Coppola at Horizon Hills

My first encounter with the name Coppola was when I watched that 1972 academy award-winning film where its writer and director was Francis Ford Coppola.

Coppola Family Pizzeria & Wine Bar at Horizon Hills

It was after I had read The Godfather, the made-into-movie-book by Mario Puzo, so I could better understand the family feud and trail of horror avenging in this dark movie about the Mafia and Italian culture.

Somehow I cannot forget the weird, raspy voice that lead actor, Marlon Brando, affected for his role in this film…

Fast-forward to the present and I’m sitting in a restaurant named Coppola Family Pizzeria & Wine Bar right here in Johor Baru, within the Horizon Hills residential area.

I’m listening to the heavily accented voice of restauranteur, Stefan, who’s introducing the dining concept in his restaurant and how he aims to create an ethnic themed dining destination here.

Freshly baked pizza from this oven

The intricacies of his Italian-Bulgarian accent takes a while to attune my ears to but from his animated expressions, his passion for serving authentic cuisine that he grew up with, is obvious.

As he shares his plans about the range of restaurants opening here, he seems to be on a mission to establish Horizon Hills as a preferred dining destination, starting with Coppola which specializes in a menu of Italian and Mediterranean favourites.  

In fact, this pizzeria has installed a wood-fire oven shipped in from Italy, to bake a variety of some 20 different types of pizza on their menu.

Stefan [Right] opening a bottle of liqueur at the bar

His career in managing top restaurants brought Stefan to Singapore and when he explored the possibilities in establishing his own restaurant, he fell in love with JB, the place where he believes that people will better appreciate his food.

Opened since late 2014, Stefan is pleased that Coppola has established a reputation for consistently good food and service, and tells us that the same team continues to work with him since its opening.

I observe that Stefan is very much a hands-on restauranteur who not only issues instructions to his team but also steps up to offer table service.

A Bulgarian meatball, Kjufte, topped with a dollop of sauce

While there are non-Vegetarian items on the menu, he said diners are welcome to request for their preference of Vegetarian or Gluten-free versions.

A glance at the tasting menu gives me an idea of the items listed under Salads, Appetizers, Pastas, Pizzas, Main courses and Desserts, lined up for our group.

So once the talking is done, it’s time for the tasting.

Our meal starts with a refreshing taste from the Mediterranean, in fact a salad from Capri or Caprese Salad created with slices of Mozarella cheese and tomato topped with fresh basil and olive oil.

My pan-fried whole prawn wrapped in a strip of bacon

The refreshing toss of tomatoes, red peppers, cucumber and onions in the Bulgari Salad is another popular choice for salads here.

The recommended warm Appetizers are Kjufte or Kyufte – Bulgarian meatballs – made with minced pork and flattened on the grill. These fragrant meatballs come with a dip of a special house sauce.

When I sink my teeth into the pan-fried whole prawns wrapped in a strip of bacon, I can understand why this is yet another popular choice for Appetizers.

With my appetite suitably whet for more food, I eagerly anticipate the next items on the menu: Pasta and Pizza in authentic Italian flavours.

Homemade Ravioli with mushroom sauce

When I spot the word gamberi in Spaghetti aglio olio e gamberi, I expect to see whole shrimps/prawns and there it is – a large prawn – perched on top of the pasta.

“Italian wonton,” I overheard someone’s smart comment when the next pasta dish is served. I have to agree because it’s Coppola’s homemade Ravioli with mushroom sauce!

Coppola will not be complete without a dish named after the famous film icon so the next recommended item is Pizza Francis.

Pizza Francis is a recommended pizza choice

This popular choice of freshly-baked flatbread is topped with bacon, chorizo (pork sausage), mushrooms and sliced chilli, for a hint of heat.

Another good pizza choice is Pizza Al frutti di mare, a typically Italian pizza with generous toppings of seafood on a bed of tomato sauce.

The Mains recommended include the Sea Bass in citrus sauce and Lamb ala Toscana.

