Been spending most our lives living in a Foodie’s Paradise

The Petronas Towers

The crisscrossing, twisting, interlocking web of streets of Kuala Lumpur is emblematic of the convoluted race relations in Malaysia. In this country of over 28 million, you have ethnic Malays, southern Chinese of various stripes (Cantonese, Hokkien, Haka, for example), southern Indians, Punjabi Indians, Muslim Indians, Hindu Indians, Peranakan (which are ethnic Chinese that have lived around the Straits countries—including what is now known as Malaysia—for a long time), and a smattering of Vietnamese, Koreans, Thais, and expats from the West. Add to this pot some four million illegals from Burma, Bangladesh, and other places. (Politicians—being politicians—take advantage of divisions, using race and religion to create a sense of Malay nationalism and riding it to power. But that’s another post for another day.)

Jalan Petaling, the heart of
Chinatown in KL

With this diversity in ethnic groups comes the blessed diversity of food and “cross pollination” of flavors. The result? Really damn good grub. Malaysia is literally a foodie’s paradise, a cross-cultural experience for the mind and taste buds, where Hokkien Chinese speak Malay to southern Indians, and Malays speak Cantonese to southern Chinese; where Indian curries mingle with Malay dishes and Portuguese flavors grace Chinese noodles.

My first day and half in Kuala Lumpur was spent eating, sightseeing a bit, and eating some more, from hawker centers and food stands, to an Indian restaurant open 24 hours. On the menu today: chili crab. No chicken rice or fish head curry yet, but soon. Check out some of the food pictures.



I hate to tell you this, Anthony Bourdain, but I’m eating better than you from when you were last here!