Malay Words Made Easy - Yes!

Problem
How do you learn Malay?

Answer
Start with the easy words. I looked at a survey on SilkAir airline. The first word I saw was:
s u r v e i - survey!

I have inserted spaces mainly because the spell checker tries to change words into recognizable English words. The spaces provide the additional advantage of enabling you to spot which letters are the same and which have changed in Malay.

Note that plurals are made by doubling the word, connecting with a hyphen. Malay, like many other languages, uses a k where English would use c or CK. (Compare the English word Kick.)

Malay - English
anak-anak - children (my memory aid is children have a knack for being amusing/annoying)
anda - you (think of  'and - er you?')
bisnis - business
check-in - check-in
dan - and (same letters, initial letter the same, next two letters reverses)
efisien - efficient
ekonomi - economy
kabin - cabin
kelas - class
kiosk - kiosk
makanan - meal / food (think 'Ma, can you make me another meal?')
minuman - drink (think in Malaysia we drink the minimum, man)
p a k e t - package / packet
s u r v e i - survey!
terima kasi - thanks (think terribly grateful)
tiket - ticket

English - Malay
and - dan
business - bisnis
cabin - kabin
check-in - check-in
children - anak-anak
class - kelas
drink - minuman
economy - ekonomi
efficient - efisien
food / meal - makanan
kiosk - kiosk
no - tidak
package - p a k e t
survey - survei
thank you (terribly much) - terimah kasi
ticket - tiket
yes - ya
you - anda

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages. See next post for more. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Consumer Questionnaires - why I answer them

I always answer questionnaires so I can have my say about products.

But I not longer answer giant questionnaires which take twenty minutes to fill. Too time consuming. In the old days if it was a long questionnaire run by somebody doing market research on the doorstep or stopping you in a shopping mall you would get something small and free such as a pen.

Once we were stopped at Heathrow. My son, then aged under ten years old, was asked by a lady interviewer, 'Are you travelling on business or pleasure?' The poor little lad was opening and shutting his mouth trying to decide. Eventually, with some intervention from me, he and I agreed that his father was on business but the boy was on pleasure.

Especially not if they are designed obviously to gather detailed information about me and my lifestyle and buying habits, everything from my age and income to which books and white goods and insurance I already own or buy, and then I presume inundate me with leaflets on everything from insurance to books.)

I just completed a survey on a new brand of coffee. They want to know how likely I am to try it. They missed out several things:

Would I get a reduced price the first time they launched it in a venue? Does it come decaffeinated? Does it have a free little biscuit with it? Does it come in special branded cups or elegant cups?

If it's a premium price, would they offer a bottomless cup (endless refills at breakfast time, as done in some hotels, restaurants and pubs).

Survey Design
I wish I'd told them in the tell us why you like this ad /don't like this box early on in the survey. I've previously put comments in an early box only to find another box for general comments at the end. The box for comments should be headed 'this box is your only place where you can make comments' or 'please answer only this question - room for general comments at the end'.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

McDonald's Chicken Or KFC?

Wonderful that I can now eat my favourite food, chicken, and without that bun.
   What's the chicken like at these two world famous chains? Frankly, I could not see or taste much difference. First two members of my family tried the drive-in 24 hour McDonald's in the Edgware Road.

McDonalds
   The pluses were:
1 24 hours - food guaranteed and time
2  The new super-fast system - stop at the first post to read the menu and choose by calling your order into the machine, then drive on and insert your payment, then drive on to collect your order.
3 You can pull into a car parking space and eat it there and then without risk of spilling food on clothes or car or distracting driver from driving.
4 I opted for chicken, 3 pieces, and got three pieces which felt like proper chicken, not mangled meat.
5 Sliced fruit option for afters takes off the unhealthy feeling.
     Apple slices and grapes in March 2014. Excellent.

Improve Please
   What could be improved? The batter on the outside is over-cooked. I admit it's pleasantly crunchy, and dry enough not to make a mess like greasy chip-shop batter. But I felt I was eating a coating of breakfast cereal cornflakes.
   Not a vegetable or even a garnish in sight.
   And what - no free toy? What happened to the McDonalds we patronised for a decade?
   
KFC
   The next day for a a change we tried KFC. If you like the old system where you speak to a girl in a window, I suppose its friendlier. And not that much slower. Maybe it just seems slower because you are stuck in one place chatting and waiting, rather than accelerating off to the next area for the next part of the transaction.
   The chicken seemed almost identical. Maybe just a touch moister. The crunch, crunch coating was almost the same as the previous day.
   We were outside their parking zone barrier but it was late at night so we were able to park in the street alongside.
   I'm a gourmet and a healthy eater. yes, I'd rather have a whole roast chicken from Morrison, a mixed salad from their salad bar with grated carrots and half a dozen sides, and a Marks and Spencer fresh fruit salad. But sometimes you need a fast food drive-in.
 
BURGER KING - Memories
  Burger King used to give me burgers with lots of vegetable stuff packed into the bun.

McD & KFC
   But now I've found chicken in two major chains I'm really happy. When you're hungry in a hurry, late at night, both McD and KFC are good enough for me.

TIPS
   Tips - ambiguous word. There no tipping needed, unlike restaurants. What I mean by tips is suggestions.

My tips/suggestions:
1 Have cash ready to pay.
2 If you're wearing a plastic-backed water and grease proof apron from doing cleaning or housework or house removals, keep the apron on. It protects your clothes when eating in the car.
3 Modify that unhealthy food by having a portion of fruit. (Or buy grapes earlier in the day and take grapes in the car.)
4 A plastic bag in the car takes the mess.

Update - check ingredients
   Somebody in the sauna warned me that companies can't say chicken when describing their nuggets and other food unless there is a minimum quantity of chicken.
   If you are a health freak and want whole chicken, you might feel better off with chicken legs from a supermarket which have bones in the middle.
   If you are eating out regularly, twice a day, you might want to check your fast food calories count and the ingredients.
   However, if you are looking for a place open at odd hours, not too bothered about what you are eating as it's a one-off not more than once a week, you in a tearing hurry, nobody else with you could care less about health scares and ingredients, and don't even want to get out of your car, this is a good option.

McDonald's, 157 Colindeep Lane, Colindale NW9 6DB. Tel 020 8205 4140
email: 00256@uk.mcd.com
www.mcdonalds.co.uk
KFC, The Hyde, Edgware road, Colindale, London Tel:0208 201 3010. Drive-thru.
www.YourKFC.co.uk (survey by KFC)