Stefan assures us that the lamb shank must be tender as it was baked for 12 hours.

As we whip out our cameras to snap shots of the dishes, Stefan wryly commented, “Italian food is not very photogenic.” And I have to agree with him.

Sea Bass in citrus sauce

While plating and presentation does make a difference to diners, true food connoisseurs will still place authentic taste as top priority.

When we dissected the dishes, we discovered that the pan seared Sea Bass with a side of delicious citrus sauce, is lying on a bed of sautéed spinach.

The marinated lamb is indeed fall-off-the-bone tender and is served with a side of risotto tossed with mushrooms and roasted vegetables.

With all these tasting dishes shared among us, it leaves sufficient space for us to enjoy the two recommended Desserts: Their highly acclaimed Tiramisu and Crepe Suzette.

Stefan added liqueur to flambe the
pancakes to prepare Crepe Suzette

While the Crepe Suzette is not quite Italian but actually French, I’m not complaining.

When Stefan and his team set up the stove to serve (Read: impress!) diners by the table, it occurs to me that never before did I have a Crepe Suzette experience in JB.

We watch as Stefan step-by-step, squeeze fresh orange juice into the pan to caramelize the citrus sauce and added liqueur to flambe the pancakes.

All this happening while I’m having a flashback to my previous experience… on a date in Singapore… a long time ago…

Served warm from the sizzling pan, the Crepe Suzette certainly lives up to its reputation.

From a warm dessert, we move on to their famous chilled Tiramisu.

“Real Tiramisu cannot be without alcohol,” declared Stefan, who I can tell is very proud of this dessert.

A serving of their highly acclaimed Tiramisu

This delicious coffee-flavoured Italian cheesecake is created from a (carefully-guarded!) traditional recipe with a strict balance of alcohol, made from a blend of three liqueurs.

Yum! This Tiramisu meets with my expectation in every way but a word of caution to diners (like me!) who are not caffeine tolerant.

Caution: Indulge in this delightful dessert and risk losing sleep for most of the night!

Coppola Family Pizzeria & Wine Bar [Non-Halal] is located at No. 1 Jalan Hijauan 3, Horizon Hills, 79100 Iskandar Puteri.

It has indoor air-conditioned and outdoor al fresco dining sections as well as a bar to enjoy wines, beers or cocktails.

Opening hours 12pm to 3pm [Lunch] and 5.30pm to 12am [Dinner] on weekdays.

Open from 12pm to 12am on Saturday and Sunday. Closed on Monday.

For Reservations or takeaways, Tel: + 607 – 509 5527 or +6016 – 761 5824.

Kak Mariam and her amazing apple pies

While brainstorming with the team at University of Southampton Malaysia (UoSM) about what should go into the contents of my TEDx Talk, I thought about Kak Mariam and how my published story on her resulted in an overwhelming number of orders for her apple pies.

Wedges of Kak Mariam's apple pie

My story, “Royal approval for apple pie” about Kak Mariam’s home-baked apple pies that were popular with the royal families, was published in Travel Times, a pull-out section of The New Straits Times in 2007.

When I shared this with the team, they agreed that it was an interesting point to share in my TEDx Talk on, Connecting People through My Johor Stories.

I clearly remember the words of Mariam Hassan, better known as Kak Mariam, the pie lady in Mersing who said, “To you, it was only writing a story but for me, my whole life changed!”

At that time, Kak Mariam was based in Mersing.

Kak Mariam presenting her apple pie

She said she would even receive orders from holiday-makers heading to the nearby islands off the coast of Mersing and on their return, they would drop by to collect the freshly baked apple pies.

She was absolutely thrilled with the keen response to her apple pies and she told me, she even received a call from an ex-boyfriend!

It’s been 12 years since my story was published and she is still baking her apple pies to fulfill hundreds of orders, especially during the festive seasons.

Her whole life had indeed changed.

So after I had whet their appetites with my apple pie recollections, the enthusiastic UoSM team asked for Kak Mariam’s contact number because they wanted to place an order for her apple pies – not only for themselves – but to share with the speakers and audience.

