SIBU: A Brief Introduction

THE STEREOTYPING

The Millenium Balls (or something like that) along the stretch of Sibu Gateway.

Every time when I mentioned that I am from Sibu, Sarawak, the person who asked would say something like: "Oh! So you are Foochow lah!" more like a conclusion rather than a question and started talking to me in Foochow, if he/she knows the dialect. This is one of the stereotypes that really annoyed me to the bone! Sometimes, or rather most of the time, West Malaysians are so ignorant about Sarawak! This irritates me as well. Therefore, let me enlighten you ignorant West Malaysians out there, not ALL Sibu people are Foochow but most Foochow people are originally from Sibu.

Have you studied the Venn Diagrams? Heard about the subset before? Sibu people are all Sarawakian but not all Sarawakian are Sibu people. Same theory applies. Get me? No? Go drown yourself in the teh-see-peng Rejang River then...

Brief Introduction

Sibu, the Swan City (not yet City status lah, TOWN only) of Sarawak (No, not because there are a lot of swan in Sibu, just a symbol) located at the riverbank of Batang Igan is a small town currently experiencing drastic development to achieve the Garden City concept by the year ....(I forgot already!) and hence the erection of countless landscaping all over the town area!!! It was useless because none of the Sibu folks appreciate them. Only waste our (taxpayers) money!

Anyway, here, everybody seems to know everybody else and everybody seems to somehow, somewhat related to everybody else (Freaky huh?) so just do NOT get married with someone from your own hometown to avoid mutated gene in the next generation! Besides, if you happen to produce X-Men, there will be chaos everywhere and everybody will tend to blame somebody else. So, by then, you better dig a hole and bury yourself alive...!

FOOD

KAMPUA MEE - trademark of Sibu delicacies

Sibu is famous for its KAMPUA MEE. It is a lot different from the Wantan Mee found almost everywhere in West Malaysia. The noodle is made without using so much of boric acid like those yellowish noodle in West Malaysia. NEVER EVER claim that you have been to Sibu if you haven't eaten our ever-famous Kampua! This mouth-watering delicacy is a MUST for those who step onto the land of Sibu.

The current hot plate on the menu of all restaurants and kopitiams in Sibu is CRAB!!! Ready-cooked crab at only RM13 per kilogram is so damn cheap like anything! And you can have your crab cooked however you like it to be - with egg or black pepper sauce or whatever to your taste.

There is a kopitiam near the bus terminal that even served something special: THE PHILIPPINES BABI LEG! No other place in Sibu served any better babi legs than that kopitiam. The roasted babi leg is simply to-die-for with its crunchy roasted skin and juicy, tender meat accompanied by the special aromatic sauce, satisfying with every bite!

Char Mee Sua (Fried Longevity Noodle)

Guess how much this huge plate of steamboat costs? Even my whole family (4 persons) with large appetite had difficulty finishing the whole thing!

Only RM30 for the whole family! Got seafood summore...What a bargain!

The Char Mee Sua and Steamboat can be found at the Ah Bui (Fatty) Kopitiam at Lanang Road. It's CHEAP and DELICIOUS!!! Even if you go to the Syabu Syabu Restaurant at Jalan Foochow there also won't get such a bargain lar (you can't bargain anyway...) Syabu Syabu is more high class than the normal kopitiam but it's not worth to have your meal there. Dahlah expensive, the food not nice summore. Budden got air-cond lor....Somehow, I still prefer the food quality!

The EMPEROR CHICKEN!

Long before your time, in the Southern province of China, only the EMPEROR get to eat this chicken. What's so special about it hor? Well, the chicken is marinated with the many Chinese herbs then wrapped in aluminium foil to enhance the juiciness and the taste of the chicken. Just looking at the pic already got me salivating!!! Yummmm!!!