Wet Market

So here we are; the halfway point.  It snuck up on me a bit; life here in Malaysia is, after all,  just so easy to fall into.  The weeks have simply flown from steam bun to steam bun, 98 degree days to 85 degree nights, one weird insect creature to the next.  As my photos and blog posts have inferred, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Malaysia, and I’ll truly miss it when I return home.

Last weekend my colleagues arrived in KL to join me for a week of opening events.  My company invited a number of our distributors to a grand opening event of sorts, thus requiring a few of us from headquarters to be on site for presentations and product demos.  While work is work, we were still able to enjoy the city a bit on Saturday and Sunday, meandering between the sights with myself weakly playing the roll of tour guide.  It's amazing how much I've picked up in 3.5 weeks, while yet it is equally amazing how much I haven't.  Naturally the first stop on our list was the KL tower; a TV tower of sorts (almost exact replica of the Seattle tower, in my opinion) which allows tourists a birds-eye view of KL below.  I had not yet visited the tower, so I was quite curious myself.  The tower is placed atop a hill, which self admittedly, we were idiots about and denied the shuttle bus, thus arriving to the tower soaking in sweaty regret.  Note to future travelers: Take the damn shuttle bus.

The views from the KL tower did not disappoint.  What a massive, vast city scape.  It was breathtaking views, even with the "fog" (yeah, okay, a small haze, but nothing to be dramatic about, Asia).  Normally when people search out an attraction with a view, they clamor to join the lines at the Petronas towers.  However, after thinking this through a bit, I'd actually say that the KL tower is most likely the better bet, if you're truly searching for a view.  Not only do you receive a 360 degree view, but you are also able to see the landmark Petronas towers below.  The towers merely provide a sky bridge, with a limited direction of view.  Obviously, you cannot see the towers when you are within them, and due to the positioning of the sky bridge, I'd assume the KL tower doesn't exactly fit the scope either. 

 
After our bird's eye view, we were monsooned into a bar (seriously- it monsooned; That's a thing in southeast Asia, you know) and I was greeted by my first margarita in a month.  Malaysia, being a Muslim country, isn't exactly a partier's paradise.  Now, you can most definitely find alcohol if you go looking for it.  However, in comparison to prices of normal day-to-day items here, alcohol is astronomically expensive.  Luckily for Americans, the exchange rate wouldn't even cause a double glance at a bar tab total, but nonetheless, for Malaysia, it's expensive.  For comparison sake, my entire lunch (a huge plate or bowl of noodles, generally) will maybe cost me 5 to 7RM (less than $2 USD).  However, my margaritas?  30RM, each (approximately $8 USD). Like I said, this cost wouldn't shock an American by any means, and heck, some (if not most) of us would even call that cheap.  But when you look at what you're getting for your use of your traveler's budget.. stick to the Mee Goreng. 

Highlight of the monsoon:  sharks in a bar.

Sunday we wandered out to my usual stomping grounds: the Chinese markets in China Town and Central market.  My colleagues were looking for souvenirs, and I was along for the walk.  As always, adventure and treasures awaited:

The masks in the picture shown above are actually traditional Malaysian dancing masks.  I personally found the large majority of them terrifying, but what is love if not rooted in fear...? Right? Yes? No? okay fine.  I tried one on.. it was actually quite awkward.  These masks don't tie behind your head as you would expect; the dancers actually hold them on by biting onto a leather tab, connected behind the mouth of a mask.  The shopkeeper was really trying to market the "true experience" for me, asking me to bite on the leather and dance- I took a hard pass.  Thank you to my nursing friends for making my paranoia regarding hygiene enough to haunt me through every travel, everywhere. 

While cruising through the streets of China town, my colleague noticed a back alley way leading to a wet market.  For any faint of heart, animal activists, or rather emotional individuals; this is 100% your hell.  Please do us and yourself a favor and steer clear of the following paragraphs and photos.  Just wing a right, not a left, and avoid an absolute mental breakdown and hysteria.  Okay, great.  Moving on.  Catch you on the flip side. 

