tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post2053873346428002444..comments2024-03-28T15:13:45.925+08:00Comments on Good Morning Yesterday: Kampong household itemsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-30699393796515860062018-05-24T13:12:08.901+08:002018-05-24T13:12:08.901+08:00Sorry for being late to the party. I stumbled upon...Sorry for being late to the party. I stumbled upon this blog while searching for 'vintage toilets'.<br /><br />My mother (Chinese) was from Malaysia, in a sleepy village near the Selangor-Perak border called Kerling. Back in the 1980s-1990s we would 'balik kampung' regularly and visit my maternal grandma's house.<br /><br />Shitting and showering there was quite the experience. It's like the zinc roof cubicle you see in the photos of this blog post, but even the four walls and door of the cubicle were made of zinc sheets.<br /><br />There was no running tap water and no flush system. You had to scoop the water out of the water tank. Just outside the cubicle was a water well.<br /><br />The cubicle/well were next to a door: the rear entrance of the kitchen (laundry/dishwashing area). There was no water heater, no refrigerator (food was kept in a cupboard covered with a wire mesh). The entire house was made with cascading planks of wood. No floor tiles inside the house, just concrete.<br /><br />Time passed, grandma died, renovations were done. The wooden house became a typical concrete house. Water heater and running tap water introduced. The well and the cubicle were demolished.<br /><br />If you ever visit Kampung Air Panas in Kerling, you might come across the this house. It's not too far from the second T-junction near the entrance of the village, past the Datuk Kong shrine next to a curvy narrow road leading across and over the railway track.<br /><br />That curvy narrow road did not exist back in the day. I remember we would have to alight from the bus/taxi along the main road, and then traverse eastwards along a long dirt path towards the village entrance (where the Datuk Kong shrine was). There was a big sawmill nearby, many stacks of cut lumber on the ground.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-43684186650030822132014-02-04T16:31:54.072+08:002014-02-04T16:31:54.072+08:00I remembered my grandmother said the poor at the k...I remembered my grandmother said the poor at the kampongs had to hunt for discarded pink wrapper of oranges or other fruits to dry and use as toilet paper...jjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-72989468009734377632011-05-16T15:45:50.058+08:002011-05-16T15:45:50.058+08:00I now have a lot of respect for old newspapers.
In...I now have a lot of respect for old newspapers.<br />In addition to being used for wiping backsides, wrapping vegetables, groceries, meat and fish, a friend of mine just told me that they used old newspapers as 'placemats' on their dining table for the convenience of not having to wipe the table after dining, as you can just throw the newspapers away.jadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-16624255339811997902011-05-16T00:31:12.859+08:002011-05-16T00:31:12.859+08:00Hey EEE Gardeners,
What do you think kampong folks...Hey EEE Gardeners,<br />What do you think kampong folks use to wipe their bottoms with, after they’re finished with their business? Banana leaves? Or maybe you think they love a rub-a-dub with pineapple skin huh? Goodness me, the toilet paper was invented over 2,000 years ago ... Surely we’re that backward. Some may use old newspapers and these can be somewhat rough but they do have the added advantage in that they don’t “break”, like the soft ply toilet rolls you get these days. As for me, I’ve learnt the gentle art of using toilet rolls after years of trial and error experiences!Edwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-35720466187153625402011-05-11T21:14:53.379+08:002011-05-11T21:14:53.379+08:00No we do not use toilet paper. Mainly newspapers.
...No we do not use toilet paper. Mainly newspapers.<br /><br />As for the stench of the pig dung; actually I think you get used to it after a while. For many people who spent all their lives in the rural areas, when they move to a big city suddenly, they too have a tough time adjusting. Maybe not so much the smells but the noise and the polluted air.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-27438138728159551822011-05-11T10:19:07.755+08:002011-05-11T10:19:07.755+08:00@ EEE Gardeners......
You obviously have the impr...@ EEE Gardeners......<br /><br />You obviously have the impression kampong people are a very dirty and deprived lot.....<br /><br />Let me help debunk some of your perceptions, as I had lived in a kampong for 16 years and have a very clear memory of my environment then.<br /><br />Kampong folks may be poor, but not necessarily stupid or ignorant to the point that basic hygene like cleaning up after defecating is deemed unnecessary. Of course, toilet papers were used, albeit not the 3-plyed ones we have nowadays, but one that is plain white and rather rough on the texture.<br /><br />While the level of cleanliness depended on the individual household and parental guidance, kampong kids did learn very guickly when they attended primary schools that the washing of hair, hands, nails, feet, other parts of the body freguently is important for health. (My P.2 teacher carried out weekly checks on the cleanliness of our nails before starting lessons).<br /><br />My late mother was very metriculous about cleanliness and made sure my siblings and I wore properly ironed uniforms and cleaned white shoes to school.<br /><br />As for your take on the smell of pig dung......hmmm, we did have a lot of breeze in the kampongs as trees were in abundance and that might have negated the offensive smell of whatever dung kampong folks had to put up with.jadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-19021307495969393002011-05-05T07:46:53.910+08:002011-05-05T07:46:53.910+08:00All sound so distant yet, familiar!
