Food Hometown…Hainan Island 美食寻根
Deep down within, i knew one day i would visit Hainan Island..where my ancestors came from..
When I was young, i heard my parents spoke so much of the island, when they took their virgin trip back there, to discover the birthplace of their parents..
they spoke and spoke..and made me promise that i will one day return there with them..to trace my roots..
I always thought that one day, i will step on the soil that my ancestors had toiled on long ago, with my parents..hand in hand…
this thought…did not materialise…because my father passed away..before we could do this trip..together.
And so..going back to Hainan…well..became a dream lost..
Till now.
I am to be involved in this programme “Food Hometown” to trace the roots of Hainan beef noodles..
a dish that is close to my heart..for my father made it for us many years before..
And so the search began..
For the programme, it is the search for the origin of this dish ..
But,
For me,
this is my quest to recapture the taste of my father’s Hainan beef noodles..
a quest for the memory that’s fading fast
even though i am holding on to..with all my might..
I…i am going home…
And the journey began..without my family..without anyone from the production team, for they are already in China and will meet up with me at Haikou..
I started this journey all by myself..checking in alone..walking across the tarmac to the plane alone..staring at my lonesome forlorn shadow that was cast by the noon sun..
On board the plane, .the two seats next to me devoid of any passengers…
Alone i sat..drank..ate…slept…
In actual fact, i am comfortable just being alone..i crave not the company..but, never in my wildest dreams that i am to go back to Hainan Isle …all by myself..
the hour hand moved and the min hand followed, without the slightest pause..three hours went by
The pilot spoke, in somewhat halting mandarin, that if we were to look to the left..we would see the prosperous Haikou..
I gasped..my eyes widenened as i took in the vast expanse of land that spread out for miles..my eyes lingered on the endless stretch of beaches..my pupils took in the skyscrappers that reached out into the sky..tears flooded my eyes as i took all these in..At that moment, i wanted to turn around to the person next to me, just to tell him that this is my hometown! and my goodness, this is not just a small isle..its huge..its modern..how come its like this..its not what i imagined..its.. its…
i could tell no one..there was nobody there to share my joy..my euphoria…and there and then it hit me..how much i wanted my family to be there with me..how much i longed for my father to be there right next to me..and that..HOW MUCH I MISSED HIM.
As the plane decended..and came to a standstill..
i whispered softly… ..”爸爸，我终于回来海南岛了。。。”
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After a hearty welcome from the crew at the meilan airport ,we went right into the heart of Haikou, which was, as how you see it, very much a bustling city..
This was the very spot that i alighted from the van, my first official landing site in this city..
needless to say, have to take a picture here to commemorate my first time back in Hainan Isle:)
I was told many a times that Hainan Isle is the Hawaii of China and true enough, besides the endless stretch of beaches, Coconut trees lined the streets and coconut sweets, a specialty of this region..
But back here, in Singapore, we Hainanese are famous for one particular deli, and that, but of course, is the famous Hainanese chicken rice, which was to be my very first meal here!
Unlike the chicken rice here, the ones in Hainan actually uses hens, of a more matured age, where the meat is more chewy and the chicken rice, in particular, is unlike those back here..it is simply white rice with just a tiny dash of chicken taste..not oily at all..and the chilli comes in two different pattern..totally unlike those back here..
It tastes actually just like the way my mum makes it …and the gratification of my first bite is simply…beyond words..
The meal went on and on..and before we know it, the sun has set….
The very first day of me in Hainan ended..me with a full stomach..and a sleep that went on uneventfully for the next seven hours…..
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Reality Check…
A foreign room…not like mine…but..not too bad at all.
Looked at the clock: 0700hrs…checked
Stood up and went to the window… Checked.
My eyes swept across the far horizon…this was where my ancestors came from… and i am really here..Double Checked.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Met up with the crew at the breakfast area..everyone well rested and fresh..and i was told not to have too much of breakfast as i have to sample at least three different types of Hainanese beef noodles!
