Tuesday 26 May 2015

Food Lessons from Malaysia


We had a wonderful trip to Malaysia.  The business portion was very positive, and catching up with old friends was so precious.  Discovering that our friends are in professional positions which we will potentially be requiring is a huge comfort.  They are very protective of our interests!

My biggest learning from this trip:  the way Malaysians honour their guests is to take them to places where the best food is served.  It may not be in the most upmarket surroudings, but that is not the most important aspect!  The photo above is of the restaurant at Fish Valley in Semenyih.  It is south-east from Kuala Lumpur and quite a way out.  Our business associates brought us here for lunch, and really, we weren't sure what to expect.  As it turned out, sitting in an open, covered space was perfect.  It rained, and the wind picked up a bit. It was a relief in the heat and humidity that is normal for KL.  And the food?  Brilliant and delicious.  Worth the long drive. 

When we told our friends, the next night over dinner, where we had been they decided we were terribly adventurous and wondered if we were still well.  Not much knocks our strong constitutions off balance and we were well (and continue to be so) over the whole trip.

Also, Malaysian green tea does NOT taste like Australian green tea.  Our green tea tastes grassy to me.  Theirs tastes quite refined.  I ended up coming home with tea bags that were given to me by one of our friends.  She insisted, so how could I say no?  I continue to be delighted by that discovery.  If Dh goes back in a couple of months he will have a shopping list!

And while we were gone our children had a marvellous time with an older cousin and his wife.  None of them were any more sensible than the other, and our children really didn't need babysitting since they are quite old enough and self-sufficient.  Miss Sunshine is 19 and able to transport and organise the others.  But it worked well for balance and their sense of security.  Our nephew and his wife declared they should be glad to come if we needed to travel again.  Our house is much closer to their work, so it was incredibly convenient....not to mention the cousin-party each night!

Suitcase Update:  We took two.  Mine was small, Dh's was larger.  His was a mess, and mine was not.  We were both very happy!

2 comments:

Rhianna said...

Sounds like a fabulous time was had.

Leaving some fairy wishes and butterfly kisses from #teamIBOT

Unknown said...

I'm glad you sorted out your luggage dilemmas, though I think you were pretty certain how it was going to go. I'm pretty adventurous with my food too and if a local recommends somewhere I will usually go with it. As for the tea, I agree, they have fabulous flavour to them. I even visited one of the tea farms up in Cameron Highlands which was just amazing. And I am spoilt with fresh packets of tea bags regularly sent to me from friends in KL.