Pumpkins and Honesty

Two Saturdays ago I was invited to a Watch Museum, followed by a cheese fondue lunch at a typical restaurant in a very scenic countryside. I was not crazy about the fondue and was so relieved when I got home to see that the cook has left a large platter of fried kueh tiau and some salad for my dinner.

Driving back from lunch I passed these "mountains" of pumpkins of all sizes, shapes and colours by the roadside. Typically, the owner was not there, and the different pumpkins and their prices were clearly indicated. There was a money box on a table. You just need to choose the pumpkins you want and put the exact amount of money in the box. That’s how trusting people are here and a good degree of honesty is also expected from you (anyone could take any amount of pumpkins and drive off without paying, AND take along the money box as well...).

I took two different types of pumpkins and put in the exact amount of money accordingly. No doubt my pumpkins would turn up as sayur lemak, pengat and kueh koci (the cook always mix pumpkin pulp with the tepung pulut so the kueh koci will not be so sticky as to pull someone’s false teeth out when eating them !!!).

Back to the issue of honesty at trustworthiness, indeed very strong features among the people here. In summer you could drive along the country side and farms and there are always piles of vegetables and fruits left unattended with a weighing machine and a money box, and the same principle applies. Also the same at flower nurseries.

Isn’t it refreshing that one can still be at some corner of the world where some essential human virtues are still prevailing…