The People
If there is one thing that stands out the most about Kuala Lumpur, it is the helpfulness of their locals. We noticed it right away and have experienced it every day that we are here. Today we even heard a PSA on the radio suggesting that everyone learn some basic pleasantries and how to give clear directions to help make Malaysia a top tourist destination. It’s working. We were standing on a street corner trying to get our bearings about us when a local turned back and asked if we needed directions. He then walked us several blocks out of his way to show us the quickest route which was much shorter and less complex than the one we had been on. Then he wished us a pleasant stay and went on his way!Another example came at the end of the day. After searching all over for a restaurant that had been recommended to us and sure that we must be close but just not seeing it, we stopped into a store to ask if they knew where it was. The man working there invited us in to sit down, looked it up for us online and then called the place a couple of times. He told us that there was no answer and it may have closed down, but that if we wanted to check, he would give us directions. He took us out onto the street and showed us the way to go. (We never would have found it!) Then, before sending us on our way, he offered up that if we found the place was closed, there was another great restaurant on the same block that he recommended for dinner.
Well, the restaurant had gone out of business, but the place that worker recommended was the best meal we’ve had on our trip to date. It was a wonderful Yemeni/Arabic place called Hadramawt and they had a great atmosphere, wonderful malawah (sort of a flaky naan type flat bread) with hummus, and the first meat we’ve had on the trip that wasn’t severely overcooked. We had chicken, lamb, and beef and it was all great.
Which brings us to – Food!
The first night we got here, Colin was gung ho about finding some good local Malay food, so we dropped our bags off at the hotel and went out for a walk. We found some street stalls not far from our fairly central hotel location that had several folks eating at it and thought that was a good sign. Outweighing the debate on whether or not to eat there was the argument Rachel made against it as she pointed to a pack of not so small rats scurrying back and forth behind one of the counters. We moved on and have stuck to restaurants for now. The food poisoning from Indonesia is still a little too fresh in our minds, I guess.
So Hadramawt was the best food we’ve had, how about the worst thing we’ve eaten? Don’t worry, it doesn’t involve rats or bugs or anything like that. You may have seen a National Geographic episode or watched one of those traveling food and culture shows mention a fruit that is prominent all around the region – durian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Everyone describes the smell of durian as aweful, atrocious, repulsive, noxious…Some say it smells like rotting corpse, others like a fish market, but all seem to agree on one thing: it’s beyond unpleasant; it’s foul. Many public places will even post signs that forbid you to bring it inside! However, most people will tell you that if you can get past the smell, it’s well worth it. We figured they must be right because you find the stuff everywhere, so we decided to try it. Don’t do it! It’s disgusting! It tastes very much like it smells (see above). Rachel describes it as a tuna sandwich that sat in the sun too long. Colin didn’t get the fishiness, but agreed it definitely tasted like spoiled meat and the texture was spot on with that. Rachel spit it out pretty fast and Colin swallowed one bite that he then regretted for the rest of the night – unable to get the taste out of his mouth even after dinner and countless beverages.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Everyone describes the smell of durian as aweful, atrocious, repulsive, noxious…Some say it smells like rotting corpse, others like a fish market, but all seem to agree on one thing: it’s beyond unpleasant; it’s foul. Many public places will even post signs that forbid you to bring it inside! However, most people will tell you that if you can get past the smell, it’s well worth it. We figured they must be right because you find the stuff everywhere, so we decided to try it. Don’t do it! It’s disgusting! It tastes very much like it smells (see above). Rachel describes it as a tuna sandwich that sat in the sun too long. Colin didn’t get the fishiness, but agreed it definitely tasted like spoiled meat and the texture was spot on with that. Rachel spit it out pretty fast and Colin swallowed one bite that he then regretted for the rest of the night – unable to get the taste out of his mouth even after dinner and countless beverages.
To help you get that taste out of your imaginations, we had 2 more wonderful foods worth mentioning. One, we found another place that makes ice cream on the spot using liquid nitrogen just like we had in San Francisco! The flavors weren’t as unique, but it was still just as creamy. They also offer the option of having gelato, ice cream or soy as your base. We figure we’ll have to go back to compare the other options. 😉
The other great thing we got to try was fresh hard candy. I know, how special is hard candy, right? Well, when you watch it made from start to finish, pretty darn special! It was still soft enough to chew when it was handed to us and hardened by the second bite. It came from a great little store called Sticky that also has one US location in Hollywood. (Check it out, Joshy!) They worked fast to fashion the candy into elaborate designs that they then stretched out to make them smaller and smaller until you were left with a round candy about 1/2″ in diameter with the words “Terimah Kasih” (Thank You) or the shape of different fruits showing in the center based. It’s maybe not the easiest thing to imagine if you’ve never seen it done with clay or anything before, but it was very impressive.
For the most part, we’ve been trying to eat out for no more than one meal each day. Much of our lodging has had breakfast included (usually some sort of rice or noodle with a fried egg and maybe a hotdog) and we always look for a grocery store as our first stop in a new town. However, in Kuching – a city on the island of Borneo – we couldn’t find a decent grocery store to save our lives. Most grocery stores were really more like a convenience store in their selection with no fruit and very little dairy. For the most part it was just canned goods and cleaning supplies. So in Kuching, we had to eat out a bit more.
The first night, we found a food court on the top of a parking garage where each restaurant laid out all of their fish as though you were buying it to bring it home, but really that was their menu! You just picked your fish and they grilled it up fresh with whatever sauce you wanted. Colin got a massive crab in black pepper sauce, but they had run out of the devices to crack the shell, so he had to rip it apart like a wild animal. Another night, we went to a little outdoor restaurant called Sharing that someone at the hotel had recommended to us. We made the mistake of each ordering a entree when as the name of the restaurant had implied, the entrees were really meant to be shared. Colin’s fried fish was so big that it literally hung over the edges of the plate! We left completely stuffed with an embarrassing amount still on our plates.
We have done stuff in Malaysia other than eat, but we’ll save that for another post. 🙂
