Sunday, June 24, 2007

Tranquil Taiping

Tranquil Taiping
By Helen Ong
Sunday June 24, 2007


Soak in the serenity of Taiping which still retains much of its old-world charm.

THERE’S something about this heritage town – at once bustling and yet laid-back, that really appeals to me.

Maybe it’s because, as one of the oldest towns in Malaysia, it still retains much of its old-world charms. Maybe it’s to do with the fact that both my parents were born here, and I associate many happy childhood memories with it.

Whatever it is, I love the place. Not only does it have different activities to keep the whole family occupied – from golf (the world-class Taiping Golf Resort is located just off the motorway) to heritage buildings, night safari and more– it also has some of the best food around.

Of course everyone knows it was called “T’ai Ping”, Very Peaceful Town, by the British Administration in the aftermath of the bloody Larut Wars fought between the various Chinese mining factions. It is no wonder that the first purpose-built prison was built here in 1879.

Taiping can lay claim to many Malaysian “firsts”. The Municipal Council proudly lists an amazing 33 events or places which date back to as early as 1844, including the museum, zoo, and the hill station, Maxwell Hills (now Bukit Larut), built in 1870.

[Relaxing setting: The Taiping Lake is a great place for a family picnic.] pix

The first English school and English girls’ school (Treacher) were also built here in 1878 and 1889 respectively, and the first Malay school, in 1894. Three newspapers were first published here – Malay, English and Tamil.

To transport tin to Port Weld (Kuala Sepetang) to Penang, the first railway also ran from here.

Of course no article about Taiping would be complete without mention of its famous Lake Gardens (Taman Tasik), another first, converted from old disused tin mines in 1880. There is nothing more reminiscent of childhood for me than to drive under the graceful boughs of the ancient angsanas (raintrees) which line the peaceful road circling it.

As Taiping lies in the lee of the Larut Hills, it is the wettest region in Peninsular Malaysia, getting almost twice the average rainfall as other places.

Storm clouds gather around the hills practically every afternoon to pelt out some quite heavy rains which can last up to an hour or more, cooling down the humid afternoon and evening.

Despite modernisation, rapid expansion and many new buildings – there is a hypermarket coming up soon – the old town centre, thankfully, remains the same. It was rebuilt in 1880 following the great fire which destroyed practically everything in town, and which gave the administration a chance to design better roads and buildings.

As for food, where does one start? It takes a lot for me to say that anything outside Penang is acceptable, but here I willingly concede that this town has reason to be proud of some great dishes.

Everyone’s heard about Taiping’s popiah and roast pork, but there are other delicious offerings as well.

One breakfast noodle that has become synonymous with Taiping is chee cheong fun. It’s different from Penang’s, and also different from KL’s version which is firmer.

My favourite, which used to be sold from a roadside stall at Cross Street, has now moved to the Taiping Hawker Centre at Tupai Road. Tong Fook Chooi’s great-grandfather started the business by selling his own chee cheong fun door to door almost 60 years ago. He now runs the stall with help from his family. The noodles are made fresh every day, steamed at home and brought by motorbike to the stall at regular intervals so it is hot off the press, so to speak.

Its soft, smooth almost cottony texture, roughly chopped and served with a good dollop of special sauce, chilli sauce, a bit of onion oil and the must-have sprinkling of homemade eu chang (fried onions) over it, all goes down as a real treat. Tong’s chee cheong fun is so popular that they are sold out by 11am every day!

Another popular breakfast noodle is Taiping’s homegrown kai see meen or chicken noodle soup, started by Ah Lan Cheh with her mother in the early 1960s. Coincidentally, their stall is right next to Tong grandfather’s stall at Cross Street.

Ah Lan Cheh’s business became so successful that they opened up their own coffee shop “Kakak” (sister) at Market Road, and have been operating from there ever since.

It’s a simple but very successful recipe – a tasty, clear chicken stock ladled over yellow mee, kuey teow or lou si fun (bee tai bak), topped with eu chang and a good sprinkling of chopped spring onions, served with homemade sambal belacan.

As the soup is not spicy, it’s popular with everyone, and you can see why the place is packed out, with the crowd – comprising different generations of the same family from toddlers, to parents and grandparents – spilling out onto the road.

“Many customers grew up eating our kai see meen, and even though they have left Taiping, they come back with their children for it,” said Teng Aun Seng, who helps his sister run the shop.

Teng also developed the “Kakak Special” – Nescafe made with hot barley, which was actually the result of a mistake but turned out to be a delicious, aromatic drink, unique to them. It has become very popular with their clients.

But if you fancy a bit of everything, then go to the Casual Market, a heaving, bustling hawker centre which starts early in the morning and goes on all day till late at night. It’s teeming with people on the prowl for good food, and stalls there sell everything, including one of the best ban chang kueh I’ve ever had – thin, crispy and nutty.

You will find a few stalls here which serve yet another Taiping speciality which I am told is not available anywhere else in Malaysia – the “hoo uwan kuey teow”, the smooth, flat rice noodles, slightly more robust than the soup type, are cooked in dark gravy flavoured with fishballs. It’s really quite unique, and tastes fantastic with chopped chilli padi.

The folks of this town really love their food. At practically every corner, you will find a coffee shop famous for one thing or another, from the aromatic Hainanese Chicken Rice with its special chilli and ginger sauce at Ayer Kacang or Swiss Hotel, to Prima Coffee Shop with its many stalls.

