What is interesting about the food culture in SE Asia is that it is quite different than that of the US. For instance, when we were in Singapore everyone was telling us to go to the hawker places for the best food. Basically we are sitting on plastic chairs eating on plastic tables but that was the place where the best food I have had was!
When we were in KL, the first thing we were told was to go head down the street to the mall and eat at their food court. Ok, when in the US would you hear someone recommend a food court restaurant as a top option? I will tell you that we found the best kopi (aka coffee) on this trip. It's also where I discovered kaya, a coconut-like spread on thick toast! YUM! Asami had a great soup the other day, too.
Here in KK, we went to the Filipino market today. It was mostly fish, probably swimming around in the South China Sea just hours earlier. The endless tables were completely packed with people eating anything from fish to prawns to squid. But there was something else that really stuck out to me.
In the US, we normally eat everything with knife and fork. Going to Asia restaurants, for the most part, I am used to the whole chop stick thing. Here is SEA it is pretty common to be served with a fork and spoon (no chop sticks). But tonight, I witnessed something far more primative. People here on Borneo eat their food- fish, rice, everything- with their right hand. The left hand is taboo- used for wiping your butt- so it's hidden under the table while the right hand goes to town digging into the rice and ripping open the fish.
On the tables are pitchers of water with which you pour into the bowl and wash your hands. It's a really interesting concept but it reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry's gf cracks open the lobster with her manly hands and he gets completely grossed out. I can relate to Jerry... I don't want to see a man with huge hands touching everything with his hands once they have made it into his mouth and God knows where they have been before the meal.
This is why I travel... some people would hate it but, to me, gross or not gross, acceptable or not, I find these things quite interesting!
