View of a Local in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We’ll be finishing our mini-tour of Malaysia with a look at some of the great food Malaysia has to offer. In this interview Meena Johnson talks about her love of Malaysian food, her favourite Malaysian dishes and shares many other tips about Kuala Lumpur also known as KL. Health warning: It is not recommendable to read this interview without food within easy reach.

Briefly, please could you tell me a bit about yourself?

My name is Meena and I am an accountant by profession. I am what you call a Jack-of-all-trades. Having been blessed with a somewhat (but not overly) creative flair, I have dabbled in art (painting), jewellery making, photography and of late, blogging. I must admit, though, that it is hard to juggle various interests while being involved in my career development.

Coming from mixed parentage, I have grown to appreciate the best of both cultures. I abhor rascism. Living in Malaysia, I have grown up with friends from various racial backgrounds, and I can’t quite understand how any one race could imagine it were superior to another; the only explanation for that behaviour would be ignorance and a feeling of false security.

I have also been travelling for about 11 years and my biggest regret is not documenting my travels. My best memories from my travels include all the wonderful relationships I have forged with people all over the world.

I recently started a food blog, a whiff of lemongrass as i feel that Malaysia has so much to offer in terms of food.

You are clearly very passionate about food, what inspired you to start a blog about it?

Well, the accounting firm which I work at recently merged with another accounting firm. As a result, new friendships were formed. My friends and I made like-minded friends, i.e. people who were equally passionate about food as we were. We’d drive out for lunch practically every day and come back to the office way past the 1 hour lunch break! Before deciding on a particular restaurant, we’d google it, and we found blogs which helped us make up our minds. One day, it dawned upon us that we had visited quite a number of eating establishments and we wanted to share our experiences with others. Someone suggested blogging and I took up the challenge. I am now hooked on blogging and sharing my passion for Malaysian food with anyone who cares to read.

How long have you lived in Kuala Lumpur?

I’ve lived in Kuala Lumpur (KL) since 1988 when I left home to embark on adulthood at the country’s most prestigious university (then). Incidentally, I met my husband, Tim, there, so some good has come out of it.

What do you like most about living in Kuala Lumpur?

KL is a developing city and people here are highly resourceful, hardworking and enterprising. I like the fact that despite so much development occurring in the city, there is still an old-world charm which reminds me of my roots and why I love this city so much.

I also like the fact that food is readily available at all hours of the day. I could wake up with hunger pangs at 2.00 in the morning and still be able to find food at a stall outside instead of rummaging through my almost empty fridge!

Is there anything you do not like about living in Kuala Lumpur?

Rude drivers! Then again, they’re everywhere, aren’t they? Also, traffic is getting quite unbearable these days due to the availability of comparably cheaper Malaysian made cars which creates a situation where practically anyone can afford to own a car. The lack of a good public transportation system worsens the traffic situation.

Why should travellers visit Kuala Lumpur?

KL is a one-stop destination if you want to experience Asia. We’ve always been proud of the fact that 3 major races (Malay, Chinese & Indian) live harmoniously together (or at least, to the best of their abilities without shooting each other!), but honestly, it’s more than that now. Okay, “shooting” is just a metaphorical term here. Malaysians, in general, are never violent. They are just too self-absorbed to bother about anything else! People from all over the world have made KL their home, so KL has become a sort of cultural melting pot. Plus, it’s Visit Malaysia Year 2007, so now is the best time to visit Malaysia!

As far as food goes, the fusion of cuisines from the three major races is explosive. One of the greatest ingredients introduced into the various cuisines is “belacan”. Belacan is fermented shrimp paste that has a very strong pungent smell, and when it is fried, the aroma is accentuated 10-fold. Fried with a chilli paste, it adds an extra dimension to your gastronomical experience.

What do you wish travellers would do when they visit Kuala Lumpur?

Since you’re interviewing me in the context of my food blog, this is what I wish for: Role up your sleeves and eat rice off a banana leaf with your fingers. Some indian restaurants in KL serve food on banana leaves. They’re bio-degradable, and food just tastes better on banana leaves. Rice is placed in the centre, and it is surrounded by various other dishes which include meat and vegetables, and finally, curry is poured over the rice. This meal is best eaten using your fingers, and you get to lick your “cutlery” after you’re done, and best of all, no one frowns on you for behaving rudely! What I’m trying to say is, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Also, do visit the numerous hawker stalls set up in makeshift wooden structures along sidewalks and back-alleys where men in suits partake of meals together with blue-collared workers. Any Malaysian will tell you that the best food can be found at these places. On my blog, I have listed several of such stalls.

What do you wish travellers would stop doing when they visit Kuala Lumpur?

Stop behaving like a tourist! Kuala Lumpur’s best asset is her people, and we’re a friendly lot. Also, get to know us better, and don’t behave condescendingly towards us just because we don’t speak English the way the Queen does.

If a visitor had time to do or see only one thing in Kuala Lumpur, what should it be?

I suppose the most obvious answer would be to say that one should visit the Petronas Twin Towers, KL’s pride and joy. It is one of the world’s tallest buildings, but more importantly, I love its futuristic steel and glass facade. I have visited the building at all hours of the day, and the time I love best to visit it is in the wee hours of the morning when no one else is around, where for a brief moment it is my personal and selfish love affair, and I stand in awe at its majestic beauty. But as I said earlier, that would be the obvious answer. KL has so much to offer, so take time to interact with us, let us welcome you into our homes, and experience our warmth.

If a visitor had time for only one meal in Kuala Lumpur, which dish would you recommend?

It is impossible to recommend just one dish. Let me recommend 3 dishes instead: roti canai, nasi lemak and char koay teow.

Roti canai is a flat bread that is eaten with curry and is a popular breakfast dish. This dish has evolved over the years, and is now cooked with anything under the sun, from sardines to bananas.

Nasi lemak is another popular breakfast meal consisting of rice cooked with coconut milk, with side servings of fried anchovies, cucumbers, fried/roasted peanuts and sambal (made from ground chillies, garlic, onions and shrimp paste). Nasi lemak, in its humblest form, is served wrapped in banana leaves in a triangular package and left, en masse, on tables for people to help themselves to. Priced at approximately US$0.30 a packet, it is an affordable meal for everyone.

Char koay teow is a dish of flat white noodles, fried in a wok over a very hot flame, with bean sprouts, chinese chives, eggs, prawns, lard, chinese sausages and my favourite ingredient, cockles. The best char koay teow normally has cockles that are not fully cooked and are still juicy.

So at this juncture, you probably think that all Malaysians are overweight…haha…There is a saying here: Malaysians eat only one meal a day; they start in the morning and finish at night.

Do you have any other insider tips for visitors to Kuala Lumpur?

1. If you are travelling by taxi, make sure that the taxi driver uses the meter.
2. When purchasing items from street vendors, say in Chinatown, feel free to bargain. It’s an exhilirating feeling.
3. Go off the beaten track. For a taste of the unglossy KL, visit Brickfields, where places of worship and brothels stand side-by-side, where proprietors and passers-by greet each other like old friends, where aromas and smells are not masked by disinfectant, and where some of the best and simplest eateries are located at every corner.
4. The king of fruits, durian, doesn’t taste like smelly socks.

Editors Note: The photo of the Petronas Twin Towers above was provided by Meena Johnson with permission from the photographer Jason Frank. Meena has also kindly given us permission to publish the food photos above. Don’t miss out on a visit to Meena’s food blog a whiff of lemongrass, it is seriously funny not to mention a must for anyone wanting to learn about Malaysian food. I dare you not to end up feeling hungry!

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