I was staying ...All sound so distant yet, familiar!<br />I was staying at Sembawang till 1976 and never knew pig dung smells so badly until I came across it again years affter shifted to city!<br /><br />Just curious: did u guys use any toilet papers in those days?EEE Gardenershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04111679619482397613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-84834842722461335032011-04-30T12:35:20.220+08:002011-04-30T12:35:20.220+08:00Good Photography and Such a beautiful mosaic of pi...Good Photography and Such a beautiful mosaic of pictures and such a lovely idea as a reminder of photographs you have taken.mahjonghttp://www.skinnable.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-6754454590922884722011-04-09T19:32:05.424+08:002011-04-09T19:32:05.424+08:00Besides what jade has mentioned, as kids we would ...Besides what jade has mentioned, as kids we would look for fighting spiders in the bushes then. I also remember we also set bird traps then. It's an offence now under the AVA rules, I think.FLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03429286415685838183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-66384621874272995032011-04-06T22:47:35.942+08:002011-04-06T22:47:35.942+08:00Ya hor! I also forgot about the ants, lizards, coc...Ya hor! I also forgot about the ants, lizards, cochroaches, centipedes, rats and snakes( favourite hiding place-bathroom attached to well). However, we did enjoy the pleasant sights of chameleons, squirrels, grasshoppers, dragonflies and some very well-behaved macaque monkeys....They did not raid our premises for food or attack anyone. I believe there was a source of food for them in the forested areas nearby. Even the monkeys of yesteryears were not pampered by humans and were capable of hunting for a living.jadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-13626614566999916642011-04-06T20:46:08.476+08:002011-04-06T20:46:08.476+08:00Jade. You forgot to mention the mosquitoes, the pi...Jade. You forgot to mention the mosquitoes, the pig dung and broken glass that we oftn stepped on when we ran around bare-footed.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-54750692681186734962011-04-05T23:39:27.526+08:002011-04-05T23:39:27.526+08:00I think I can speak for many who had lived in the ...I think I can speak for many who had lived in the kampongs of 50s/60s that the typical kampong standard of living was far from 'ideal'. Having to put up with dirt, bad smell, heat, and other inconveniences on a daily basis, year after year, is very difficult and definitely not ideal. At best, it made kampong people a little more enduring, tolerant and resilient in the face of hardship, I think.jadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-59829128110437687602011-04-05T14:50:50.637+08:002011-04-05T14:50:50.637+08:00Aiyah .. 23princessroad. You over-analyse and misu...Aiyah .. 23princessroad. You over-analyse and misunderstood me.<br /><br />This blog is all about the yesteryears. I am not trying to describe to my readers what a kampong in 21st century Malaysia is like. I am describing a kampong of Singpaore in the 1950s. So I try to get pictures to illustrate. At that time, we did not have ceramic/tile toilet bowls; just a hole in the cement floor. Hence, if my photo had shown the toilet bowl, it would be misleading. So I just take the structure and the roof. Even then, it was not accurate. As one reader pointed out, our walls in those days were usually constructed of wooden planks; arranged horizontally, one overlapping the next.<br /><br />Not fascinating at all.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-69149355374197098922011-04-05T13:07:02.225+08:002011-04-05T13:07:02.225+08:00It's interesting how you said you "...del...It's interesting how you said you "...deliberately avoided the toilet bowl because it looked too modern and would spoil..." the photo. Through our selective use of the camera, we capture (or avoid) images so that the final photos can conform to our expectations of our 'ideals' (and not with what is 'real'). For example, your photo does not show the modern toilet bowl on purpose, because you feel that a kampung toilet should not have a modern toilet bowl. Our realities are constantly manipulated by us to fit our notions of the ideal past - really fascinating!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-24360100042695322492011-04-04T10:46:06.545+08:002011-04-04T10:46:06.545+08:00Usually plastic pails are sold here in bright colo...Usually plastic pails are sold here in bright colors: blue, red and so on.<br /><br />Maybe in Malaysia they sell black ones to simulate a metal pail, to complement the kampong setting.Icemoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08174805596607457468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-35291755726843336472011-04-03T21:14:18.036+08:002011-04-03T21:14:18.036+08:00Edward is right. Unless you zoom in, you can't...Edward is right. Unless you zoom in, you can't tell that it is a plastic pail.<br /><br />I hope I can find a photo of a metal pail one day and show you guys how the handle is 'hooked' onto the 2 holes in the pail itself.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-84625337230742948952011-04-03T20:53:34.422+08:002011-04-03T20:53:34.422+08:00Chun See, the pail does look like it’s made of iro...Chun See, the pail does look like it’s made of iron. Its dark colour (black?) gives it a metallic look. However the pair of runners that the man is wearing is probably the clue to the answer of your question. In the 50’s runners like these weren’t available locally.Edwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-65502676888579628722011-04-02T22:16:41.730+08:002011-04-02T22:16:41.730+08:00Hey, I noticed that nobody answered my question, &...Hey, I noticed that nobody answered my question, "How can you tell from this photo that this is not a well from the 1950s?"