SUNGAI CHOH (30) : Once Upon A Time | Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamin Deficiency 

(Obesity Was A Symbol Of Wealth) 

Vitamin Deficiency

Symbol Of Wealth

Obese Victims

Health Problems

Excessive Food

Obesity was less likely to occur amongst us in the late fifties and early sixties. Might be vitamin deficiency made us more or  less skinny, yet healthy and energetic. Probably obesity was a symbol of wealth. By then wealth meant the mouth always swallowed food regardless of time. Anyway this medical term obesity was rarely heard then. Even now a bit confusing to understand the body mass index (BMI), not to mention other terms such as the ratio of waist-to-hip size (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WtHR). However, today's children are easy to become obese victims. The extra kilograms often start the children on the path to health problems. This is what we call diseases of modern civilization. That comes from pleasure and luxury, especially caused by excessive food intake and lack of physical activity.

Look Innocent

Too Active

Immune System

Daily Treatment

Games Online

By then, we were typical kampung boys who looked innocent and naive. Not properly managed, whose skin a bit dark with a few scars on the bodies. Yet we never ever heard the siren sound of ambulance during our days. Even rural clinic was less visited by us. Thus the nurses have some time to talk about cosmetics. Probably my friends and I were too active and energetic to let the germs or virus attack our immune system. “Ape jadak ehh, busik bae”. Anyway today's children have their detailed health reports, as early as their first birthday. Occasionally they undergo daily treatment according to schedule at a nearby klinik desa. So then a series of treatments will follow them until they enroll in primary school. As they grow older they start to enjoy free PC games and games online. Without even realizing that excitement slowly weakens their mind and body.

Extra Names

Body Shape

Inadequate Vitamins

"Cicak Kubin"

Heavenly Pleasure

However during our old days, obesity meant you had to accept extra names. Whether you liked it or not, you were entitled to be called by that name. That's what happened if you did not control your size. This nickname actually as an introduction, specially based on body shape, such as Man Bun (buntal), Mat Cit (buncit), Mah Muk (gemuk), Yah Bong (kembong) and Su Yan (tempayan). Yet those days most of us were underweight, lack of nutritious foods and inadequate vitamins. However, we didn't even care about being called “cikeding” or “Cicak Kubin”. But then, we had never been ill, and hospital never ever kept us bedridden at any time. We were as happy as a lark and as free as a bird although we are penniless. We actually tried to make everything easy and simple. Thus what was told by tok Imam; “simple life was heavenly pleasure and poverty was heavenly wealth”.