Tuesday June 5, 2012
The wonton man
By OH TEIK THEAM
I REMEMBER vividly the itinerant wonton noodle seller who came to our neighbourhood every Saturday afternoon, regular as clockwork. The delicious noodles always sold like hot cakes.
The Wonton Noodle Man (or more commonly known as wantan mee) would park his three-wheeled vehicle under a tree.
His helper, a swarthy lad in his mid-teens who always wore black shorts and a white singlet, would cycle around the area, hitting two bamboo sticks against each other to catch the attention of prospective customers. Tock! Tock! Tock!
The boy would listen attentively to every customer’s order, his prodigious memory obviating the need to write down the orders.
“Tock tock mee! Give me two plates of noodles with no veggies!”
“Okay!”
“Give me one plate of noodles, and can I have extra green chillies, please?”
“No problem!”
And the diligent youngster, who was certainly a safe pair of hands for the Wonton Noodle Man, would return to each customer’s doorstep in less than twenty minutes with the noodles.
He would use his left palm to support a rectangular wooden tray that held the food. With his right hand, he would skillfully manoeuvre his bicycle past the potholes in the road surface.
On one occasion, I watched the Wonton Noodle Man at work. He used a cup-shaped wire-mesh bowl with a long handle to immerse the noodle coils in the boiling water for about fifteen seconds before dipping the bowl and its contents briefly in a basin of tap water.
After immersing the noodles in the boiling water once more, he deposited them in a medium-sized china bowl containing a mixture of thick soy sauce and sesame oil.
The Wonton Noodle Man tossed the noodles in the china bowl with a pair of chopsticks until every strand was drenched with the mixture. He then transferred the noodles to a plate and topped them with a small amount of shredded boiled chicken and parboiled mustard greens, and finally a pinch of pepper.
For my money, the noodles and their toppings, together with the two wonton dumplings in a bowl of soup, and a spoonful of cut, pickled green chillies in light soy sauce in a small dish, were out of this world.
Regular as clockwork: With utmost regularity.
Sell/go like hot cakes: To be sold quickly.
No problem: (i) It’s no trouble for me to do what you have asked. (ii) You’re welcome (a polite reply to an expression of thanks). (iii) It doesn’t matter (a polite reply to an apology).
A safe pair of hands: Someone who can be trusted to do something well.
Once more (Also, Once again): An additional time.
For my money: In my opinion.
Out of this world: Extremely good or enjoyable; superb.
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