The 'Agak-Agak' Way: Transmitting Knowledge Through Haptic Experience of Nyonya Kuih Production Process

Cooking is a mastery of skill that always difficult to quantify and qualify-or ‘agak-agak’. The manipulation of cooking tools and ingredients transformation into food are embedded with haptic knowledge from the previous generation. It manifested in the haptic experience based on the haptic memory. Haptic, or the sense of touch, is a non-visual method for perceiving the everyday experiences and environment by using haptic sense organs: skin, muscles and joints. These organs are used to evaluate and ensure the quality of material as well as to perceive the environment. Similar with other traditional crafts, accurate replication is the outmost important factor to create an ‘authentic’ product. Today, Nyonya kuihs have been commodified to accommodate the tourists’ need in George Town, Penang as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hence, the authenticity of Nyonya kuih is at risk. In Chinese Peranakan culture,  Nyonya kuih is served for daily consumption, during festive celebrations and also as an ancestral worship offering. This research delves into qualitative method by conducting interview, documentation and direct observation. Haptic Exploratory Procedures (HEP) was also performed to qualitatively record the tactile knowledge based on the six hand movement patterns. This research concludes that the haptic experience in Nyonya kuih making process can only transmitted based on the haptic memory from the previous generation through hands-on experience and direct observation. By embodying this haptic knowledge, it is possible to replicate the Nyonya kuih with high accuracy. Thus, the authenticity and quality of the foods are maintained.