While the team was organizing the schedule for each speaker’s turn, I volunteered to speak before the refreshment break.

A freshly-baked apple pie from Kak Mariam's kitchen

They agreed because after the audience had heard my talk, where I would mention these awesome apple pies, then it would be timely for them enjoy a taste of these pies during the break.

At first, they had planned to serve her apple pies to the speakers and guests on the TEDx Talk event’s tea break but they decided to enjoy the apple pies for the Rehearsal as there would be a catered meal complete with cakes and coffee on the event day.

So at our Rehearsal, I was pleasantly surprised when the team invited us to stay back to enjoy Kak Mariam’s apple pie!

Looking back, the highlight of the Rehearsal must have been these tasty apple pies!

I remember the shouts of excitement when those who were serving, discovered that the pies were still warm from the oven.

Serving apple pie at the close of our Rehearsal event

When it was served, my fellow speakers and I graciously accepted a wedge each.

While we were still slowly savouring its lovely taste, some of the youngsters who had finished their portions were already waiting in line for a second helping.

I saw four pies in opened cardboard boxes on the table and it did not take long for the last wedge to be snapped up!

Since we already had a taste of Kak Mariam’s apple pies at the Rehearsal, I did not expect to see her pies again at the event proper because I was told that there was cake in the catered menu.

That morning when I arrived at the Educity auditorium for the TEDx Talk event, the organisers could not contain their excitement but told me that what was originally arranged for tea was cancelled and replaced by Kak Mariam’s apple pies!

Everyone enjoyed a portion (or more!) of
Kak Mariam's apple pie at TEDx UoSM

Wow! This meant that everyone present at the event would have the opportunity to taste these lovely apple pies too!

This little update added a bit of cheer and somehow reduced the mounting tension before I was invited to present my talk.

Later, I learnt from Kak Mariam that she baked a large number of apple pies to be served at the event while there was a separate order from the UoSM undergraduates who wanted to take her pies home to share with their parents, families and friends.

The TEDx Talk event marked the close of a semester at University of Southampton Malaysia and as they would be leaving for home the very next day, it was ideal to bring back a buah tangan in the form of Kak Mariam’s amazing apple pies.

I’m just so happy for Kak Mariam, to see how her pies are certainly going places.

Here’s the link to my TEDx Talk, Connecting People through My Johor Stories.

Towards developing students' own potential

Accepting the invitation from the school in March 2018, I was privileged to share about my journey to publishing my book, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, at a Book Talk event organized with some 30 student leaders at SMK Dato Jaafar.

One for the album: District Level Book Talk
event organised by MUET Panel,
held at SMK Dato Jaafar, Johor Baru
 

I then discovered that school principal, Mohd Hanafi Samad, is my regular reader and was among the first to buy my books, even before they were officially launched.

With his approval, a group photo captured at my Book Talk 2018 was featured in the cover design of the 2018 edition of their school magazine, the Jaafarian.

Book Talk teacher-in-charge, Dr. Navinder Kaur d/o Dhiraj Singh, was a guest at the launch of my next book, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, and she told me that another Book Talk event will be arranged with me in 2019.

This time it was organized by the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) Panel in a District Level event with 160 Form Six students from eight schools.

These students from Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar (English College), SMK Sultan Ismail, SMK Aminuddin Baki, SMK Tasek Utara, SMK Mutiara Rini, SMK Tanjong Adang, SMK Skudai and SMK Dato Jaafar, would be accompanied by their teachers.

Students actively participating in
a Vocabulary game

Dr. Navinder explained that these monthly Book Talks with invited speakers, aims to create more learning opportunities to mould active student leaders.

As we discussed the objectives of my Book Talk with the students, Dr. Navinder and I agreed that it should focus on sharing valuable tips for writing more effectively.

Dr. Navinder had identified that most students needed help to overcome their fear and anxiety of writing so I should consider sharing some points to encourage them.

