Malaysia Today Day 2#

Dim SumDim Sum.Photo: pixabay.com

My brain is now confused as to wether it is day or night, but my body has the sense to tell me that the cool hours between 4 and 6 a-m in the morning should be utilised.

Don’t get me wrong I am, like most Norwegians after 5 months of minimal influx of natural vitamine D still very happy to soak up som revitalising rays from the yellow ball up in the sky. Opposed to most I am however a bit weary of turning into a boiled lobster on Day #2.

Malaysia is , as some may know, not an Islamic state, there are to many Chinese, Indians and various indigenous people for that amongst the population of ~48 million. The Malay constitute about 60% of the population, and are compulsory muslim-

Luckily for me, my wife chose to be born an ethnic Chinese. Why is that such a great thing you may ask?- simple answer is food! If you want gastric heaven -come to Malaysia- for cheap alcohol visit Thailand or Andorra.

Malaysian cuisine is a mix of this & that from all the regional kitchens, always aided by a side of chilies and garlic. I will however start gently, as I did myself, with my favourite breakfast, yes, breakfast dish:

Food Corner: Today, Dim Sum

Dim Sum is as the seasoned traveller is aware of , the Chinese nemesis of tapas, small steamed tid-bits of everything mother nature put on this planet to enjoy. The king of them being Char Sio Bao or steamed buns with a meat filling. Make sure to find a Restoran that make them all from scratch though, else you can compare it to eating home-made Fish & Chips versus deep frozen fish fingers. There are very few carbs involved, so don’t be afraid of gaining weight.

As mentioned before, alcohol is heavily taxed, reaching almost Norwegian levels and cannot be found in Malay Restorans (Restaurants), Lager Beer and for some reason, Guinness stout is available in most Chinese restaurants, with very little mark-up from the few supermarkets who have a small non-Halal section.

So what to drink then? Instead of sticking to bottled water (you don’t want to risk what comes out of the tap, there’s too many chemicals involved), you very quickly get attached to fresh fruit juices. The absolute envy  of a Norwegian left with some apple juice in the season – or imported stuff – Malaysia is blessed with a year round supply of fresh fruits.

 Deadly neighbours

In the Borneo part of Malaysia there are of course things around every corner that wants a bite of you, on the Peninsula however, you might encounter a deadly snake or two, but the main pest is the pesky mosquitos. Make sure to buy an electronic device to ward them of at night, even if you stay at an air-conditioned, 5 star hotel.

More thoughts on Malaysia later

 

For Norway Today, Pieter Wijnen