Just as many feel Tiger Biskuat with plain rice added with a dollop chilli sauce is worst than Fear Factor, coffee with salt is crazy!
Yet, with that crazy coffee with salt comes the crazy little thing called LOVE...
He met her on a party. She was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her, while he so normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but due to being polite, she promised.
They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, she thought, "Please, let me go home....". Suddenly, he asked the waiter. "Would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee." Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.
She asked him curiously, "Why you have this hobby?"
He replied, "When I was a little boy, I was living near the sea, I like playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there". While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has responsibility of home. Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family.
That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.
They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee!
Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married to the prince, then they were living the happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.
After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said:
"My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole-life lie. This was the only lie I said to you---the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything, but I was too afraid to do that...
Now I'm dying, I afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste… But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I did for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. Even if I'm given the chance to live for the second time, still I want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink that salty coffee again".
Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her:
"What's the taste of salty coffee?"
"It's sweet," she replied.
Love is not to forget but to forgive, not to see but to understand, not to hear but to listen, not to let go but to HOLD ON!!!
The tiny restaurant is packed even though it is now no longer a passing-by KL-Kuantan travelling travellers. Secret recipe? I wonder what still draws people back to this place...
The taukeh or boss serving the customers with his usual charming smile and a polite servant attitude and that purple apron...