For everyone else, let's talk about wet markets.  Wet Markets: where people bring animals to butcher, clean, and sell.  There's the smell of iron in the air; it's a wet, bloody, yet overwhelmingly communal place.  Having grown up raising our own meat chickens, bouncing around friend's farms and spending my due share of time in 4H, this scenario was nothing for me to even blink at.  It is what it is, and I don' t know about you, but I find chicken rather delicious.

One observation I keyed into was that despite being literally held in a back alleyway, filled with varying farm animals in varying states, the level of hygiene that is kept is at a higher standard than most hawker lunch spots.  We arrived towards the end of the market to find men scrubbing tables, washing down the floors, sanitizing butcher knives.  I was rather impressed.  Additionally, meat was kept on ice (sometimes literally, see fish picture before), maintaining a certain health standard.  Wet market for the win.

Once we wandered further down into the market, it slowly turned from meat to vegetables, spices, fruits and other household necessities.  Not everything offered was for eating, however.

You do have to wonder how many times the man has been asked, given the need for two signs, in however many languages...

Other than this, the week was filled with distributors and presentations.  It was all work, no play, and I was lucky to even sneak in my nightly runs.  My time is closing here far too quickly, the days on the calendar whisking away through my finger tips.  I feel like I'm figuratively digging my heels into the pavement, begging life for a few bits of extra time.  Am I excited to go home?  Sure, I have wonderful family and friends, and lord knows we can't forget, the cutest wiener dog on the earth.  However, I've truly come alive here, and my traveling soul will always be in love with places that are everywhere else.  As with every journey, my travels will always pass to quickly, with so many ideas undone.  Buddha said it best: the problem is, you think you have time. 

Here's to the final weeks, Malaysia.  Cheers.


"In the World through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself." - Unknown

Minggu Kedua (second week)

The second week of my Malaysian adventure has now come and gone.  I suspect people are growing weary of my #Malaysianpersuasion Instagram handles and food pictures, but this journey is just only approaching the halfway point, and thus, we carry on. 

 

The second week was a flurry of a heavy workload; training was continued in the office, while simultaneously my own clients were anxiously vying for attention, making for long hours (they are, after all, in varying time zones) and little sleep.  Nonetheless, the week was survived and all is good in sales world. 

 

With there being such long hours, there were few (okay, no) weekday evening adventures.  My only exploits outside of the office were within the confines of my lunch hour (again), but this did not disappoint. Perhaps I should just start qualifying this as a food blog..?

 

This week my taste buds were introduced to a number of complexities, my favorite lunch being Penang Hokkien Mee (prawn soup).  My colleague is constantly trying to push my culinary limits, convinced time and time again we will finally meet my match; a dish I will outright refuse.  It's quite the game he loves to play, pushing harder and harder as time goes on.  We've been through pig intestines, fish head, huge prawns in the shells, other various fish items and chicken feet; none have stopped me in my tracks, much less slowed my pace of endearment.  Not entirely sure why they thought prawn soup would be any different, but hey, whatever they want to try.

 

Prawn soup is an entirely simple concept (prawn stock, garlic, yellow noodles, bean sprouts, small prawns, etc.) yet once again packs au eagerly welcomed flavor punch.  While eating this dish I never would have imagined the stock to be so flavorful (especially now, seeing the limited ingredients), but my tongue was constantly confused by new, startling discoveries with each bite.  I would love to make this dish for my friends back home, given my ability to procure prawn heads to make the stock (yes, prawn HEADS, boiled into the stock for hours until ready.... disclaimer, there are no actual heads in said soup), alas, given that Milwaukee isn't exactly the home of prime Asian seafood markets, this dish will most likely remain a mere memory.

