Teachers' Training College Kirkby, Liverpool: Reliving memories Part 4 Dining and food services

Malayan Teachers' Training College, Kirkby, Liverpool: Reliving memories
Part 4 Dining and food services

By Wan Chwee Seng


 On a cold, winter morning, the residents of Block nine at Kirkby College, Liverpool were startled from their deep slumber by an unusual crow that emanated from within the confines of the long, narrow corridor .

"Freshie, that doesn't sound like a cock's crow!" a voice bellowed from a room.

" Stop that noise, freshie!  I am trying to get some sleep,"   an irritated voice bawled from another room.

On successive days, occasional crows still broke the quietude of the mornings. Then one morning the 'roosters' suddenly ceased their crowing. The freshies gave a sigh of relief as the Orientation had finally ended.

The  clink of milk bottles outside the room woke me from my much-needed slumber. Without the 'crow of the roosters', an alarm clock or even a watch, I had to rely on the timely arrival of the milkman.

From a nearby shower room the throaty sound of water and the voice of an early riser exercising  his vocal cord floated to my room. Not wanting to miss my breakfast, I crawled out  reluctantly from the warmth and comfort  of the thick blankets.

As I made my way gingerly along the slippery, frosted walkway towards the dining hall, the night mist  was just beginning to lift. Overhead, silhouetted against a sullen grey sky, serpentine-like hot water pipes  snaked past low, drab buildings. 

Hot water pipes snaked past low buildings

Inside the dining hall, I joined the few students who were  queuing  up quietly at the long kitchen counter where a selection of English breakfast was already laid out: oats or cornflakes with milk and sugar, hard-boiled eggs or omelette, tomato soup, baked beans, sausage, toast with jam or butter,and tea with milk.  

A few juniors  were  already engrossed in their meals:taking small delicate bites of the toast; gently stirring the cups of tea with the least noise and chewing with their mouths closed. Evidently, the advice and the litany of criticisms that had been dished out by the seniors during the orientation had not fallen on deaf ears.

Dinner time. Johnny Khoo and fellow students eating together, irrespective of sex, race, colour or creed
Photo courtesy of Johnny Khoo

Dinner function in the Dining Hall.

L to R:  Oen Wan Foo, Khoo Jin Eng, Chung Kok Hiong, Jimmy Lee Chong Lay, Mimi Foo, Mr. W. L. Jones, Mrs. Jones

Block Niners at a dinner function

Block Niners with guests at a Chinese New Year dinner 

Although, we began the day with an English breakfast, it was an Asian fare for lunch and dinner.  I cannot remember much about the food, but Cheah Lean Aing and Diana Tan recalled :

 " For lunch and dinner we had rice served with two tureens of the following: Beef or mutton stew, meatballs with cabbage, large fish balls with vegetables, corned beef with salad (in summer), spaghetti in tomato sauce, hard-boiled eggs curry, vegetable curry and fried rice. For desserts we had fruits like apples, oranges and occasionally bananas, pudding with custard. For tea break and supper we had digestive biscuits, sometimes chocolate-coated ones, sandwiches and tea with milk."

Over the years, fanciful culinary terms were coined to add a touch of flavour to the otherwise bland dishes. When Russia launched their first satellite, Sputnik 1, a 23 inch metal sphere in 1957, the hard-boiled eggs curry came to be known as sputnik curry.

Russian Sputnik 1 launched in 1957
Photo credit: Ezine Mark. com

Sputnik curry

Although, we were provided with nutritious food prepared by cooks from Hong Kong, there were always a few disgruntled students who would find fault with the food. On Friday when we were served either fish-and-chips or vegetarian diet, the sound of bleating would sometimes break the silence, as a few students tried to show their displeasure.

" Aaaaah! Flied lice, again!" 

The long sigh and sign of discontentment could be heard on another day. 

Barring those few incidents, most students were contented  with the food and meal time proceeded  smoothly,  and we were fortunate to have rice everyday, except for Friday. 

At a Kirkby Reunion, we were told by our super senior who was the mess chairman that the College kitchen often ran out of rice and so he had to make frequent trips  to the principal's office to complain about the shortage of rice.

All the eateries in the proximity of the College would be closed by 5.00 pm. Only a makeshift  fish and chips store that stood a few metres from the college gate  sometimes stayed open until 8.00 pm and it was well patronised by the College students.

The signboard at the entrance to Kirkby College,
Liverpool.

A walk down memory lane with Ooi-Tee

"I remember walking down the path to the main gate.

The railway tracks are to my left, down an embankment.

The path behind me leads to the main road to a T junction.

Kirkby Store and Chisnall's are across the road to the left.

To my right, obscured by shrubs, is the fish and chips store."

 Although, the fish and chips and the occasional vegetables spring rolls could be considered plain, they helped to assuage our hunger..

Ooi - Tee and Ramakrishnan at the fish
 and chips store after their trip to Chisnall'sl

Each block had a pantry where we could fix a fast and simple meal, usually dried vermicelli flavoured with the indispensable chicken stock. The few students with culinary skills would whip up divine dishes whose aroma  would send us scurrying to the pantry. 

We would usually purchase our groceries from the nearby Kirkby Store and Chisnall's.  

Ooi Tee and Ramakrishnan in front of Kirkby Store and Chisnall's

Ooi-Tee  in front of Chisnall's where he used
to buy his cigarettes, milk and biscuits.
Behind him is the familiar 'Andy Capp'
lookalike who would often flash a toothless
smile at the customers.

I remember following my friend, Seripala, to the small town of Blackbull where he would buy fish for his signature dish_ fish curry. Sometimes we would take a leisurely walk to a nearby cottage to  buy fresh eggs and fruits..   

