Stories from Deli

Ah Seng, The Cook from Onze bedienden in Indië (1948) by Madelon Székely-Lulofs

The utmost sobriety for a planter was achieved in the relationship with the Chinese cook. Anyone who wanted to get rid of all responsibility for the food took on a Chinese cook. He was not a boy, only a cook. He minded nothing, only the kitchen. The provision, his room, became his private domain, for his lord and mistress were living with him.

A Chinese cook was paid a fixed amount in the month that included the food for the family and the cook’s wages. Mr. and Mrs., plus the cook, that meant 150 or 180 guilders a month. Before that, your house became your own hotel. Every meal was a surprise, for the housewife never knew what was being cooked that day. Only quantity and quality were predetermined.

A guest was not included in that amount.

A separate amount was set in advance for each guest. And in three different price ranges according to the rank of the guest. A prize for a tuan ketjil assistant. A fee for a tuan besar administrator. A prize for a tuan matskepij – inspector or principal administrator. At the end of the month, the Chinese presented his bill: so much for the fixed amount, so many times as much for this and that class of guests or guests; a tuan ketjil eat three times à Fl. 1.50, tuan besar with the mim (the madam) eat six times à Fl. 2. – per person, once den tuan matskepij à Fl. 2.50.

The Chinese was never embarrassed. His lord and mistress were allowed to come home in the middle of the night with twelve guests and drum him up from his sleep: “Hey, A Seng! Bangoen! Wake up! Dinner for fourteen people. ‘

In the blink of an eye, he was awake, up and dressed.

“Fourteen people, A Seng!”

“Baik, tuan!”

‘When are you done?’

A Seng charges. He has canned soup. The cook of the tuan besar on the adjoining estate has cold fish in jelly on the ice, the water bearer must go and get it, if he walks on quickly, he can be there and back in 45 minutes. In those 45 minutes he can make a hâché himself from the rest of the pork that is in the cupboard. He will add puree and tomato lettuce. Add a foam melet.

“In an hour, tuan.”

‘Good.’

Within an hour the boy set the table with porcelain and crystal and fresh flowers. The company is in full swing in the kitchen. The guests get a meal that would have required a white woman in the solitude of a rubber company to endure a nervous crisis to bring it to the table. But A Seng, first of all, has no nerves, and secondly, there exists the mafia between him and all the other Chinese cooks in the area, who keep each other informed every day by means of verbally communicated messages about their respective stock of canned, ready-made dishes. , meat, chicken, or fish. Each borrows from the other what he needs immediately and gives it back the next day. This is how an infallible system works for the convenience of master and servant. A Dutch lady cannot compete with that. Therefore, when the man has attained his position in the land of great cultures, where people live on a grand scale, that after the third scene because of unexpected guest hurdles, he takes the plunge and engages an A Seng at a fixed rate. Nobody knows better what is due to a man than …… a man.

“You make it right, aren’t you, A Seng ?!”

“Baik, toewan!’.”

“And the mim doesn’t have to get involved?”

“Much better if the mim doesn’t interfere with anything, touwan.”

Tom’s wife, though hurt in her self-esteem, has not interfered with anything in recent years. She’s a clerk’s wife, she’s out a lot. Boy, a handy Malay, takes care of the house, together with Babu, an old friend, who used to be a rubber tapster, but had been a house maid for years. A Seng rules the kitchen. Sometimes, when the lady comes home, it turns out that she has a guest.

“The tuan matskepij is staying here in transit, mim.”

‘Oh, beautiful! Where is sir? ‘

“Sir is in the mosquito room, mim.”

‘Is everything okay, boy? The guest room for guests? The food?’

“Everything is fine, mim. Baboe has taken the sheets with the lace and I a clean tablecloth and napkins with the star pattern. And I told A Seng that the tuan matskepij is here. ‘

“Beautiful, boy!”

Madame pops into her dressing room for a moment, refreshes herself, cleans herself and can then be the charming hostess, who makes everything go so smoothly.

From

https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/szek002onze01_01/szek002onze01_01_0004.php