How To Avoid Pig Balls In Your Noodles
The great thing about most Asian countries is that the food is delicious and cheap, and Malaysia is no different. Of course you can find McDonalds and Burger King if you are so inclined, but for a real good feed that is dirt cheap, head to the local hawkers. I haven’t really seen a western equivalent, but I guess it is like the restaurants we get in food courts, only they stand alone and don’t have entry door. Most are sheltered though with roofs and an open air door. You’ll know them when you see them, and they are everywhere. Most sell the same type of things but with slight differences depending on where the owner comes from, e.g. Halal, Chinese, Malaysian, Indian etc (halal won’t serve pork).
As a general tip, go to the ones that are packed with locals, however, certain stalls are ‘famous’ for certain foods. There is one in KK that is famous for boiled eggs. It is ALWAYS packed, but only serves bread, boiled eggs and drinks, and the eggs aren’t anything special (they’re just boiled eggs!) Apparently it has been running like this for over 40 years!
Now most of the ‘waitresses’ in these Hawkers don’t speak too much English so you will need to know how to order. Also, as I found out, you should specify exactly what you want otherwise you may get a few surprises. If the place your at is famous for their Birds Nest Soup, then that is what you’ll get in your soup unless you say ‘No Birds Nest Please” Below are a few useful words when ordering. I’m not to sure about the spelling so Ive spelled it phonetically, which is generally how things are spelled in Malay anyway.
Mee – Noodles
Mee Hoon – Thin Noodles
Mee Goreng – Fried Noodles
Mee Hoon Sup – Thin Noodle Soup
Daging Babi – Pork (Daging means meat)
Nasi – Rice
Ayam – Chicken
Nasi Ayam – Chicken Rice (A popular ‘take-away’ style meal)
Nasi Lemak – Another type of rice dish
Ikan – Fish
Perut – Stomach (Tripe)
Tidak – No
Sila – Please
Dilarang – Don’t
Saya Mao – I want
Saya tidak mao perut – I don’t want stomach
Sayur – Vegetables
Tandas – Toilet
Roti Canai – A pankake type bread dish usually served with some type of curry
Minum – Drink
Makan – Eat, Food
Minum Air – Drinking Water (Make sure it is bottled)
Kopi – Coffee
Gorang Manis – Less Sweet (Malays like sugar in their hot drinks, probably more than you are used to)
Te – Tea
Kopi Ping – Iced Coffee
Bir – Beer
ABC Special – A desert or snack type food usually consisting of jelly cubes, ice cream, mung beans and fruit, Try it if you see it on a menu
There isn’t too many words above but when it comes to food that’s about as much as I know. Everything else is just point at the menu and try your luck!
One more word that is not food related, and may not even be Malay (possibly Cadasan) is Aramati — It means ‘I FEEL GOOD!’
Bon Appetite!
P.S. Go visit Labuan, it is a small tax free island off KK. VB is cheaper there than it is in Australia! (VB is an Australian brand of beer)
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