Of Ah Hua & Ah Huat

Ah Hua sells 'koay chiap'[粿汁],a type of Siamese rice noodle, at Ah Huat's coffee shop somewhere in Bukit Mertajam. 

 Although 'koay chiap' is her signature noodle, Ah Hua is enterprising as well as versatile enough to provide other variety of noodles to satisfy the taste buds of her customers.

Ah Hua's business opens at 7.30 am and ends at approximately three hours later, at around 10.30. At present her business is so good that a customer has to wait for at least half an hour for a bowl of noodles to be served. When Ah Hua is busy at her stall in front of the coffee shop, Ah Huat has no chance to be idle.

While the customers are waiting for their noodles, they would order drinks from Ah Huat. Poor Ah Huat! As he is in his seventies, he has to depend on his 'semi-retiring' brain matter to help him to remember the orders from his customers. Sometimes Ah Huat got confused and jumbled up with the orders. A customer who had asked for one type of drink was provided with another one instead. For an example, one who had ordered coffee got a Nescafé.  There were times when the customers who had waited far too long without being served their drinks had to refresh Ah Huat’s memory and to reorder with a touch of irritation. Oftentimes too, customers had to raise their voice to make themselves heard, no thanks to Ah Huat’s failing hearing.

On the other hand, Ah Hua had a telegraphic memory. She could imprint in her mind the orders of her customers like a Photostatting machine. She could even remember minor details pertaining to the likes and dislikes of her customers regarding certain ingredients or sauces preferred.

Ah Huat's business is very much dependent on Ah Hua's. Any day that Ah Hua is not selling noodles, Ah Huat would be spending his time shaking legs and swatting mosquitoes.

Every time when Ah Hua is on for business, one would see Ah Huat's coffee cups going around the shop, dancing graciously in tandem with Ah Hua's bowls of noodles in-between the coffee tables.

Once with Ah Hua's noodles sold out, the music would come to a full-stop with Ah Huat's coffee cups returning to their respective corners at the shelves as most of the customers would have vacated the shop by then.

 Ah Hua works only for a dozen days a month. Other days she would go back to Hat Yai to attend to her private matters.

 A good indicator to know whether Ah Hua is selling ‘koay chiap’ or not  on any particular morning is to observe from afar whether there are cars parading in front of Ah Huat's  coffee shop.

It is not uncommon to see a customer patronizing  Ah Hua's ‘koay chiap’ for days continuously without fail as the customer would have a 'hidden fear' that the following day Ah Hua would not be selling 'koay chiap' if she were to go back to Hat Yai. Only God would know precisely whence she would be back to resume her usual business.

The good prospect of Ah Hua's business is mainly attributed to her selling of noodle soup at a price relatively cheaper than others in the town. Moreover, her 'koay chiap' has been tested over the years for its distinctiveness or uniqueness. It stands in a class of its own which is equal to none in the town. Those who have  tasted her 'koay chiap' would not have regretted it for the rest of their lives.