The Malaysian Insider

NOV 14 — What do you talk about when you’re stuck at a table with strangers?

In a culinarily diverse country like Malaysia, the answer is food, naturally!

During the lunch provided after a society meeting, Mm and I sat at the same table as a Malay family of five. Naturally, I asked them you could find good Malay food in Ipoh — the one thing that has always stumped me here. (more…)

OCT 10 — “So what’s good there, Nga Choy Kai?”

I hear this cliche so often that it makes me want to tear my hair out in frustration. Yes, people I meet for the first time say this out of a genuine desire to establish a common ground — I am not blaming them — but heck, there’s so much more to Ipoh than just bean sprouts chicken!

At the risk of inundating the stunned listener with TMI (Too Much Information, not The Malaysian Insider), I always ensue with a random list of my favourite foods in my hometown (and you’ll notice Nga Choy Kai conspicuously missing): (more…)