Went to the local market to investigate if they have got the same beef noodles like that of singapore’s and these were the ones i found:)
This one is called 海南牛肉粉。。Unlike the beef noodles back here, this particular beef noodles hasn’t got the starchy gooey sauce that drips over the dish..also, they don’t use fresh beef slices..instead, they uses dried beef..very tiny portions of it..and this is relatively a dry dish..tasted nice though..
And this is another form and is called 泞水粉..again no fresh beef slices and it tastes like Mee Suah..
And this one, lagi not like the beef noodles here..its more like kuay teow soup:)
And this one..oh dear, its more like laksa in clear soup wor…
And then it dawned on us, that the so called beef noodles in Hainan ,which comes in a variety of different name, hardly ever uses any fresh beef slices..and that the main focus of this dish is actually the noodles..there is still one more place to go to, which is 抱镙 镇, in the region of 文昌, where my ancestors are from..perhaps there, we will find the origin of Hainan Beef noodles…and i will finally,once again,reunited with the taste i knew of some twenty years ago…
____________________________________________________________________
it was twelve midnight..local time.. when the rest of the city goes to sleep, the five of us got out of bed..having been to bed at seven in the evening, as we were to take a two hour journey into the region of 文昌，抱锣镇..
why so early, one may ask..so did i, was because as we now realised, the most important part of this dish is actually the white noodles…and at this little town, there is this shop where they make their own noodles and the work starts at two in the morning….and so, in order to show on tv the whole process, we simply have to be there when they start…
After a somewhat two hours of bumpy ride , we finally got into the town and into the back yard of this shop, where the hardworking aunty is already burning the wood and preparing her daily chore..
In this somewhat run down back room, i felt as though i am back to my kampong days..algae stained walls..red coloured wash basins…a manual pump at the corner for water..it was a picture of rustic living..
The rice have been soaked for quite a while..and transported to this grinder where it is reduced to this whitish goo…
The whitegoo is then put into the sack where it is hand pressed to reduce the water..
in the meantime, she adds more wood to the stove to keep the fire burning..
After the mixture has been set, it became this bean curd like state whereby it is then grinded again into like a liquid state..
and sifted in a container right into the boiling water and became the noodles below..
by the time the noodles are done, dawn arrived..
and that’s the crew..minus the soundman..
and this is the end product..
At the end, the conclusion is… i’d think i better let you guys watch the show to know the answer of my quest..
However, i did manage to take back with me the delicious chicken that my mother wanted to eat..its amazing, how these chickens are packed into this air tight bags that allows us to bring it back…
It was a wonderful trip for me.. a trip that meant ever so much…
i have finally set foot in Hainan Island..
where once upon a time,
my ancestors toiled the land…
on July 20th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
很开心，你回到了中国。虽然你远在海南岛，我远在江苏省，但似乎离我近了许多。
每次看你的BLOG中的图片，都不能很完整的看全，几乎可能是网络网速的问题，总是看不了许多，能有一两张看的全的照片就已经很不错了。这也是长期我对你的BLOG的苦恼。
很抱歉，因为是长篇的英文，请容我慢慢消化看，我的英文水平不是很好。
愿你开心健康。
裴涵 留言
on July 20th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
希望你的寻根之旅，愉快顺利。多在中国逗留几天吧。。想念你的中国FANS
on July 20th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
I teared when i read ur post. I am also a hainanese, my dad also left me suddenly. He has never sat on a plane when he was alive but he ever said he wanted to bring us go.. We fulfilled this wish of his but his presence was not there
When our relatives saw us go back, they put up firecrackers to welcome us. I really wish Dad was around at that time. Often, we regret when things are no longer the same…
I am really waiting for this show of urs to be up cause I will want my grandmother to watch. There are too little hainanese evnts or shows in singapore. So I am really very happy when u posted in your past entires that you will be filming a show in Hainan Island
Oh boy, u tried their chicken rice. Did u see the layer of chicken fats and did u see how they kill the chiken? Gosh, all these are really sweet memories one can have when one goes home
Thanks Bryan
on July 20th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Bryan, you write wonderfully. One could feel the touching emotions you expressed.
