a Cantonese ego thing. But now, for the younger generation, it's an English ego thing, many cannot or do not bother to speak proper Mandarin, let alone their family dialect.
Thursday, 13 November 2008 6:59 pm
Some older Cantonese in spore have the same thinking that cantonese is superior to all other dialects. My ex-colleague speaks only Cantonese to the waiters and waiteresses in all Chinese restaurants, even if they reply in other language. She "prefers" to have a Cantonese daughter-in-law... Its a Cantonese ego thing. But now, for the younger generation, it's an English ego thing, many cannot or do not bother to speak proper Mandarin, let alone their family dialect.
5. drs left...
cantonese are more spoken on a street-wise situation. though its still hard not to laugh at "lee-turn op invetman".
Thursday, 13 November 2008 7:34 pm
i wouldnt have a clue on KL past, but current working life here with 1year experience, tells me the crowd will fall into English and Mandarin pretty easily. cantonese are more spoken on a street-wise situation. though its still hard not to laugh at "lee-turn op invetman".
6. JayWalk left...
DrS: Walau. You berry bad. You make farn of other peepur engerish. How can? :P
Friday, 14 November 2008 9:02 am ::
KH: I think this will come a full circle when the Chinese economy were to take over, then perhaps then it would be a Mandarin ego thing. Who knows? DrS: Walau. You berry bad. You make farn of other peepur engerish. How can? :P
7. naeboo left...
the hakkas won (yap ah loi's clan) and the cantos somehow held on their tongue to speak canto to piss the hakkas off. to prove a point?
it's more like this than the hk influence lar
Friday, 5 December 2008 11:42 pm :: http://naeboo.liquidblade.com
sthg to do with the old gangster clans, the hakkas and the cantos. the hakkas won (yap ah loi's clan) and the cantos somehow held on their tongue to speak canto to piss the hakkas off. to prove a point?
it's more like this than the hk influence lar
8. JayWalk left...
Sunday, 7 December 2008 10:07 pm ::
naeboo: Is that right??!! How very interesting!! 9. DY left...
However, there's a small population of them who speak Hainanese, Hakka etc all over Malaysia:) Hope this info helps
Saturday, 11 April 2009 10:52 pm
Kinda surprised to see comments on speaking cantonese is being looked as different class of Chinese or its because of trend reasons. Here are some facts on Malaysians yo. In central Penisular Malaysia region inc KL and Ipoh, most chinese speak canton as their ancestors came from southern China in the earlier days whereas most of us speak Hokkien and Teochew in the nothern, southern and Borneo region inc JB, Penang & Kota Kinabalu. However, there's a small population of them who speak Hainanese, Hakka etc all over Malaysia:) Hope this info helps
10. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 14 April 2009 8:37 am ::
DY: Hi DY, well the strange thing is that EVERYONE in KL speaks cantonese regardless of their ancestral roots.... or so I have noticed. Well, I may be wrong. *shrugs* 
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