 

 

 

While the prawn soup topped the lunchtime desires, I was finally able to bear witness of the evening street food markets last Thursday.  Through the weeks I've been picking up on the theory that Malaysians tend to have specific foods for specific times in the day; i.e. curry puffs for breakfast, mee goring for lunch, hokkien noodles for dinner... they all have their place and time.  However, being a foreigner, this was (and still is) not exactly clear to me; French toast, cold cut sandwiches and warm dinners? Blasphemy.  So, quite generally, I've been wandering around in an air of confusion, looking for items off my Pinterest "Malaysian food wish-list" and finding myself completely backwards in my timing assumptions.  Example? Rendang chicken (another one of my favorites- I presumed a dinner dish) is a breakfast favorite.  That's right- a curry(ish), heavy chicken and rice dish-breakfast.  Ok.  Fine.  Curry puffs (look like a tiny little snack pastry)- thoughts?  Yep.  Also breakfast.  I don't know about you, but I'm more of a mid-afternoon curry puff girl myself.  Nonetheless, I've adjusted appropriately and I have to say, I am far less hungry throughout the day (hello thinning waistline, I'm loving you) so I really think they're on to something here.  Bring on the puffs, daddy-o.

 

Anyways, back to the street dinner.  We went to our favorite Hawker (the street food cafeteria of sorts) where multiple vendors provide a variety of different meal options; picture a very Asian version of a mall food court, only instead of established areas, the vendors work out of carts and makeshift stands.  Wait, I have a picture here somewhere...

 

 

 

Ok, so there are your typical hawkers.  Plastic tables, plastic chairs, delectable homemade Malaysian, Chinese, Indian and Thai specialties; all generally providing a full meal for under $2USD.  If my sensory overload weren't already totally enthused with this place, my wallet is also breathing a sigh of relief and welcomed savings.  Malaysia, you sure are beautiful.

 

Okay so seriously, back to our dinner.  We had a version of Malaysian BBQ of sorts- chicken and beef satay.  Oh heavens, lord have mercy.  These are chicken and beef skewers, marinated overnight in a curry, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, cumin (whatever your heart desires, basically) that are grilled and then served with raw cucumber and onion slices.  The kicker?  The dipping sauce that join this melody.  A curry, lemon, garlic, soy peanut sauce that will make you want to commit yourself, all of you, 100 percent, to this dip, for now until forever, until death do you part. 

 

 

 

My friends, you're looking true love in the face right there.  True fairytale magic.

 

Other highlights from our dinner were chicken wings (spicy, but just to a pleasurable amount), popiah (burrito looking thing) and a pork steam bun.

 

 

 

There you have it; street dinner.

 

So finally, onwards to my tourist musings.  This weekend my (wonderfully generous, amazing, caring, thoughtful, fun) colleagues took me on a mini adventure around KL.  We partook in more local type activities, which I adored.  We started off the morning with a dim sum breakfast (derived from the Chinese portion of the Malaysian roots) which blew my mind.  This breakfast is served in a group style (perhaps the term 'tapas' rings a bell?) which a large variety of items to choose from and share amongst one another.  This is where I encountered my first chicken foot, and not so sadly to say, my last. I was able to get past the mental element of eating a chicken foot, truly, but the fact that you have to suck out each individual bone, leaving only a weird textured skin.. it wasn't for me.  That being said, I came, I saw, I conquered.  Would you do the same?

 

Here's some photos from the breakfast:

 

 

 

Since you've heard enough long-winded explanations of food in today's blog already, I'll spare you the details.  But just note; it was amazing, perhaps just not before strenuous activity.

 

Such as, let's say, hiking.

 

Earlier in the week my colleagues asked me if I wanted to go hiking.  "It won't be that steep," they said.  "It's a smaller hill," they said.  "It'll be fun!" They said. 

 

Liz and Kelly, I know where you spend your days. Revenge is awful.

 

Just kidding- we did have fun; a lot of fun.  I don't know the name of the hill (probably the name on the sign pictured below) or how high it was, but one thing I do know, I ran out of oxygen at about 6/8 of the distance, and ambition embarrassingly close to the top.  There is something to be said about hiking in 98 degree weather with 75% humidity, straight up what would almost be called a rock wall, were it not to have maybe 2 degrees short of the straight standing incline: bring an extra shirt; or three, and a happy as a bird with a French fry type attitude, or else you won't make it.

 

We sweat buckets. 

 

 

 

 

But we lived to tell the tale.