One of my most memorable dining experiences in college was attending a formal dinner hosted by the Blue Funnel Line, a well known shipping company, on board one of their liners. Prior to the dinner our seniors had given us valuable advice and tips on the proper table manner. On the appointed day we arrived early, attired in our best suits. We were ushered into a grand room and the moment we stepped into the room my attention was drawn to the array of gleaming cutlery set that was laid out to measured precision on a long table  with spotless napery. All advice and the well-rehearsed procedure were soon forgotten as I took in the intimidating sight. I cannot remember much about the food or its taste, as throughout the dinner I was busy keeping an eye on the host, trying my best to follow his lead.

Thirty years on, I find myself sitting alone at a table in the dining hall of Maktab Perguruan Perempuan Melayu Melaka. Assigned to our occasional dining duty, I slowly sampled  the all Malaysian fare that is laid before me. As I watched the young trainee teachers having their meals, I paused from my eating, to reflect and savour the delectable moments of my own college days. 

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Moments to savour
  

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Memories of movies and movie theatres of yesteryear

Memories of movies and movie theatres of yesteryear

By Wan Chwee Seng

Dusk was just beginning to slip into night when a white van rolled onto the playing field. Workers emerged from the van and began to assemble and erect poles to support a white canvas screen.

The playing field in front of our house. Photo: taken in 2012

It was the  early 1950s and we were staying in one of the government quarters  in the Residential Area, Kuala Pilah.  From the front veranda of the house which overlooked the field, young, curious eyes followed their every move.

The house at 246 B, Residential Area Kuala Pilah. in the 1950s.

The house at 246B, Residential Area in 2012

Then as the darkness deepened, murky figures began to  converge on the field and head towards the white screen, like moths being drawn to the fragrance of a white blossom.

A generator sputtered to life  and a projector mounted at the back of the van beamed its bright light on the cinema screen, revealing a picture of a leaping tiger and the words 'Malayan film Unit'. 

Realising,the movie was about to start, we scurried across the narrow road to join the fairly large crowd who stood or sat on the grass. A few had come prepared for the show and had brought along mats or small stools with them.

A crowd watching an open air movie
Photo credit: Finasgovt.com

The movie started with a  documentary  on the communist insurgency in Malaya and this was followed with a feature film showcasing the development that had taken place in post war Malaya after the Japanese Occupation. 

Oblivious to the throbbing sound of the generator and the blurry and grainy film , the crowd watched, enthralled at the scene unfolding before their eyes. There  was no TV  then and a  movie theatre had still to make its appearance in the small town of Kuala Pilah, so the free movie  provided the residents with a welcome break from their mundane existence. 

For me and my siblings, it was also our first experience of watching a movie. 

A few years later, our school, Tuanku Muhammad School would screen movies like 'Tarzan'  and 'The three musketeers' for the pupils during some weekends.  I remember after watching 'The three musketeers' my friends and I would venture into the thickets that flanked the dirt track that meandered towards our houses The morning air would soon be filled with shouts and the clash of  wooden swords as we assumed the roles of Athos, Porthos and Aramis.

Tuanku Muhammad School in 1946.

One evening father came back from work and gave us a few complimentary tickets for the reserved seats which  the owner of the newly- built Majestic Theater had given him. 

The Majestic Theatre in Kuala Pilah

Father had helped the owner when he was a young and struggling businessman. He was  grateful for father's  assistance. Whenever there was a good movie he would give father some complimentary tickets.  I can remember that first visit to the movie theatre. We could feel the sense of  excitement as we made our way up the carpeted aisle leading to the balcony and let ourselves sink into the comfort of the soft seat. 

One of the earliest and memorable movies I remember watching at the theatre was the 1949 production of 'The Blue Lagoon' starring Jean Simmons and  Donald Houston

The 1949 movie: The Blue Lagoon starring
Jean Simmons and Donald Houston
Photo Credit: Doctormacro.com

Then in the mid fifties, after father passed away,  we moved back to Batu Berendam,  a small village,  about four miles from Melaka Town.  Unlike Kuala Pilah,  there were already a few movie theatres such as Rex, Federal, Cathay, Capitol, Lido and Savoy  in Melaka Town. However without the complimentary tickets which we used to get in Kuala Pilah, all we could afford was the Saturday's cheap matinee. Occasionally, we would  take a bus for the night show, but we had to make sure it ended early as the last bus to Batu Berendam was at midnight.Once, my friend and I, was so engrossed in a movie that we didn't realise that the movie ended well past midnight. The thought of having to walk four miles back to our homes, made me approach two girls who were standing near their car. I explained to them our predicament and we were pleasantly surprised when  they offered to give us a lift home. Although, I have forgotten their names I will always be grateful for their help and kindness.   

While most of the youngsters in our kampung preferred the Hollywood movies, the older kampung folks preferred watching Malay or Indian movies ( now known as Bollywood) which were usually screened at the Lido Theatre.

The charred building of Lido Theatre

I recall, at the end of the month whenever there was an Indian movie, the Lido Theatre  would be patronized by the estate workers from the nearby rubber plantations. They came in their best attire, squeezed tightly at the rear of open back lorries.  

The abandoned building of Capitol Theatre

Federal Theatre converted into a furniture showroom

With the advent of televisions, home movie theatres, and cineplex theatres, the movie theatres  have disappeared. Most have been demolished and replaced with high-rise buildings while others are left in a state of disrepair. The movie theatres of my childhood days with their  bright neon signs; the huge hand-painted billboards with pictures of  stars and the prominently displayed words, 'Now Showing', 'Next Change', 'Coming Soon', are now just a memory.