on July 20th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
hey Bryan,
glad you are able to reminisce the times… through the show, through your trip to Hainan isle, and through the beef noodles.
no worries, i’m sure your dad is sharing every moment with you, no matter where he is.
on July 21st, 2009 at 12:25 am
Hi Bryan
A wish came true though………Well, bring your family along the next time. Very touching indeed! Have a good rest.
on July 21st, 2009 at 12:32 am
This is where my grandparents came from too. We miss them so much since they passed away. Therefore, my siblings and I decided visit to Hainan Island this coming Nov as well.
Just want to know more about the place they grew up and our ‘far-far-’relatives there…
on July 21st, 2009 at 7:34 am
刚刚在百度的王禄江贴吧里，我看到了好心的江迷把你的这篇文章翻译出来了，又仔细的阅读了一遍，真的很感谢那位朋友的翻译，让我更能了解你的心情，而不仅仅局限在大概的意思。
每个人都有根，人老了的时候就会想寻找自己的根在哪里。虽然对禄江而言，你出生到成长都在新加坡，但当你踏上海南这片土地的时候，你就会发现，其实从你内心而言，对这片不曾见过的土地有着很深的情节。
有机会多来海南吧，多来中国吧。虽然我们相隔遥远，虽然我们不能去接你的飞机，但我们会默默地支持着你，请记得在中国也有支持你的一群可爱的人们。
on July 21st, 2009 at 11:57 am
HI,Bryan,this is the first time i’ve been here to say hello to you.I like the role you acted in different TV drama very much,esp in 倩女幽魂&仙剑奇侠传,also you can see that from my name ,it’s combined by the 2 name of your roles.And i also watched your other works,such as 零搂。and i am the person who 裴涵 says translate your blog.
we people like you get together in BAIDU bar,it is sth like a forum.There are many people like you for a long time,although we are not carzy like other fans,we support in other ways in peace and softly.
i don’t know whether you are familiar with Chinese,so i post in English.
Wish you happy everyday^ ^
on July 21st, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Hi Bryan
So touching & emotional. I cried when i read especially you mentioned your wishes to have your family along with you especially your dearest beloved dad….
I’m not a Hainanese but the foods seems delicious to me… I wish one day I can visit Hainan Island..
Take care..
on July 21st, 2009 at 9:10 pm
亲爱的晋无为元，
谢谢你替我做的翻译。。of course i am familiar with chinese, just that it takes a hell of a time for me to type it out..:} I know about the baidu bar and have left some messages there before..Thank you for your kind thoughts…
on July 21st, 2009 at 11:48 pm
mom and siblings visited their home town sometime ago too. mom’s family name also 王, and my cousins’ middle name is same as yours too 碌… long genealogy if to track back to find out how or where the ancestors were linked. but i am sure there is relation some way or the other.
you can be considered a super distant 表哥 of mine? heehee…
looking forward to watch the show…
on July 22nd, 2009 at 11:27 am
We had been to Hainan Island but we only tried the WenChang Chicken. The photo of food you uploaded we have not tried before. Hope to go again cos is a beautiful island surrounded by the blue sea.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 4:38 pm
hey, our ancestors came from the same village! I visited the ancestral home last year with my parents. It was quite an emotional trip for us… First time we see where my grandparents grew up and how they lived… Was so glad to have made the trip with my folks.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I’m a Hainanese too and will definitely love to visit Hainan Island with my folks sometime in the future. Now you hang in there, I’m sure daddy is watching you, momi and sister. Hugs!!
on July 24th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
dear bryan,
this is a very touching piece of writing. thanks so much for sharing~
on July 25th, 2009 at 10:41 am
oops, it’s 會呼吸的痛. think cannot use <> in the comments box.
on July 26th, 2009 at 2:26 am
親愛的布萊恩:
有沒有想過其實你可以出一本旅遊日誌耶~
一本集精美相冊、地方美食、歷史文化、風土人情…等等, 於一身的書籍.
