Thank you Paris for your feedback and clarification. That’s interesting and we are always learning from our readers. True, we loved Malaysia and the diversity of flavors. And, we look forward to visiting again. Thanks for the tips on the Borneo side. They are noted for our next trip. Appreciate it and have a great day. Cheers

I was researching articles on how tourists describe Malaysian food and came across yours.
I also saw that not-so-nice comment about the confusion with the terms we use for our dishes. On behalf of Malaysians, I apologise but honestly, I’m sure she meant well. It was probably just language barrier.

I don’t mean to be rude, but perhaps you can revise some of the terms you used?

For example, Nasi Lemak is not made with glutinuous rice, we either use Jasmine rice or Basmathi rice for this. There are a few dishes made with glutinuous rice that the Chinese community likes to eat for breakfast called Loh Mai Kai.

And please don’t say holding chopsticks Malay-style, our Chinese friends (and in my case ancestors!) will be offended.

While we’re happy that you promoted our ‘kopitiam’, but the photo you used was of a Mamak restaurant, basically Mamak in Malaysia refers to the Indian Muslim community who still speak Tamil as their main language while practising Islam. Kopitiam itself is a combo of ‘kopi’ – coffee and ‘tiam’ – shop (in Hakka Chinese dialect). And the two have distinguished sets of menu that they are extremely proud of. They even have their own variety of Nasi Lemak, by the way, slightly different from the Malay-style nasi lemak.

Also, Malay food in general is not vegetarian-friendly as we use a lot of animal by-products. Even the raw salad is usually eaten with fish-based sauces/dips. Most vegetarian food in Malaysia are Indians or Chinese as the Hindus and Buddhists usually have special prayer days when they are required to be vegetarian.

I also hope that you’ll come back and visit us again and explore the Borneo side of Malaysia. It’s a whole new Malaysia, I promise you. We have a Malaysian ceviche too, called ‘Umai’. Don’t skip the chicken cooked in bamboo called ‘Manok Pansoh’ – it’s so delicious, I have it flown to Kuala Lumpur twice a year from Sarawak. And don’t forget our famous ‘Latok’ or sea grapes in Sabah. I was told Japanese tourists looove them! Imagine enjoying fresh seafood while staying at our water chalet on Mabul Island or Bohey Dulang!

Please enjoy your day & again, thank you for the wonderful write-up!

Thank you!

Wow, Lhavanya, no need to get aggressive and mean. This article was written from our experience in Malaysia. If you have anything constructive to add, feel free to share and we can update the article. Wishing you joy and happiness.

Thank you and so glad to read that you are also a fan of Malaysian food. It is truly one of the most amazing cuisines we’ve explored. Our favorite city for the food is Georgetown. Did you spend time eating there as well? Thanks so much for stopping by!

You will love Penang, Sumti. The food is a delicious mix of several cultures – Malay, Chinese and Indian, as well as Baba Nyonya and more. As a foodie, be prepared to eat…and eat …and eat! It’s all delicious and worth the trip. Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks Rachel for your feedback and glad you enjoyed the article. Agreed, it’s too bad Malaysian food is not readily available in the U.S. Nonetheless, the country is beautiful and the food amazing. Highly recommend it for the food!!