One of the things that I've really been enjoying about Malaysia and Singapore has been the huge selection of different types of food. Indonesia was great, and the food was good, but there's only so many times you can eat nasi goreng (fried rice) and nasi mie (fried noodles) before you get rather desperate for some variety.
Well, Malaysia has definitely provided me with more foods than I could possibly try. With all the Chinese, South Indian and Malay options, menus are much more daunting, but also so much more exciting. I've found many favorites but the best food experience I've had was down in Johor Bahru at an Indian restaurant.
When I walked into the restaurant, I saw what I wanted. I pointed and then the fun began...
First the waiter put a two foot banana leaf in front of me. This he heaped with rice until I put up my hands in surrender. Then another waiter came by and poured chicken curry sauce all over the rice. After that, yet another waiter came over with four jars of different types of sauces and food including cassava, bitter gourd and two types of chili sauce. He dabbed these along the top of my banana leaf. The first waiter then returned with another spicy sauce and put it on the side. Then I was given some soft chips on the other side, a small cup of soup and absolutely delicious mutton curry in a small dish at the top corner. I looked at all this food, incredibly excited by the bounty in front of me and ready to dig in. However, there was one small problem. I had no utensils.
I looked around surreptitiously at the other customers. None of them had any utensils either. Instead they were eating with their right hands. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So I washed my hands and, quite literally, dug in. I made sure to use only my right hand- in many cultures the left hand is used for unsanitary work and is otherwise restricted. It was so fun to eat with my hands. The rice was squishy and the various sauces all had different textures. It really connected me with my food in a very different way. Not only could I taste, smell and see my food; I could also touch it. Even though the waiters later brought me a spoon, I ignored it. I was converted. It was too much fun to stop eating with my hands.
The food was delicious and the experience was as liberating as playing in the mud. I didn't even get that messy, though I could smell curry on my hands for the rest of the day.
