Malaysian, Truly Asian

I’m used to being told that I don’t act or behave or think like a Malay (or even Malaysian at times). I’m not sure why this is so. Surely I’m not the only lass who speaks and thinks in English. Like I’ve mentioned before, I do eat local food, I do (occasionally) eat with my hand (I can also use chopsticks so yes, I’m a Malaysian!) and I can speak my mother tongue fluently.

I was persuaded to go for lunch with my colleagues on Monday and guess what the menu was: fish head curry. All my life, I’d never ever eaten fish head curry; I was invited to join some colleagues for a fish head curry lunch some time back but upon seeing my expression, my colleagues correctly concluded that I wasn’t one of those fish head curry fans. Don’t even ask me why I agreed to follow them to lunch on Monday.

I almost shuddered when the two gigantic fish heads arrived. Fortunately, the plate on our table was placed such that I didn’t have to see the glazed fish eyes (and to think a colleague suggested that I suck on the eyeball of the fish. She must be joking!). My colleagues looked happy and contented as they dug in the fish and sucked it clean while I gingerly tried to find some non-head flesh. Half-way through lunch, I confessed that was the first time I ever ate fish head curry (and staying away from the head) to which my colleague remarked, ‘Gosh, are you even a Malaysian?’ Wow, now not only do I not sound like a Malay, my being a Malaysian was also being questioned - just because I’d never eaten that delicacy before! I was also shocked at the cost of our lunch. I didn’t know a fish head curry lunch for eight people could set you back by so much. Definitely not your typical cheap hawker fare. Yes, naïve, silly me.

Surely the ability to have the appetite for some local delicacy is not a measure of whether I am a Malaysian or not. But if it is, I guess now I’m really a Malaysian, truly Asian. I doubt I will go for another fish head curry lunch anytime soon though.

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I have always been amazed at the length some people go to in search for good food. Nor do I understand why Malaysians have this thing about food. It’s almost all we ever do is eating: in fact, we seem to need an excuse just to eat. Potlucks at the office, open houses, family events, reunions etc, all seem to involve and revolve around food.

One lazy summer evening back at varsity, a mate suggested driving to Malacca for grilled fish when we went back for summer hols. I tried to make sense of this and asked, ‘We are going all the way to Malacca just for grilled fish?’, hoping my mates would see what a crazy idea it was. They looked at each other, looked at me and said ‘Yes’ in unison. Like, huh?

But I guess some would say the same about me and could not comprehend the length I would go to when it comes to bargain hunting.