I am, however, fully aware that present-day students in this information explosion era, have plenty more distractions than my generation especially when everyone owns a smart-phone and are so tech-savvy that all their leisure hours are spent on their devices.

With Pengetua, Mohd Hanafi Samad,
and the teacher-in-charge
of school magazine that featured
a photo of our 2018 Book Talk event
on the cover design of the Jaafarian!

The challenge to keep students focused on developing their own potential is an uphill battle for educationists the world over and it is no different in our local schools.

While pondering over the material that I should share to encourage the students, I happened to read about environmentalists who are advocating the ban on plastic straws.

In another article I read that people are encouraged to use natural products like dried loofah to shower and wash dishes instead of manufactured synthetic sponges.

From reliable reports that were supported by horrific photos, I gathered that the world is paying the price of modernization and is now making a definite U-Turn to literally go-back-to-basics.

I had a sudden flashback to dish-washing in our grandmother’s kitchen – which was done using a handful of dried loofah – and was gripped by how experts are now advocating its use again. The old-fashioned way is still the best way!

As a published author, I know that no matter what the experts say, there is really no short-cut to acquiring the skills to writing effectively.

The only way is from a firm foundation with a good grasp on grammar and punctuation, a wide vocabulary, a fondness for reading and most importantly, a passion for writing.

Students and teachers with me in the
2018 Book Talk event, featured on the
cover design of the Jaafarian 2018

I share the concern of teachers because we know that unless students acquire enough vocabulary, grammar and basic writing skills to write with confidence, they will end up in college and university, struggling to write their thesis or dissertation.

With this in mind, I decided to share my experience, trusting that the students who are truly keen to learn, may pick up the important facts and be inspired and challenged by what I would tell them in, Reading & Writing: From hobby to career.

So there I stood in front of the students and teachers, gathered in the school hall of SMK Dato Jaafar, the event’s host school, and started with a brief introduction of myself: an ordinary Johor-born girl who grew up in Johor Baru and studied in primary and secondary school, very much like them.

I introduced my parents and grandparents and talked about growing up in Masai and Jalan Ngee Heng in JB, which is walking distance to school, and how I was encouraged to develop my hobbies in reading and writing, through receiving gifts of books since childhood.

I brought my well-thumbed dictionaries to show and advised them not to be lazy but to look up the meanings of words because unless we know the meanings of the words in any language, we cannot use words effectively.

They saw how my little Malay-to-English and English-to-Malay dictionary was literally falling apart and my Oxford Pocket Dictionary – a well-used gift from my dad – was dog-eared and tattered.

I then challenged the students to keep a journal to write new words and meanings so that they can review the words and benefit by Learning-A-Word-Day.

Autographing my books for a student
 at the end of the event

My reading habit did not start with reading thick volumes but it was simply through looking at impressive photographs in issues of Life, a magazine my dad subscribed for and from reading comics.

Yes, cartoons.

I also brought our family’s Lat comic books to show the students that we can even learn about current affairs through comics such as these.

I first started reading jokes and riddles in a quality magazine like the Reader’s Digest but Word Power was a page here that helped to widen my knowledge and vocabulary.

To illustrate the importance of general knowledge and vocabulary, I invited ten students to participate in a game and was pleased that they met my challenge to think on their feet.

Then I continued with sharing interesting details about my eventful journey that culminated with two published books – something that certainly did not happen overnight.

Thank you MUET Panel, for the privilege to be a positive influence on young minds.

Long after the event was over, I’m still smiling as I recall a question from the Question & Answer session where a student had asked, “Is there going to be a third book?”

A version of this was published in the May 2019 issue of The Iskandarian

A taste of home at Sajian Warisan Ibunda

On the first day of Ramadan, families traditionally break their fast at home over a meal of well-loved favourites, lovingly prepared by the family matriarch.

A chef is carving Kambing Golek, whole roasted lamb

This familiar taste of home is a not-to-be-missed family tradition but if circumstances prevented you from breaking your fast with mother’s home-cooked meal, the next best thing is probably to enjoy the Sajian Warisan Ibunda at Salt & Pepper Restaurant.