Many Taiping folks may have left their hometown to make their fortune and their mark on the world, but they will always have a place in their heart for this lovely town of everlasting peace. -- The Star.


Saturday, June 23, 2007

Everlasting Ummph! - BOH Tea

Everlasting Ummph!
By Leong Hung Yee
Saturday June 23, 2007


Caroline RussellTHE mere mention of “ada Ummph!” often brings BOH tea to the minds of many Malaysians. BOH, a home-grown brand that turns 78 this year, has become a local household name. The brand is also synonymous with some of the world’s finest teas.

The tea affair started in 1929, when BOH Plantations Sdn Bhd founder John Archibald Russell saw the potential of tea as an important crop for Malaya then. Together with A.B. Milne, a veteran tea planter from Ceylon, Russell applied for and was granted a concession of land in Cameron Highlands.

With the help of a single steamroller, some labourers and several mules, the duo proceeded to transform steep virgin jungle slopes into a tea garden known as BOH Plantations, the first highland tea garden in the country.

According to the company’s archives, Russell derived the name BOH from Bohea hills in the Fujian province, an important tea growing area in China.

BOH Plantations is currently the leading tea grower in the country. It owns four tea gardens, of which three – in Boh, Sungei Palas and Fairlie – are located some 5,000ft above sea level in Cameron Highlands. The fourth is in Bukit Cheeding, Selangor. Collectively, the gardens constitute a total planted and mature area of 1,200ha.

The company produces four million kilos of tea annually, translating into about 5.5 million cups of tea per day. And about 70% of all tea in Malaysia comes from the BOH gardens. Besides being the leading brand in Malaysia, it also exports to Brunei, Singapore, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the US.

BOH Plantations chief executive officer Caroline Russell said despite having an established brand, the company must continue to strengthen its name and keep abreast of the latest developments that could affect the industry.

Caroline is the granddaughter of Russell.

“Being the number one tea brand in the country and a Malaysian brand is an important recognition for BOH as we have been growers and producers of tea since 1929.

“Through on-going research and development, we intend to strengthen our brand leadership by continuously providing Malaysians with quality and innovative tea products to suit their evolving taste requirements,” she added.

From the past: (Clockwise from above left) BOH plantations founder John Archibald Russell; a worker packing tea at BOH's packing facility in Bukit Cheeding; teapickers at the tea garden in Cameron Highlands; the old tea processing factory in Cameron Highlands.

BOH Plantations also offers the widest range of tea products covering herb and fruit infusions, standard and premium teabag blends, hot and cold instant tea mixes, and a wide selection of flavoured teas.

Although it has one of the widest ranges of tea products in the local market, the company is constantly researching on what consumers want in a beverage product, and exploring how tea can deliver on future consumer needs.

Over the years, it had embarked on numerous marketing campaigns. One of the strongest campaigns ever to represent the BOH brand – the BOH Ada Ummph! tagline – is still remembered by many today, including the young.

The phrase encapsulated the brand promise to serve as a catalyst for bonding by helping create moments of togetherness with loved ones, which delivers the Ummph! – that “more than words can describe” kind of feeling.

“Ada Ummph!’ is the perfect word to describe the robustness, strength or ‘kick’ quality of our tea in a way that was distinctly Malaysian,” Caroline said.

BOH Plantations is the first tea company in the world to be awarded the ISO22000 certification – an international standard designed to ensure safe food supply chains worldwide. BOH Plantations is the sixth organisation to obtain the certification in Malaysia and Singapore.

“One of our top priorities has always been the production of safe and quality products for our consumers, and now with the ISO22000 they can be further assured of quality every time they open up a packet of BOH tea,” Caroline said.

A teapicker at work at BOH Plantations’ tea garden in Cameron Highlands
A teapicker at work at BOH Plantations’ tea garden in Cameron Highlands


BOH Plantations’ packing facility in Bukit Cheeding has also received ISO9002 certification and the company was awarded Superbrand status for three consecutive years. As acknowledgement of its excellent brand identity, BOH was awarded the National Creativity and Innovation Award from Malaysia Design Technology Centre.

Russell said although BOH has established itself in the market, it will not rest on its laurels.

“We will keep abreast with the evolving consumer demographic and industry trends while continuing to produce distinctive teas for both domestic and international customers,” she said.

BOH Plantations’ packing facility in Bukit Cheeding has also received ISO9002 certification and the company was awarded Superbrand status for three consecutive years. As acknowledgement of its excellent brand identity, BOH was awarded the National Creativity and Innovation Award from Malaysia Design Technology Centre.

Russell said although BOH has established itself in the market, it will not rest on its laurels.

“We will keep abreast with the evolving consumer demographic and industry trends while continuing to produce distinctive teas for both domestic and international customers,” she said. -- The Star.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

We want water, not assurances

We want water, not assurances
Sunday June 3, 2007

I BELIEVE many residents, including myself, will be grateful if The Star can highlight the water woes in the Cameron Highlands.

Since the morning of May 30, the taps have run dry. On May 31, except for a brief period (9am-9.30am) there was no water to wash, bathe, clean, cook, etc.

It was just two months ago that the Pahang water dept director was quoted in your newspaper as saying water woes in Cameron Highlands will be a thing of the past now that the Kuala Terla dam is operational.

We don't want assurances, what we need is water.

Khoo Kheng-Hor,
Cameron Highlands, Pahang.

--The Star. Opinion.