Di Bawah Rang Ikang Kering

This blog, Di Bawah Rang Ikang Kering is a breath of fresh air, straight from Terengganu. It’s Terengganu-centric, and witty. Anyone who thinks that Terengganu-ites are conservative, humourless brickheads will be surprised to find lucid writing. Pok Ku or Tengku Mohd Ali Bustaman is the writer behind the blog. Formerly in broadcasting and the media, Pok Ku is now retired.

Di Bawah Rang Ikang Kering was nominated for the Asia Best Blog Award 2004. Part personal journal and memoir, Tengku Ali Bustaman, a former civil servant, recounts the idiosyncracies and eccentrities that abound in the East Coast. The personalities and adventures he's had - all these make for compulsive reading.

Click on the title to read.

Excerpt, one of my favorite posts:

TERENGGANU TABOOS
Thursday, January 13, 2005

When I was a small boy, ages ago of course,

I was told not to sit on a pillow or I will get a boil on my butt and whistle in the house or a snake will come
Eat the crispy fish head or I will be stupid
Point a finger at the rainbow or my finger will be crooked
Cut my fingernails at night or the ghosts will use the clippings as boats and come and get me.
Pour a lot of budu (anchovy sauce) on my rice as if it were gravy or it will rain and flood on my wedding day
etcetera etcetera

I am sure you have similar pantang larang (taboos) in your house too. Some of the taboos are just plain common sense clothed in threats to dispense with tedious explanation. Olden Malays did not have scatter cushions. Those things came later with women's magazines. Pillows are for sleeping, not for sitting. The idea of burrowing your face into a pillow that came into contact with a butt (odourless or otherwise) is not too savoury. It might not be sanitary too. Hence the taboo. Reasonable enough.

... Some of the taboos are for the protection of the young. You know how they are. They would never just accept "No!" They have to have a reason. They won't accept that eating fish head might result in the scale or bone getting stuck in tender throats. Scaring them with the prospect of being stupid did the job. They were stupid alright for not asking how come the parents enjoy the crispy fish head so much. Variations of the same excuse is used for chicken giblet, chicken neck and other delicacies.

It is the same with cutting fingernails at night. The prospect of some malevolent spirits coming to shorten your life was enough to discourage impatient vain pots to postpone their manicure until tomorrow's daylight. The underlying reason behind this taboo is simple enough. You must remember that when this taboo was formulated, Tenaga Nasional wasn't around yet and houses were pretty dimly lit with just pelita ayam (oil lamps). Nail clippers too were scarce then. So, cutting finger nails with sharp objects like parangs or kitchen knives in poor light can cause nasty accidents. Flying fingernail clippings too can cause much pain when stepped on.

Young men dreaming of a harem might do well to change seats many times during dinner. It is predicted that you will marry many times, preferably not to the same person.

Now, for the sake of cultural exchanges and global understanding you tell me the taboos in your neck of the wood.