In the tradition of buka puasa, Head Chef Jamaluddin Sadikum, better known as Chef Jamal, and his team of talented chefs have designed a choice of menus made up of more than 200 dishes to take diners on a culinary journey through the region and beyond.

At the entrance to Salt & Pepper, my eyes are riveted to three giant pots or kawah that are bubbling with Gulai Kambing (lamb), Beef Rendang and Soup Gear Box.

Dishes served from giant pots or kawah

This steaming hot, comforting soup on the stove as well as Bubur Lambuk (chicken), a traditional broth for Ramadan, are best for warming the stomach after a day of fasting.

Before the diners arrive, I take a quick tour of the stalls, some with live-action stations to serve various items in the buffet.

I’m struck with curiosity when my eyes lock onto traditional bamboo steaming trays – usually used to serve dim sum – and next to it are servings of spicy peanut sauce and a selection of serunding or traditional meat floss.

Puffs of steam are snaking out from its lid so I take a quick peek inside this bamboo tray and discover ketupat or cubes of rice that are being kept warm within!

“Such a capital idea!” I thought to myself, quite impressed by the clever use of a Chinese dumpling steaming tray to serve a Malay food item like ketupat!

Head Chef Jamaluddin Sadikum
presents traditional Soup Gear Box

Throughout the (many!) previews of Ramadan buffets this year, this is the first that I’ve come across such a cross-cultural use of utensils in a buffet setup.

And I simply cannot explain the way I feel ridiculously pleased with it.

Cheered on by this discovery, I pass a chef who is carving a whole roasted lamb, popularly known as Kambing Golek, which is still on the spit, to get the meat ready to be served with Nasi Arab (rice).

With a little time before the breaking of fast, I watch as a chef prepare traditional apam balik fold-over pancakes filled with crushed peanuts, while another chef at the deep-fried snack station is dropping batter for deep-fried fritters by hand into the heated oil, reminiscent of how mothers are still doing so at home!

There are freshly fried items made with bananas and sweet potatoes and popular snacks like cucur udang among other fried favourites like deep-fried durian!

Look! Ketupat kept warm within a bamboo steaming tray.

In the Appetizer section, there is a selection of kerabu mixed salads to savour with rice tinted blue by butterfly pea flowers, along with fresh garden greens as well as ulam-ulaman kampung greens that are complemented by a choice of local sambals to whet the appetite.

By now, I’m quite familiar with popular spicy and savoury sauces like sambal belacan, tempoyak, mango sambal, cencalok and budu.

At the Noodles station labelled Aneka Laksa, I understand that the daily choice of noodles with gravy will rotate among selections like Laksa Johor or Laksa Penang and other noodle dishes.

Freshly-made apam balik, fold-over pancakes

At the Satay station, served in a choice of beef and chicken with peanut sauce and condiments, once again I’m impressed that these skewers of meat – that were cooked well in advance – are being kept warm within large dim sum steamer trays!

At another stall, I spot small saucepans on stoves that are bubbling with a choice of gravy.

From its enticing aroma, I recognise mouthwatering favourites like Asam Pedas and Curry, where a chef will prepare the diner’s pick of fish to go into the choice of gravy.

The Sajian Warisan Ibunda theme continues with traditional Ikan Panggang or grilled whole fish, stuffed cincaru that are freshly grilled and served drizzled with dark spicy sauce and a twist of fresh lime.

Deep-frying fritters, like how mum does!

There is also a choice of meat for diners to pick from and have it freshly grilled for you.

Another exciting item in the buffet is Chicken Shawarma – meat grilled Middle-Eastern style – and stuffed into pockets within halves of pita bread.

In the dessert section, there is a variety of warm, traditional sweet broths like Bubur Kacang Hijau, Bubur Cha-Cha and Pengat Pisang, among others.