<br /><br />Answer - the pail is a plastic pail. In the old days, the pails were all made iron.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-30727226296984715672011-03-29T21:32:20.800+08:002011-03-29T21:32:20.800+08:00FL, I don’t recall the kind of lamp you mentioned....FL, I don’t recall the kind of lamp you mentioned. I assumed it is a kerosene lamp. I searched the internet but all they have are expensive antique lamps, not the sort that kampong folks can afford! GMY has a picture of the old iron that used charcoals. I also read a story of kampong life in Changi where every family have their own well and toilet. The toilet was built with wooden planks over a small hole dug in the ground where a bucket was placed. Although water and sanitary facilities were not shared, the kampong spirit of neighbours helping each other (e.g. in building a house) was very much alive in those days.Edwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-43671505893360023872011-03-27T19:05:48.379+08:002011-03-27T19:05:48.379+08:00I refer to Mr Edward who mentioned that charcoal w...I refer to Mr Edward who mentioned that charcoal was used in the olden days for lighting. I'm wondering if he was referring to a kind of lamp where small pieces of "white rocks" were placed inside a small tin and then into a bigger tin filled with H20. It has an attached long tube where the fire is lighted at the end to provide lighting. We used this "lamp" in the kampongs (including some street hawkers, too)in the early sixties. This sort of lamp is no longer in existence. I wonder anyone can provide photos. Thanks.FLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03429286415685838183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-29419324264011374992011-03-26T17:05:59.875+08:002011-03-26T17:05:59.875+08:00Jade, up to the 50’s I supposed many homes in kamp...Jade, up to the 50’s I supposed many homes in kampongs had no access to utilities like electricity, gas and water. Hurricane lamps were commonly used for lighting and cooking was done over a wood-fired stove. I believe charcoal was in use too. Water comes from wells or public taps that were shared by several homes, such as yours. And yes, I can still remember the smell of the bar of dark-orange soap. We cut them into smaller blocks and used them for washing our clothes. What a contrast to life today!Edwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-55023193641550602472011-03-25T22:01:59.060+08:002011-03-25T22:01:59.060+08:00Edward,
I am not sure about the other kampongs of...Edward, <br />I am not sure about the other kampongs of this period( 1960s), but in my kampong, there was only ONE pipeline going into the kampong compound and one normal precious tap from which all the households(4 in total), take turns at filling up our water storage pails or urns( those ceramic ones used for storing kiam-chye that had dragons and phoenixes motifs decoration at the sides?. The total water bill is shared by all and it is the same way for electricity, one power line linking the homes. Lots of co-operation and consideration for one another is vital here.<br />We were considered better off already because my neighbours in the next kampong had to walk 200 metres or so to the nearest public tap located by the side of the road(I think the Malay man you saw was using one such tap). And yes, it was tough having to collect and cart away water daily. The good thing is:- it is free!<br />Naturally, kampong folks are accustomed to saving water...No running water while washing dishes, scooping water from a pail to bathe is the norm and no washing of cars( can't afford any).jadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-24684398334927667792011-03-25T18:32:16.471+08:002011-03-25T18:32:16.471+08:00I remember in the early 60’s being driven along so...I remember in the early 60’s being driven along somewhere in Serangoon Road, probably off Woodsville Road. Every evening there was a Malay man who washed himself beside a public tap near the main road, in full view of all passing motorists and passersby. He obviously had no access to running tap water in his home. His usual ritual was to soap his body thoroughly, from head to foot, and then wash it down with water from a pail. This man wore a sarong and I don’t recall any kampong nearby. Does this mean that not every home had access to clean running tap water during this period? Water is such a precious commodity that many of us take for granted.Edwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-20782219144951337202011-03-25T10:05:08.488+08:002011-03-25T10:05:08.488+08:00Well-water is supposed to be 'hard', but I...Well-water is supposed to be 'hard', but I don't recall having any problems and we didn't have the luxury of using shower foams or gel...just old fashioned soap( the kind that comes as a bar. No liguid shampoo either! That came in powder form packed in little packets guite like the 3-in-1 coffee sachets. Some thinks that was the cause of their premature baldness..lol.jadenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-50014470733371141032011-03-24T21:09:02.119+08:002011-03-24T21:09:02.119+08:00Nothing in nature cannot be recyled, yes including...Nothing in nature cannot be recyled, yes including excreta. Only modern living makes things difficult and complicated.Zennoreply@blogger.com