為什麼呢? 因為其實有很多人都還不認識你, 他們並不會知道要來你的部落格或是觀看你的節目.
(像我也是之前才看到你在聊齋裡演的朱爾康, 覺得你還不錯看, 又在新加坡友人提醒下得知你應該有部落格或Facebook才上網搜尋你的資料的. 所以才有機會認識你戲劇外的其它天分),
但是你的拍照技巧、語文表達和感情抒發的能力都還不賴, 所以我覺得有必要讓更多的人欣賞.
要是覺得出書太麻煩, 可以考慮跟雜誌社合作. 反正他們不識都有美食旅遊介紹之類的版面嗎? 定期更新出刊也應該還不錯吧?
PS. 該不會你早有出書而我只是孤陋寡聞不知道吧?! O.o”
Anyway~ Just some silly suggestions, think about it bah.
I’ll try to walk with you as much as I can loh~
Keep up the good work!
不小心又亂給餿主意的琦瑄
on July 27th, 2009 at 10:16 am
i m touched by this moving piece. You write beautifully!
on July 28th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
check out the program page at
http://8.mediacorptv.sg/programmesdetail.aspx?iid=MDC090710-0000014
ur pic in the photo gallery is quite cute, haha!
on July 29th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Hi Bryan,
Need some help from you with regards to the carpentry DIY works.
Hope you’ll have time to email me, thanks
on July 31st, 2009 at 10:25 am
Hi Bryan
You write beautifully describing the various dishes well. My husband is a Hainanese and we have never talked abt going to visit his ancestor’s island. My children are all in Australia and they will say `where is Hainan Island’. This is as far as their interest of their hainanese origin will go. Well, unless my husband make an effort to get all in the family to visit Hainan Island, I doubt we will ever get a chance to go there. Thanks for giving us a good insight of the island…
on August 1st, 2009 at 4:40 am
好久没来看你了，最近好吗？
on August 1st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
My grandparents were Hainanese as well, and I’m closer with them more than my parents, who were separated since young.
I thought I’m able to go back with my grandparents one of these days and explore the place with them till my grandfather passed away last year. It’s kinda sad whenever I thought of the past; how grandpa talked and boasted about their plantations, the cows, the chickens, the life there, etc etc. Gradually I lost interest in going there because I can’t find anyone else CLOSE to go with. The feeling would be different if its a school trip or an outing with friends. I can only imagine how is the place like, till now, your post, with a touch of “the feel”. thank you!
on August 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 am
Hi Bryan!
Thanks for sharing your journey back to your roots. It sure is an emotional experience and I believe you are enjoying every single moment spent back “home”.
I definitely want to watch this!!! I saw the trailers when I went back to Singapore for holidays 2 weeks ago. Any idea where I can watch S’pore’s TV shows online?
The vacumn packed chicken sure looks good. I’m starting to crave for home food now. *sob*
on August 4th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Bu lai en’ …
Not commenting anything yet abt “Food hometown” first, cuz i dun like the western outfit tat u wore for the studio trailer…. Looks quite weird, but will look forward to the show cuz i know u will show us another sentimental side of u being back in ur hometown..
Dropping by to poo a comment is that I LIKE UR i-WEEKLY FOTOS SO MUCH !!!! Ur looks in those fotos gives me the feeling that u are very likeable, the smile shown on ur face looks so happy & natural, is like u are enjoying urself so much… dont know how to describe the feeling, very different since i last saw you(izzit u keep ur hair thicker or ur face has thin down) but anyway i like this so so much….
