Ex-hockey international prefers his wife’s cooking

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SIMPLE dishes – that is what former national hockey player Derek Fidelis @ Muhammad Fareiz, 51, relishes most during the month of Ramadan.

His favourites are dates, some varieties of local fruits or the traditional Malay pastries.

A Muslim convert, Fareiz tries his best to be with his family during the breaking of fast unless he is busy with some hockey tournaments.

Simple man: Muhammad Fareiz breaking fast with his wife Noor, father William Fidelis, 76, and his two sons Vernon and Ervin at Ceggo Cafe, Oakland Industrial Park in Seremban.

“So far, I have managed to break fast with the family at the house. And if I am involved in a hockey tournament, my family follows me and we break fast outside,’’ said Fareiz, who last donned the Malaysian colours at the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1985.

A member of the KL Jolly Lads comprising former national and state players, Fareiz said he always looks forward to breaking fast at home with the family.

“I really don’t fancy eating outside. My wife is a good cook and she knows exactly what my favourite dishes are. The idea is not to splurge on dishes at fancy restaurants,’’ he added.

Fareiz said he believes the breaking of fast should be done with family members and in the sanctity of one’s own home.

However he added that there were times when he broke fast outside when friends invited him and would rush home after that to eat his wife’s cooking.

Asked what his favourite main dish was, Fareiz said he loved anything that was grilled like Ayam Percik or fish but most of the time he would just go for simple home-cooked delicacies.

“For me anything goes as long as we can break fast together,’’ said Fareiz.

His sons, Vernon and Ervin, would accompany him during hockey practices and when his wife Noor Che Aik is working late, they would buy back food from the nearest Ramadan bazaar. At such times, he said, the food could be just Nasi Ayam.