Corn: Ripe?

Started this year's observation for PMR School Base Oral Assessment at SMK Kuala Tembeling. Driving back in the late afternoon, I noticed stalls selling freshly harvested corns and groundnuts. Bought some cobs of corn and a kilo of groundnuts ... thinking of son at home.


Reached home and son told me of his grandma's call about ten minutes earlier asking him to go over to take care of a snake in her kitchen. Told him to go right away. Forgetting the corns and the groundnuts in the back of the car.


He came back couple of hours later. It was a cobra that apparently got its tail snapped in a rat's trap. He is not a snake whisperer so he had to kill the snake. 


Asked him if he wants to have corn on the cob and boiled groundnut for dinner. He declined. He doesn't mind corn in a cup but not 'jagung tak masak' [raw corn which he meant as "UNRIPE" corn]. He actually thought the corns were not ready yet because the husks are still green.


In Bahasa Melayu, 'masak' could mean cooked or ripe.


I rolled out in laughter. My Bachelor-in-Engineering-Automotive Mechanical-major-24-year-old son actually thought that one should wait for the corn to ripen in the field.


No wonder ten years ago when he was 14, I bought some boiled corn in the husk and offered him some. He declined saying he'd rather wait for the corn to 'masak' [meaning ripen]. 


I tried telling him then that the corns were 'masak' [cooked] but he said he'll eat them later when they are 'masak' [ripened]. I laughed and explained to him that the corn were cooked and can be eaten but he insisted he didn't like to eat 'young' unripe corn.


And I thought my explanation was sufficient.


Was it my short coming or was it his thick skull?


Hmmphhsss!!!

Corn and groundnut from the hawker, durian, rambutan and mangosteen from Baba's orchard.