Me : Sending mails and paperwork while having dinner just now
I made a practice of going to Sushi King at least once in a month.
Why?
Answer : Chopsticks.
I work in the construction industry, dominated by Chinese. In fact, I work in a Malaysian Chinese contractor company, where only 5 of us are non-Chinese.
And you have Main-Cons from Korea (the one I'm working with right now), Japanese, etc.
And most developers in Malaysia are not Bumi companies. (i'm saying this bluntly, frankly).
There will be times, when you have to join the teams for dinner.
Or at least during Chinese New Year.
Oh did you know, today is Lunar Festival for Korea, Japan and Chinese folks (Malaysian Chinese are eating mooncakes tonight, while the Koreans are enjoying sweetened Tteok, which is equivalent to Malaysian kuih koci).
Last Chinese New Year, I showed off my eating-with-chopstick skills in front of my bosses during lo-hei (Prosperity Toss) which is tossing the sweet yee sang.
Then I eat with chopsticks during the dinner session.
It's not really about showing off. It's about not being awkward when presented with a tool called chopstick.
And I have been training from year 2010 with chopstick at least once a month, at Sushi King even though there are doubts about the halal-ness of the soy sauce (I was told it was mixed with alcohol), or some other places where chopstick are served.
But nevermind with Sushi King, in the end I just ate rice, with chawamushi, miso soup and grilled salmon. And of course with the sushi's, especially the sweet beancurd.
Why does it have to be at Sushi King?
It is because I live in a Malay-majority community, for example like the photo above.
I ate the noodles with chopsticks in front of them folks and I felt weird.
In religion, if I ain't mistaken, it was told that it is not a good practice to be so "pelik" (too awkwardly different) or so not to arouse suspicion or backbiting by others. (something like this, I think)
And so I just sit quiet at the Sushi King feeling relax not to be bothered by others.
Maybe I'm just like that.