What would I serve if they were in the big football game?
If Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were to somehow have a (US)
football team go to the super duper big game in
January, what would I serve?
Huh? “Has he gone insane?!,” you must be asking. A fair question, but let me explain.
I’m sitting here in Kuala Lumpur on a business trip. With a 12-hour time zone shift, my body’s circadian clock has been understandably askew, but I’m dealing with it. (It’s not my first time...) So, I was clicking through the TV stations in my hotel room. What caught my eye was a chef in a kitchen preparing a positively drool-worthy meal. I watched...
It turned out to be a story about some chefs in Jerusalem who periodically got together with their peers and prepared meals for them. The catch: the chefs were Palestinian as well as Jewish. They prepared meals and then described each dish’s history for their peers. The crux of the story was that they were fostering peace through culinary and historical understanding of each other’s foods. The message was 100% one of peaceful coexistence. I was captivated and completely ate up the story, if not the dishes.
What TV station do you suppose carried this story? Al Jazeera. That’s right, Al Jazeera. The English version of Al Jazeera is broadcast around the world from right here in Kuala Lumpur. I was shocked. This can’t be the station that my countrymen have warned me about. They were carrying a message not of extremism and violence, but of peace and coexistence. (I wish I could say the same for my own country’s news outlets.) Wow.
So, that got me thinking back to here, Kuala Lumpur. Each year for the big football game, we throw a party where we serve food from each team’s city. I always try to select meals that speak to the city. Things they’re known for. Pittsburgh-style sandwiches with french fries AND cole slaw right on the sandwich, just like they serve in da ‘Burgh, for example.
What would I serve for KL? (Of course, the fact that they don’t have a team is not even relevant.)
Last night, my host took me to dinner and asked me what I wanted to eat. I said that I’d like to try something that is uniquely Malaysian and -- even better -- uniquely Kuala Lumpur(ian). A challenge...
We went to a Malaysian restaurant and had a couple local dishes. Main course was a coconut rice dish that was fabulous. The rice is cooked with coconut milk and has a fabulous savory flavor to it. Alongside they had a curry sauce smothered chicken and beef dish. Also fabulous. The spices are fresh and vibrant, which I’d expect in this part of the world. I also had a bean dish that they said few westerners would eat. The beans were crisp and fresh, and about the size of fava beans. They were in a red sauce that was intensely flavorful and clearly spiced to kill small children and tourists. Wow.
The food was fantastic. I tried to find out a bit of the “history” of each dish, but was not successful, other than that each dish is traditional and uniquely Malaysian...or perhaps Indonesian, depending on whom you ask. Great. ;-\
But it’s a great question to ask. I heartily suggest you try it whenever you travel. Find the dish(es) that the region/city is known for. Ask the locals what dish a visitor MUST try before leaving. And be prepared for an adventure.
Understanding, knowledge, peace, coexistence, spice, flavor, mmmmmm....
Cheers,
Ken
Huh? “Has he gone insane?!,” you must be asking. A fair question, but let me explain.
I’m sitting here in Kuala Lumpur on a business trip. With a 12-hour time zone shift, my body’s circadian clock has been understandably askew, but I’m dealing with it. (It’s not my first time...) So, I was clicking through the TV stations in my hotel room. What caught my eye was a chef in a kitchen preparing a positively drool-worthy meal. I watched...
It turned out to be a story about some chefs in Jerusalem who periodically got together with their peers and prepared meals for them. The catch: the chefs were Palestinian as well as Jewish. They prepared meals and then described each dish’s history for their peers. The crux of the story was that they were fostering peace through culinary and historical understanding of each other’s foods. The message was 100% one of peaceful coexistence. I was captivated and completely ate up the story, if not the dishes.
What TV station do you suppose carried this story? Al Jazeera. That’s right, Al Jazeera. The English version of Al Jazeera is broadcast around the world from right here in Kuala Lumpur. I was shocked. This can’t be the station that my countrymen have warned me about. They were carrying a message not of extremism and violence, but of peace and coexistence. (I wish I could say the same for my own country’s news outlets.) Wow.
So, that got me thinking back to here, Kuala Lumpur. Each year for the big football game, we throw a party where we serve food from each team’s city. I always try to select meals that speak to the city. Things they’re known for. Pittsburgh-style sandwiches with french fries AND cole slaw right on the sandwich, just like they serve in da ‘Burgh, for example.
What would I serve for KL? (Of course, the fact that they don’t have a team is not even relevant.)
Last night, my host took me to dinner and asked me what I wanted to eat. I said that I’d like to try something that is uniquely Malaysian and -- even better -- uniquely Kuala Lumpur(ian). A challenge...
We went to a Malaysian restaurant and had a couple local dishes. Main course was a coconut rice dish that was fabulous. The rice is cooked with coconut milk and has a fabulous savory flavor to it. Alongside they had a curry sauce smothered chicken and beef dish. Also fabulous. The spices are fresh and vibrant, which I’d expect in this part of the world. I also had a bean dish that they said few westerners would eat. The beans were crisp and fresh, and about the size of fava beans. They were in a red sauce that was intensely flavorful and clearly spiced to kill small children and tourists. Wow.
The food was fantastic. I tried to find out a bit of the “history” of each dish, but was not successful, other than that each dish is traditional and uniquely Malaysian...or perhaps Indonesian, depending on whom you ask. Great. ;-\
But it’s a great question to ask. I heartily suggest you try it whenever you travel. Find the dish(es) that the region/city is known for. Ask the locals what dish a visitor MUST try before leaving. And be prepared for an adventure.
Understanding, knowledge, peace, coexistence, spice, flavor, mmmmmm....
Cheers,
Ken
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