Malaysia…….a food identity crisis!

Those people that know me will know that I have an abnormal memory for food. You could ask me what I ate on my 21^st birthday, or what I ate at a restaurant on holiday five years ago and I will remember. Unfortunately this is sad but true.

The trouble is, and this strikes me as slightly strange, I can barely remember anything we ate in Malaysia, and hence the title of this blog “Malaysia….A food identity crisis”.

What little memory I do have is filled up with a strange mixture of Thai, Indian and Western style dishes which all left me feeling a little uninspired. It was almost as if Malaysia didn’t have a food identity of its own, they have just filled their menus up with dishes from elsewhere. I am sure this is completely misguided and I just went to the wrong places. If you have been there and stumbled upon some great dishes, please add a comment below.

Having read back through my journals, vague memories of venturing off to a small family run Indian restaurant down a seedy back alley in Penang come flooding back. With no idea how to read the menu or what to order I took advice from a local (probably a bad idea) and ordered a chicken dish wish nearly blew my head off. I just couldn’t eat it.

 I also remember a group of us ordering a stir-fry in one restaurant and out came a full blown fondue style set with raw chicken, eggs, vegetables and noodles, for us all to share and cook up in whatever way we wanted. It was fun, but I have to say it tasted bland.

The country itself was also a bit of a mixed bag however I have amazing memories of the Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur. My next blog will be about the Cameron highlands which deserves an entry to itself.

Next blog entry: Cameron Highlands, Malaysia: Tea plantations and strawberries.