Merry Christmas from Foodalasia!

I'm spending Christmas with my buddy Adele and her family in Malaysia.  Initially, the modern amenities, humid heat, flat terrain, and daily afternoon thunderstorms reminded me of Florida, albeit a Florida with a very different ethnic and religious mix: Malaysia is a Muslim country (with Syriah law such that it's punishable if a Muslim drinks alcohol but not me-this is new!). I'm told that, outside of the cities, the culture is less western.

Malaysia is apparently a cuisine hot spot, as the country is home to Chinese, Indian, Malay, and a host of other ethnicities, lending to delicious fusions and influences to what are already some of my favorite cuisines.  We eat about 5 meals a day, my favorite being the shave ice desserts! Just imagine, shaved ice topped in fruit, cream, coconut milk, ice cream, peanuts, tapioca jellies, the list goes on.  It's no coincidence I also love these because it's so hot outside!  The pancake concoctions could easily be the next SF hipster trend, and the myriad of noodle dishes is pretty epic.

I've met numerous family and seen Adele interacting with her parents:  priceless!  We attended midnight mass (the message had something to do with selfies and politically-sanctioned racism, so I was intrigued) , went Christmas shopping in a Muslim country (most enjoyable Christmas eve shopping ever!), and her parents threw a lovely Christmas dinner, where due to my lack of nice backpacking attire, I got to wear the top of one of Adele's old Punjabi suits! 

For excursions, we roamed the (mega!)malls and Hindu caves of Kuala Lumpur and sought out street art in Penang.  At night Adele and I like to visit the local river walk, where a lively scene makes for a lovely way to keep off my nasi lemak pounds.  Plus, new lit things keep being added, so we must stay abreast of the latest. Today: Chinese lanterns!