‘Tok Panjang’ is now the term of choice to describe a long table in the Baba language but it was not long ago in my younger days when ‘Meja Panjang’ was much in use to describe the same item.  Another example of this peculiar tendency to use the two different words, i.e. ‘Tok’ and ‘Meja’ of Hokkien and Malay origins respectively is evident when ‘Tok Datok’ describes a prayer altar table whereas ‘Meja Makan Nasik’ is for a dining table to the Baba community at large.

The ‘laok tok panjang’ (foods at the long table) have lately been implied to consist of any variety of Baba Peranakan dishes served at a tok panjang.  But, it wasn’t so at one time.  At that time, the traditional dishes at the tok panjang consisted of standard specific dishes which were divided into three categories, viz the ‘laok mangkok’ made up of soups served in bowls, the ‘laok pingan besar’ made up of foods served on large plates and the ‘laok piring’ which consisted of side dishes and appetizers served on small plates.  As all these dishes are served at joyous occasions such as birthday and wedding celebrations, a dish such as the ‘chap chai’ (mixed vegetable stew), among others, would never find a place on such tok panjang for simple and obvious reasons that it is a ‘laok semayang’ (prayer dish) which is offered on the ancestral altar in prayer and is therefore unsuited for any auspicious celebration.  However, it is a common everyday dish in the Baba home.

During a birthday celebration when the short guest-list is made up of only close relatives and friends, it is sufficient for a tok panjang to have been made up of two or more long rectangular dining tables joined end to end depending on the availability of space and the number of such tables in the average home.  But, at a wedding celebration when the number of relatives and guests are larger, the tok panjang is inevitably a series of square tables joined end to end and which are supplied by the Hainanese caterer who has won the contract to prepare and serve the laok tok panjang on nyonya ware crockery for the happy occasion.  In this instance, it is not normally possible for the nyonya folks of the host’s household to do the cooking and preparation of foods because of limited availability of large-scale cooking utensils and nyony aware crockery in the home to meet the need.  Thus, borrowing of nyonya ware crockery from relatives and friends is not a norm as it entails logistic problems apart from the ensuing possible embarrassment resulting from breakages and damages.

Close family members, inclusive of males, and Nyonya guests are traditionally invited to the afternoon tok panjang luncheon on the eve of the Baba Wedding day.  At this afternoon lunch, even in the olden days, both sexes would partake the meal together rather than the males feasting ahead of the females that was practiced in some Baba homes.  After all, the males’ presence is small and they will be seated together with their own womenfolk and relatives instead of mixing with the female guests who are close friends of the hosts.  Male guests are invited to dinner on the same day when they will be served Chinese restaurant dishes prepared by a Cantonese restaurant caterer.  Just as at the afternoon lunch function which has not been totally female only affair, this dinner for males similarly finds a sprinkling of the opposite sex among the diners who are members of the host family who have joined their men-folk at the tables.

It is interesting to note in Baba Cedric Tan’s article that the chai ki (red bunting) is hung above the doorway only on Chinese New Year eve in Malacca.  As a minor variation, the chai ki is hung on the day the Kitchen God ascends to heaven on the 24^th day of the 12^th lunar month and remains at its post until after the fifteen days Chinese New Year celebrations in my home.  My mother even believed that the excitement of Chinese New year began as early as Tang Chek (on 22^nd December) after which early spring cleaning for Chinese New year would begin.

My father strictly observed the New Year eve custom when once the main door is bolted it will not be opened until the next day when it will be thrown open sharp at the auspicious hour to welcome the New Year as a gesture of closing the old and starting a new year.  And this custom has remained unbroken in my home to this day because it renders the Chinese New Year more meaningful despite the lack of exploding firecrackers to welcome the day and certainly not ‘boring’ or ‘just another day’ as many have felt nowadays.

Baba Cedric Tan additionally mentioned an unusual custom when some Malacca Baba families would visit the tombs of their ancestors on Chinese New year day itself.  Well, my father, probably among the extremely few exceptions, did precisely the same every year.  In fact, he would only condescend to accept his children’s New Year greetings after he had greeted his dearly departed parents first.  So, there we were, just the two of us (my father and I, the driver of our car) amidst all the tombs at Bukit Brown Cemetery unfailingly early every Chinese New Year morning to pay respect at my paternal grandmother’s final resting place.

It is customary that, during Chinese New Year, the Kueh Bakol (steamed glutinous rice flour cake) is given to kinsmen in mourning who are forbidden to bake it.  This is done so that the family in mourning will experience ‘huat’, prosperity.

Baba Cedric’s two pantons “Dedications to the year of the Tiger” at the end of his article are not only appropriate but very authentically Baba in expression, spelling and feel.  So, on this same dedication note, I seek permission to end my brief comments with this belated Chinese New Year blessing to all Babas and Nyonyas with this Baba panton effort of mine:

“Taon ini, dua puloh sepuloh

Taon Baru, taon arimo

Kita mintak jerki sepenoh

Badan kuat-kuat, panjang omor”

“On this New Year of twenty ten

On this the Tiger year

We pray for Luch ever often

Healthful body, life blessed with many years”

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.