SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

THE start of a new school year brings about a new wave of expatriates arriving and settling in Kuala Lumpur as their base of residence for a number of years.

As with any other country, Malaysia has its share of quirky practices that foreigners find different from what they are used to.

Dining out, for example, is a very enjoyable adventure to engage in.

The food choices are astounding; the price range is diverse, from the very low budget to the very high end.

There is no such thing as 1Malaysia when it comes to food, and I mean that is good.

The varying Chinese restaurants offering a wide selection of dishes from Cantonese, Hokkien and dim sum, to the northern and southern Indian cuisines, and of course the Malay kitchens with its signature generous use of spices has its origins from -- or should I say -- marriage with Indonesian cuisine mainly from Sumatran and west Kalimantan parts.

It is already dizzying.

Then there is the fusion of Chinese and Malay, which gave rise to the Nyonya cuisine.

And these are just the local choices.

Whether you are in search of molecular gastronomy, German bratwurst or Japanese fine dining, name it, Kuala Lumpur has it.

The Malaysian capital city in particular also has a very rich cafe culture, lots of French bakeries and patisseries – a couple or three are close to authentic – and endless brunch places to indulge those weekend mornings.

But before you begin your culinary journey, it is helpful to know that not all restaurants are alike in the way they conduct their services, or businesses.

To illustrate, when you walk into an Italian restaurant, in Italy or in any other part of the world, you are usually offered a small basket of bread, served with olive oil and balsamic to quell those hunger pangs, or just as an accompaniment to your aperitivo while you are going through the menu and deciding what to order.

And that is free. As in gratis. You do not need to pay for that.

Here in Kuala Lumpur, when you walk into a Chinese restaurant and they immediately serve you “tidbits” like boiled nuts or any other dim sum starter, please be informed that you will be charged for those if you consume them, regardless if you ordered them or not.

The same goes for the wet wipes they generously put on the table.

Do not assume that those are on-the-house. They are not.

Some restaurants and cafes will not seat you if the number of people you have reserved for are not complete.

Even if you have small children and even if you have to stand outside for as long as it takes, in the mid-morning humid heat, there is no exception.

The only plausible information I can come up with is that they want a fast turnover, they do not want any table lingering or waiting for others to order, they want it quick and fast.

It is a shame because the popular ones are the most notorious for these kinds of practices.

On the bright side, there is no shortage of other establishments which are more accommodating, and as a consumer, you always have a choice not to patronise the profit-oriented ones and opt instead for the customer-centred ones.

The most absurd and somewhat amusing experience I have had was the one in a popular general food store chain, which serves salads and bistro food, for dining in or take away.

There was no guest dining at 11.45am; and the person at the counter refused my order for two take-away salads just because, according to him, the cash register was still set at “breakfast” so he cannot ring up my order until noon.

Obviously, what this deli failed to realise is the missed business opportunity or increased revenues they could earn from people who want to avoid the lunch crowd, or just about anyone who wants to buy food before noon!

The best way to sample a wide array of local fare, like roti canai served with teh tarik, is to dine in a mamak stall.

Mamak stalls are inexpensive and serve unpretentious food in a very casual atmosphere.

According to John, our Indian family driver, the word mamak is from the Tamil word for maternal uncle, or maa-ma.

He also explained not all mamak stalls were the same.

The ones run by Muslims do not serve pork but serve beef, and Hindu stalls serve neither beef nor pork.

Finally, you will know it is a good mamak if you see many locals frequenting it.