Quite miss u since i last saw u….wondering how have u been… haha… Will do the special mooncakes that your mum likes if i’ve got the chance…… Take care…..
on August 7th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
照片上的是你吗…感觉瘦了很多….很不像…..
on August 11th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Hi Bryan, will tis Hainan Island trip shown on TV? Cos i really like the travel trip tat u host….and those photo tat u take is very nice….if in future u got take any photo on ur trip i wish tat u can poll on ur blog…
on August 12th, 2009 at 12:24 am
the food making me so hungry =)
on August 14th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
好吧，我就不用英文了。。。
我在图片里看到了文昌鸡，那个是文昌鸡吧。。。。哈哈～
我来说说我对海南的印象吧，就是很干净，道路上没有灰尘，不像新加坡，中国大多数地方都比较嘈杂，马路上都是被汽车扬起的灰尘，但是海南不是。。。椰子树，榕树，很阴凉，晚上的海风也很舒服。。。三亚的海湾和沙滩也很不错。。。呵呵～
on August 16th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Hi Bryan,
I’m really looking forward to your episode and will definitely get my parents & grandma to tune in too!
I went to Hainan Island 7 years back and it was really nice to see our ancestral home and distant relatives.
It seems like majority of the younger generations doesnt seem to be in touch with their dialect language now but I’m glad that I’m picking up the language pretty well over the recent years!
All the best and take care!
on August 16th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Hey Bryan,
its pretty awesome with those photos that you have taken. I’ve not been to this place where my ah gong and ah ma has grown up and left, to seek a living in Singapore. All that I know about the place is solely from the memories of my ah gong who has already left this world.
One day, I too will step into the place where my ah gong and ah ma were from.
Thanks. Its lovely.
on August 19th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
好熟悉的地方 照片上的每个地方我都去过
那边是个繁华地地区 一般一般的太阳城大酒店。..龙昆南路的小吃是淘宝杀价的专区
明天就要飞香港了…不过海南是个可以生活节奏快的人放慢脚步的不错地方。
on August 21st, 2009 at 8:02 pm
This episode will telecast next Thur 27 Aug at 8.30pm, don’t miss
on August 22nd, 2009 at 10:19 pm
IM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EPISODE! just went back to Hainan during the June Holidays. man, great memories, to both me and my grandmother. i love to read your blog. ~~~ i cant wait to watch that episode! actually, is my whole family haha. btw, can you speak in Hainan Language? oh well, erm. bye~
btw, the photos looks tempting. i miss those food. D:
on August 27th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
hi bryan,
i hv been an ardent fan of hainanese beef noodles and hv been seeking high and low throughout S’pore to locate my fav hainanese beef noodle stall but to no avail.. 2 decades ago, i hv my 1st taste of an authentic hainanese beef noodles in level 2 chinatown complex hawker ctr, and no other stalls hv yet to satisfy my (including my whole family) craving for this magnificant dish.. sadly, this stall owner had retired upon the completion of renovation of the hawker ctr and all fellow sporean hv lost a chance to taste this fabulous dish.. though i hv a sense of loss but i’m determined to re-discover this dish and hv been trying diff stalls that serve hainanese beef noodles.. i’m sincerely seeking your assistance in providing some of ur views of the beef noodles stalls that u hv tried in spore (or the episodic synopsis of ur show), so as to enable our fellow sporeans to hv a chance to taste the trully authentic taste of hainanese beef noodles… take gd care and u hv truely did a fantastic and heart-warming show.. keep up the gd work!
on August 27th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
well abby, try the one at beach road hawker centre..it is closest to the original version in hainan bao luo town:)
on August 28th, 2009 at 9:22 am
i knew that feeling when I first stepped into Hainan Island in 2005.
I am fortunate because I went with my Family.
I asked myself then, “Am I dreaming? I am really here, in the island my ancestors grew up in”
Our Villagers welcomed us wholeheartedly… lighted the firecrackers for us.
That was the first time in my life that I ever seen firecrackers in my life.
They had been a good host to us, throughout our stay there.
We gave them some money as a token of our appreciation at the end of the trip. But they rejected. We insisted them to have it…
But I was really touched by their warm hearts…
They sent us off….
And I cried on the day We left….. it was sad, leaving my Grandparents’s hometown….