Nearby, the colourful range of local kueh as well as cakes, cookies, pastries, puddings and jellies are just too tempting to miss.

The sweetness continues in a range of specially prepared chilled drinks while an entire section is dedicated to self-serve ice cream and the diners’ creation of Air Batu Campur or ABC shaved ice dessert.

And to round off a hearty meal, there is free-flow of brewed coffee and tea, conveniently provided by an efficient hot beverage dispenser.

A choice of fish and gravy: Curry or Asam Pedas?

It’s the first day of fasting and I join the diners, small groups made up of families and friends, to tuck into the spread of traditional dishes while a trio provides soothing, live music entertainment.

The Sajian Warisan Ibunda buffet spread at Salt & Pepper Restaurant will be served from now to June 3, priced at RM88 nett per adult and RM48 nett per child and senior citizens.

Salt & Pepper Restaurant is at level six of Berjaya Waterfront Hotel Johor Baru, located at 88, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Stulang Laut, 80300 Johor Baru, Johor.

For enquiries and reservations, Tel: +607 – 221 9999 Extension: 5106 or 5107, or send email to: bwh.rsvn@berjayahotel.com.

For more info, visit website: www.berjayahotel.com.

Seniors' tour of Desaru Fruit Farm

I’ve lost count of the number of times I visited the Desaru Fruit Farm.

All aboard the farm truck
with Hayati, our guide [Right]

In fact, there was a higher frequency last year because I went to meet the owners again for interviews and photography to feature them under Portraits in my book, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People.

For my book launch event, I had also arranged to involve as many of the featured subjects – through serving their products for refreshments and by sponsorship of items for a Lucky Draw – so that guests may not only read about them but also have their own experience of them.

Desaru Fruit Farm supplied a variety of fresh and pickled fruits that were served along with other food items in the buffet of refreshments at my book launch event.

A noodle lunch before the farm tour, [Left to Right]
Aunty Sylvia, Aunty Polly, Uncle Steven and my mum

The farm also participated in my event by sponsoring vouchers where each voucher entitles four visitors to enjoy a farm tour with a Set Lunch* that includes a fruit buffet.

It was so good to see my guests winning something from the Lucky Draw and it turned out that one of them was Aunty Polly, who won a voucher from Desaru Fruit Farm.

My readers will recognise Aunty Polly from my story on, Our Han Su-yin Connection in Book 1, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, because a long time ago, she used to work with Universal Pharmacy.

[This building no longer exists.]

Uncle Steven and Aunty Polly,
feeling perfectly at home
in the farm tour at Desaru Fruit Farm

The pharmacy which was then located at Jalan Ibrahim, occupied the ground-floor of the dispensary or clinic upstairs, where the Eurasian doctor and internationally renowned author with the pen-name, Han Su-Yin, used to see patients in Johor Baru.

Aunty Polly and her husband, Uncle Steven, are also mentioned in my story from Macap, Aw Pottery Studio in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, because they used to live nearby at Jalan Kluang, in the compound of the government-owned animal husbandry station and dairy farm, where uncle used to work.

Now retired, they live in Kuala Lumpur but they came to JB to witness my book launch.

When they left for KL, aunty decided to leave her voucher with me for safekeeping and promised to claim it on their next visit here.

Aunty Sylvia capturing a shot
of her husband, Uncle Mok

Even though both my aunts, Aunty Polly and Aunty Sylvia, have relocated to KL, their bond with JB remains ever so strong.

This is evident from their deep longing for JB street food and how they often compared KL food (usually unfavourably!) with JB food.

So when the foursome – Aunty Polly and Uncle Steven, Aunty Sylvia and Uncle Mok – visited us again in JB, one of their must-haves is a noodle meal at Mee Ho Seng Kee.

While discussing lunch, aunty also mentioned that we should go to Desaru Fruit Farm!

It was then quickly decided that we should head out to the farm after our noodle lunch.

Mum with her sisters at the cocoa tree

Ah! Finally, we can claim the voucher which aunty had won from my book launch event!

