Aside from the tropical climate and surroundings (lots of coconut trees!) the first main difference I noticed after arriving in KK (Kota Kinabalu) was the food (I refer to it as the food experience because the food is so different it is an experience in itself). We went out for lunch after being picked up at the airport. As we sat down I realized there was no knife, fork or spoon. Just chopsticks. (I am slowly becoming good at using chopsticks to eat. Luckily they do use forks quite often too. However, I like the challenge and try to use chopsticks whenever possible). By recommendation we all ordered a local version of cold green tea. It was very good but I was pretty dehydrated so I requested a glass of water. I was asked (by Pastor Laura, our country coordinator) if I would like the water cold. I responded, "Yes" thinking that was a pretty odd question. I was then informed that if you order water at a restaurant and do not specify that you want it cold that you will be served hot water. I have been reminded of this several times through out my time here when I ordered water, while breaking a sweat from eating soup and drinking coffee in high humidity only to receive hot water like we would drink with tea. So lesson #1: always order cold water.
After taking about five days to adjust, I now think the food here is amazing and I can already tell it is something I will miss when returning to the States. I am trying so many new foods… I always try everything (no matter how strange it looks) and if I don’t like something (which has only happened a few times) I try my hardest to take a few bites to make sure it really is not appealing to me. They have such a wide variety of food (Malaysian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, western and more) and it is so fresh, not processed like many of the food is in the States. Very broadly I would say I currently enjoy the noodles, rice and fresh fruit the most. I also surprised myself by liking the Indian food we had last week. They also really like spicy food here and food is typically not that sweet, which I like a lot. They always have some kind of chili/hot sauce or peppers on the side of every meal to add as needed… kind of like we use salt and pepper. I do think it’s pretty humorous how much soup they eat. Many of the restaurants are not air-conditioned. It’s so hot here that at most any time through out the day you can break a sweat just simply sitting. So do Malaysians try to make the heat more bearable by drinking cold water and eating cooler foods? Oh no, they regularly drink hot water, hot tea, and hot coffee and eat soup with many meals.
The local fresh fruit is also fairly different from the states and is delicious. Similar fruits that we buy fresh and really enjoy are pineapple and banana. I also really like the dragon fruit, star fruit, mango and I have a papaya in my kitchen that I have yet to eat. I have had several other local fruits that are not like anything I’ve seen before but I can’t remember all of the names. However, I have finally learned the name of my favorite fruit so far: talap! It is pictured above. Trust me, I know it does not look appetizing and I was very skeptical the first time I had it. It is actually quite sweet and delicious. It is only grown and found in Sabah (the state of Malaysia I am living in). Lesson #2: Don’t judge food by its cover! Try everything… you may be pleasantly surprised. And then again you may not…..I have also tried the fruit called durian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian The fruit is known for it’s horrible smell. It is so pungent that the fruit is not allowed to be sold in the city. In order to by durian you have to drive out of the city and there are stands along the road selling it. Honestly, I cannot put into words what it tasted like… it is incomparable with any other taste. However, I can tell you that I did not like it at all and was only able to stomach one bit. The texture is best comparable to chicken. Of course, Malaysians love it and they have many different foods flavored durian… even ice cream. I have been told that if you try it twice you will then like it. So I may try it a second time… we’ll see.
Not only is the food very different but the eating style and rules are quite different too.. Lesson #3: You must eat all that you are served. Otherwise it is perceived that you don’t like the food and that you’re being wasteful. This was extremely difficult at first but after about a week and a half I am pleased to share I became a pro at cleaning my plate. I had a few experiences where I was questioned about not liking the food because I simply could not stuff another bite in my mouth. Further clarifying the rule: You must finish all the food on your plate if you are eating at home or are a guest at someone’s house. When at all possible serve yourself so you can take small portions if necessary. However, when at a restaurant you do not have to finish your whole portion, but if at all possible it is strongly advised to finish everything. It can still be viewed as wasteful by not eating all your food.
We also learned very quickly that Malaysia’s eat sizable portions and they eat them quite often. They have breakfast, then tea (with a “snack”…. comparable size to what I would have for lunch in the states), lunch, another tea/snack in the afternoon, then dinner… and if they’re up late they’ll have another “snack” around 10 p.m. Although I know that we snack in the States the difference is: I feel they eat more and there snacks are more routine and scheduled and most everyone has them at the same time.
This morning I feel I passed my final test and have officially adjusted to the food here in KK. Mr. Lo Vun Ken took me out to breakfast on the way to school. The specialty of the restaurant was their fish ball porridge. ---Honestly the two foods that I’ve struggled with finishing and disliked the most have been fish and porridge...but I’d never had them together. Their porridge is not sweet at all, instead I have had chicken porridge that tastes heavily of chicken broth and has bits of chicken mixed in. I didn’t like it. Some fish I’ve had to eat has been all right; however probably my least favorite food I’ve had here was some kind of fish. I debated ordering noodles instead for breakfast. However I decided that I would give it a try. What was the worst that could happen? Surprisingly enough, it was quite good! The fish balls looked similar to our meatballs but they’re white. I’m not sure how to describe the taste but it was certainly edible. I’m not sure it is something I would order on my own but I was pleased I didn’t have any issues eating it.
Last example of the different foods… Tonight I tried a special local “drink”. I have no idea why it’s called it a drink because it was soup. It was sweet potato and yam mixed in coconut juice. There were small cubes of yam and sweet potato in the coconut juice and it was slightly blended. I don’t know who would ever think to mix those three foods together but it actually isn’t too bad. It has a very unique taste and was very filling.
The most important lesson that I've learned is lesson #2 about waste. Be thankful for the food you have to eat (even if it isn't fish ball porridge) and do your very best to only take the amount of food you can eat and finish it all.
Genesis 1: 29-30
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