The Hague - When pasar malam (night market) comes to town, the whole place is usually abuzz with activity.
With its delightful mix of sights and sounds as well as exotic food and fascinating cultural experiences, these colourful bazaars never fail to draw the crowd.
Whether it‘s the sweet smell of aromatic satay or the latest songs blaring from huge speakers, a visit to the bazaar is an enriching experience.
But a pasar malam opened by a Queen and which reportedly attracted over 130,000 visitors is no ordinary night market.
Located right smack in the heart of Europe – in The Hague to be precise – this was the Pasar Malam Besar (big night market), as the Indonesian community in the Netherlands would have it called.
It was touted as the biggest Asian outdoor consumer fair in this part of the world and was so famous that even locals and taxi drivers knew it by the name pasar malam.
“Oh, Malieveld Pasar Malam,” exclaimed a hotel staff when asked about the event which was being held just outside the city centre.
And what a market it was! Giant tents were set up in a field where over 300 exhibitors promoted mainly Indonesian products, handicrafts and cultural performances to the Dutch population.
Opened by Queen Beatrix in conjunction with the fair‘s 50th anniversary, the 10-day mega event attracted visitors, particularly Indonesians, not just in the Netherlands but also from all over Europe.
Penghulu
While the fair was overwhelmingly Indonesian, a group of Malaysians was there, working tirelessly to promote Malaysian fruits and products from the sole Malaysian booth.
“This is one of the best platforms to introduce Malaysia to the world,” said Malaysian Association of the Netherlands president Mohamed Taib.
He said it was important to project Malaysia‘s image because the locals often confused Malaysians with Indonesians, thinking they were the same.
“When I perform my cooking demonstrations, I want to make sure the Indonesians don‘t say it‘s the same like theirs,” he said, referring to nasi minyak and pulut kuning.
“These are different from the Indonesian versions,” he stressed.
Pak Mat (as he is fondly called by the local Malaysian community) showcased traditional Malaysian dishes such as ayam masak merah (a Johor speciality) as well as pulut kuning complete with bunga telur used for Malay weddings.
He said some locals did not know about Malaysia but were aware of Malacca, a former Dutch colony, which they thought was the same as Malaysia.
Despite living in Rotterdam for over 30 years, the 63-year-old bachelor is fiercely patriotic and works closely with the Malaysian Embassy to help promote the country in the Netherlands.
Known as the penghulu (headman) by former Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherlands Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, Pak Mat often helps out fellow Malaysians in distress.
“The embassy sometimes refers Malaysians, especially students who have just arrived in the country, to me and I help them to find an affordable hotel and food,” he said.
Last week, he said, he advised a Malaysian couple in Amsterdam who wanted to know how to spend their three-day stay there fruitfully.
There are about 4,000 Malaysians, including those working in restaurants, in the Netherlands. Malaysian students are mostly pursuing courses in agriculture, water management, architecture and medicine.
Born in Muar but raised in Johor Baru, Pak Mat arrived in Rotterdam in 1972 to study hairdressing but later joined a goldsmith school in Schoonhoven for four years.
After working as a goldsmith for 20 years, he returned to Malaysia where he opened The Dutch Cottage in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur in 1997.
The restaurant, however, closed after two years due to the recession. He came back to Rotterdam in 1999 and is now a specialist in Malay artefacts, supplying them to museums in Malacca, Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
Having travelled all over Europe, Pak Mat advised Malaysians to count their blessings as they could go almost anywhere without a visa compared with those from some neighbouring countries.
Malaysian durians
The Malaysian Embassy‘s counsellor (Agriculture) K. Palasuberniam said the fair was one of the best places to promote Malaysian goods.
He said this was the second year they were taking part, and they introduced agricultural products such as potato chips, coffee, curry rempah, chilli powder and fruit jams.
“We even brought in a container of about 200 durians from Raub as well as exotic fruits such as dragon fruits, star fruits, papayas and mangoes,” he said.
Palasuberniam said their durians – the D24 types – were very popular with the locals who had never tasted Malaysian durians before.
He said he was confident the fair would help expose Malaysian fruits and other products to the locals and create public awareness of their better taste, quality and aroma.
A Tourism Malaysia office has recently been opened in The Hague, and there‘s no doubt it would take part in next year‘s pasar malam to provide the extra push for more locals to know Malaysia and subsequently to visit this country. (Choi Tuck Wo)
Source: thestar.com.my (5 Juni 2008)