My parents might have felt worst then when they had to leave their hometown with my Grandparents at a tender age to come to Nanyang (then Singapore)
Of course, My Grandparents wouldn’t feel much better than them….
I love your show… but sad that it was only that one Episode (is there really only one Episode on Hainan?)
Thanks for hosting this Show…. We really support you ~
My whole family sat together last night, watching this programme.
We heard that you spoke some of the hainanese dialects…. well done ~
Glad that you are proud to be a hainanese.
Keep it up Bro ~
on September 15th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
reading this and seeing the pix makes me feel like visiting hainan real soon, though i’m not born there, but being a pure hainanese, there is this attached feeling somehow…
on September 21st, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Hi Bryan, why is Food Hometown featuring Hainanese food has only one episode whereas there are at least 4 episodes each for the others. Are there any other episodes in the pipeline? Love this series of so far. Thanks
on September 22nd, 2009 at 8:16 pm
dear geranium,
i think its because the last season they did hainan chicken rice liao..
on October 2nd, 2009 at 1:09 pm
和我的家乡一样. 我是你的 远远 方 亲戚 哦….. 你的爸爸 应该是 集 字 被.
on October 11th, 2009 at 1:08 am
its a pleasure to read yr trip to Hainan island.I am a Hiainanese and very much involved in the hainanese food!! I have been running restaurant hainan curry rice for more than 3 yrs in Klang, Selangor.Like the scisors hainan curry rice in Singapore.I will be opening a bigger one at 110 jalan Pudu, kuala lumpur(opposite Swiss Garden Hotel) in Dec 09 if it goes as scheduled.
My plan is to have all the ‘authentic’ Hainanese food available in one place. I was in Singapore last week to taste most of the Hainanese chicken rice and hainanese restaurants. But I was quite disappointed because non is quite like the ones in your pictures!!Its wonderful! I did not know that we Hainanese have our own Beef noodle dish!!Thank you for the photos!! I have not been to Hainan Island and would to ask you how different are the chickens in ‘back home’.is it better than Singapore chicken?Did you come across any ‘castrated’ chickens for sale?I still believe they are the best in the world!!I would like to have a authentic chicken rice stall at my new restaurant and would like your comments and advise.Thanks and God Bless . Jack Wong.
on October 12th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
hi Bryan,
you really left me hanging!!! I will visit Hainan soon, and we will all like you to to give us the names of the chicken rice(outdoor)shop and beef noodle shop.Thanks and God Bless.
on October 20th, 2009 at 1:49 am
hi Bryan, Off the record. My trip to Singapore was to interview and try to employ a chicken rice chef.But I was not successful due to many reasons.I guess I will have to start my Restaurant Hainan Curry Rice without the ‘authentic chicken rice’ stall,which I will regret very much! But then again, if you will help me,(with your graces permission)I am thinking of ‘blowing ‘up your chicken rice photographs to display in my shop!. With a small note across COMING SOON WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER!I also want to visit the 2 stalls(chicken and beef noodles) to persuade them (or a member of the family)to come to work or join me in my Biggest Hainan Food centre in Malaysia!Sorry to bother you again, I might want to visit Hainan soon and would appreciate if you can give me the exact location of the stalls.(at the moment,its free for you and your family in Klang Hainan Curry Rice) God Bless, Jack Wong.
on October 23rd, 2009 at 1:11 am
its funny how parents should be supportive with their children desire in the search of their origin but my parents kinda like warned me not to do so… i wanted to go back to china to find my relatives but i guess i won’t after all…. sigh….
on December 4th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
刚刚读了一本关于新加坡的书，了解到华人在新加坡的确是非常非常多，几十年前，勇敢的中国人飘洋过海来到新加坡闯荡。后来又被英国殖民，伟大的李光耀先生真的是太伟大了！短短几十年将新加坡建设的如此之好。有时就在想，为什么同样是华人，差距却那么大。中国还有很长的路要走，新中两国虽然国情不尽相同，但大有借鉴之处。。。希望将来可以到新加坡学习法律，法制社会真的是太重要了。