Because there were six of us (four plus mum and I), we would buy two more tickets for the farm tour and fruit buffet. So I phoned ahead to make a prior reservation with them.

[Even though the voucher included Set Lunch for four, we would only claim the fruit buffet.]

Readers who are familiar with my story about, Mee Ho Seng Kee, featured under Heritage Trades in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, would recognise these aunts of mine as they were very ones who introduced me to this popular brand of wanton noodles.

Incidentally, Uncle Mok’s family were neighbours with the Ho family who used to run their family’s noodle business from a shophouse located at Jalan Meldrum.

The Moks did not attend my launch event for Book 2, so meeting Elton Ho at Mee Ho Seng Kee again, was a happy reunion for them!

Mum escorted by Uncle Mok,
walking the shady passionfruit
 trail in Desaru Fruit Farm

So after our satisfying Mee Ho Seng Kee lunch, we enjoyed a smooth and comfortable drive along the Senai-Desaru Highway to the Desaru Fruit Farm.

The weather was bright and sunny, just right for an outdoor activity with the seniors.

Hayati, our farm guide, was waiting and she welcomed us to board the open-ended farm truck to ferry us into the farm.

Escorted by her two sisters and their husbands, my mum – armed with her walking stick – felt rather confident and was game to explore the farm on foot.

As Hayati provided a guided tour under the trees and around the farm, I could not help observing how the seniors were enjoying themselves, getting closer to Nature again.

Uncle Steven, in particular, was in his element – enjoying a lively banter with Hayati – because he is familiar with the local flora and fauna.

Aunty Polly blowing her leaf whistle!

I guessed he probably missed being so close to Nature again, especially since he was retired from a career in animal husbandry and farming.

It was simply heart-warming to observe how the seniors were able to identify the flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables that were thriving in the farm.

“Cocoa!” the sisters exclaimed when they saw the cocoa pods growing abundantly on its tree.

And so they went on and on, happily seeking out and identifying each plant and bush.

While it was really warm and humid, I did not hear a hint of complaint from the seniors.

Instead, I was amused when Aunty Polly picked up a big dried leaf from the Breadfruit or buah sukun tree, to fan herself…

Aunty also found a fresh leaf and folded it into a whistle to demonstrate how they used to have fun playing outdoors.

Aunty Polly kicking her capteh!

At the Heritage Gallery, I was thrilled to watch as my aunts relived their childhoods.

Among other things, Aunty Polly was happy to see a traditional woven chicken coop.

And then they had fun rediscovering the joys of playing traditional games like throwing five stones (Batu Seremban) and kicking the feather ball (Sepak Bulu Ayam) or capteh.

I thought that her career in national and international badminton has clearly kept Aunty Sylvia physically fit to challenge her sister in kicking the capteh…

It was already late afternoon so Hayati proposed that we kept the tour short so that we could have a longer time to linger over our fruit buffet.

So we had a pleasant trek as we backtracked on our route to the drop-off point where our transport was waiting to ferry us back to the restaurant.

Aunty Sylvia showing off
her skills at kicking capteh!

Hayati helped to serve the recommended brewed tea made from Cat’s Whiskers and left us to savour the tasty spread of a variety of local fresh and pickled fruits.

I’ve always considered their fruit buffet as a fitting end to our farm tour.

Among other juicy fruits, there were slices of watermelon, jackfruit, star-fruit, passionfruit, chiku, mango, pineapple, rose apples, guava and papaya, both fresh and pickled.

And as I looked around the table, I could tell from their sweaty but beaming faces that this was an absolutely worthwhile afternoon with the seniors at Desaru Fruit Farm.

Desaru Fruit Farm is located at No.1 Hentian Penawar, Sungai Cemaran, Desaru, 81930 Bandar Penawar, Kota Tinggi, Johor.

The seniors sit down for a fruit buffet, a most fitting end to our farm tour!

For more info about their farm tour and hotel packages, visit webpage: https://dff.world

Note: My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage and My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from www.mphonline.com