 

 

 

Perhaps the most unique part of this experience was the fact that we were very obviously sharing the jungle with a new variety of friend; one never seen on Wisconsin hikes.  Anyone have a guess?

 

...

 

If you guessed monkeys, you're spot on.  Unfortunately they don't tend to sit still for photos (sorry) but they were quite interesting to observe hoping from one tree to the next.  Oh, the things you see in Malaysia.

 

Naturally the next course of action after a long, hot hike is lunch.  We enjoyed a round table affair of massive, delicious prawns, chile fish, fried eggs and other delectable plates. 

 

 

 

 Clearly, some of us were a bit more excited about the prospects of the fish head than others..

 

 

Finally our day took us to the federal administrative centre of Malaysia; an area which has been impressively developed over the last ten years, not sparing any costs or details.  This area is called Putrajaya and holds the Prime minster's office building, many of the government offices, government housing, a series of beautiful, modern bridges, and a very  large, ornate mosque.  The mosque and prime minister's office were truly unlike anything I had ever seen before; both towered over the city and almost sparkled in brilliance.  Well done, prime minister.  Well done.  I also learned that Malaysia has a form of royalty; a sultan.  I really can't expand on that much since I really didn't ask, but I definitely had the song Arabian Nights swirling around in my brain as I wandered the boardwalk..

 

 

 

Really, these pictures don't capture the beauty of this area to even a close degree, however, they are worth sharing.  As this is largely a governmental office space, there is little activity and things are awfully quiet in this area on weekends; a startling difference in comparison to the bustling downtown streets of KL.

 

After these adventures I spent the rest of my weekend relaxing and catching up on grad school homework; nothing really to write home about.  I hear it has been snowing in Wisconsin, so I'll leave you with this note:

 

 

 

Life's a b*tch.

 

Until next time!

 

"It's time to remember what it's like to feel alive." -Northlane, Quantum Flux

 

 

 

Mee Goreng

Malaysia.  My life's adventures have led me to the heart and soul of curries, noodle dishes, sunshine, humidity and crazy teksi drivers.  I'm in freaking Malaysia, and I'm loving it.

Per usual my work is the reason I'm abroad (who in their right minds would deny a free airline ticket somewhere, anywhere, everywhere?).  However, since my last blog post (admittedly, far before my more recent travels) I've switched career paths and now find myself in international architectural product sales.  Hoooow neat.  So how did I end up here?  Approximately three months ago my company decided to open a new Asian branch in Kuala Lumpur.  Low and behold, here I am; eating noodle dishes, sitting in the sun, and using teksis.  What is life?

While albeit, a large amount of my time here is spent in the office, I have just finished my first complete week here and feel like I finally have accumulated enough adventure to share with all of you.  My main adventure, as always, is in the local food.  Holy taste bud awakening, batman.  I won't lie; when I first heard I was headed to KL, I wasn't aware of much, especially not the culinary adventures I was about to encounter.  After some eventual googling, I came to realize my ignorance; I was actually headed to one of the most culinary diverse cities in the world, known for fusions galore- how could my heart not beat a bit faster just imaging the opportunity ahead?  After a week, I can assure you, this city has not disappointed.   The spices, textures, aromas, ingredients; every day is my own personal Alice in Wonderland scenario;  my senses diving into new, unfound rabbit holes, with wonder how I'd ever survived without it's existence prior.  My absolute number one obsession thus far is that of Mee Goreng.  Mee Goreng is a simple noodle dish comprised of enough complex flavors to initially kick you straight in the face, yet leave you begging for more. Egg noodles mixed with garlic, ginger, chili sauce, bean sprouts, cabbage; how could you not?  For those who are a bit faint hearted towards culinary adventures, this is the perfect dish for you.  Everything in this dish can be found in western everyday dinners; nothing to fear. 

    

 

 

As mentioned, it truly is nothing to fear; nothing more than your mother's hamburger helper on Ecstasy... with Indian spices.. in Southeast Asia.

