The final part of my journey is about something vitally
important to me. No matter where in the world I go, I do it at least three
times a day, sometimes more. It is probably one of my favourite things to do when travelling
and at home. When I am at home I can even just travel somewhere by doing it. It’s
eating, obviously. And now while in
Malaysia, I am eating, travelling and writing about it. That’s like my holy
trinity, right there.
It started out pretty rustic last night on my arrival. Off
the plane and onto the streets in search of food and in Malaysia you don’t have
to go far. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but at nearly midnight a Bro Burger
and a milkshake off the street was just what I wanted. Quick, hot, cheap and
good.
My guide for my culinary tour of Malaysia is Cho, ex
Malaysia local and Burmese cookbook author,
who really stepped up my Bro Burger experience by arranging a cooking
demonstration at fine dining restaurant Enak. The chef mistook my blonde hair
and pale skin as a sign of aversion to chilli and spice, and the slow cook beef
rendang just didn’t hit the hot spot.
Malaysians love their food, but one local who gets pretty
excited about what she eats is food
blogger Meena. Leaving upmarket restaurants behind us, we head uptown for
the smokey hawker streets of Kuala Lumpur.
Chicken wings and satay arrive, and leave our
plates for our mouths. Bones and skewers stack up as a sign that we need to
move onto the next street side stall. Stingray, sea snails, squid are next. The
table quietens and loudens as we suck the snails to get them out. In the middle
of mouthfuls we talk about food, and the best meals we have had around the
world.
I love travel, food and writing, but just like any meal
there is a recipe for putting them together. The challenge for me while I am here is
learning how to write about food, in a non-cheesy way. Terrible joke I know.