 

 

What's that bun thing?  That's a fresh pork steam bun, or also known as a (insert Malay word for pork) Pau.  Why is it red?  Don't ask me such complicated questions.  It just looks pretty, okay? These buns are primarily eaten as a breakfast food and have a variety of different fillings, from sweet to delectable.  My favorite is on the sweeter end, the Kaya Pau.  Kaya is a Malaysian coconut egg jam, and it's amazing.  Seeing a trend here?

 

 

Other notable mentions (photos in order):  Pork intestines, fish head, , popiah, claypot chicken rice, fermented egg salt squid, satay kebabs and prawn (Hae Mee) Hokkien. Get in mah bellay. 

 

 

 So seeing as you are what you eat, I'm a wondrous fusion of the elements of the unknown, blended with household tradition and surprise kicks to the face.  Couldn't sound more legit if I tried.

 

While I clearly have invested the large amount of my experience thus far in the cuisine, I have also thoroughly enjoyed the role of tourist and have jumped in a few teksis to do the "must sees."  When I travel alone (which everyone should do, if not only once, but multiple times in their life), I revert away from the sites such as trip advisor and such (okay, some of the places I go don't even exist on trip advisor) but rather revert to other traveler's blogs, Pinterest "What to do in (name whatever city) in 24 hours!" links, and advice from friends and colleagues who have visited prior.  I find the experiences suggested by these tend to be more genuine experiences and less of the "bring me back a key chain" type scenarios.  Luckily for me, my colleagues from my past position actually held a medical conference in KL last year, thus providing me ample suggestions of how to spend my rare bits of free time.  That being said, if anyone has ever even heard of KL, they know of the Petronas Towers; the worlds largest towers (maybe?  I don't know- they build new things every day..).  Directly underneath the towers is a huge mall, probably the most luxurious I've ever experienced (and yet was still able to score a reasonable yoga mat at- bazinga!).  Basically, if you're looking to remind yourself how small you truly are in this vast world, the base of these towers is a prime place for you.  They're extremely magnificent, especially at night, and provide a free, festive and bright fountain show every evening at approximately 8pm.  Since the weather is basically always sublime here, I definitely recommend grabbing a seat on the terrace around the fountain and enjoying the view. 

 

 

 

 Hi mom.

 

As with all man-made wonders, the towers have a view deck for tourists.  Quite honestly I was not able to convince myself to get out of bed early enough on my first weekend to get in line to see the view, but it's on my KL Bucket List.  Standby.

 

My other adventure was off to the historic Central Market; KL's one-stop-shop for all things souvenir and tourist worthy.  Again, I'm not much for key chains (and self-admittedly, I bought a lot of the same tourist items for a bunch of you back home when I visited Thailand last year...apparently the souvenirs don't vary much within southeast Asia, just the name printed on them) so I merely wandered the market.  I did spend a bit of time sitting with a local in his booth discussing his collection of small figurines of spirits, luck charms, premonitions, etc.  It was truly fascinating how deep the Asian religious and superstitious aspects of their various cultures go.  So many elements of daily life from cleaning, eating, gift giving, picking a home, etc. are all done with deep thought and care.  It's quite admirable and if I were a patient person (never have been, never will be) I'd consider giving it a try.  I told the man I'd come back for a second lesson, and I entirely plan on it. 

 

 



 

The neat part about being in the area of Central market is its close proximity to China Town; the favorite place for friend rice and fake purses.  I meandered the streets a bit, haggling for a few local beer tank tops to run in under the Malaysian sun ($3 each- Nailed it) and a few headbands to boot.  The streets are lit in the evenings with a never ending strand of Chinese lanterns, along with the heat lamps of the street vendors food carts.  It isn't a reputably safe area in the evening, especially not for a woman (no matter how strong and independent) so my musings here will only be midday.  Nonetheless, I was captivated by the colors, laughter, fake Kate Spade, bedazzled selfie sticks and egg noodles.  Even KFC loves it here. 

 

 



Well, that's a wrap on the first week and some.  Next weekend I'll be hiking some random Malaysian hill somewhere with my coworkers; stay tuned!

"And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling."- Author unknown.