MALAYSIA
MALAYSIA DIRECTORY •• Food & Drink lonelyplanet.comFesta de San Pedro Christian celebration on 29 June
in honour of the patron saint of the fishing community;
notably celebrated by the Eurasian-Portuguese community
of Melaka.July–August
Dragon Boat Festival (June to August) Celebrated in
Penang.
Rainforest World Music Festival Held either in July
or August for three days at the Sarawak Cultural Village
( p515 ), this music and arts festival features musicians from
around the world and highlights indigenous music from
Borneo.
National Day (Hari Kebangsaan) Malaysia celebrates
its independence on 31 August with events all over the
country, but particularly in KL where there are parades and
a variety of performances in the Lake Gardens.September–October
Moon Cake Festival (September) Chinese festival
celebrating the overthrow of Mongol warlords in ancient
China with the eating of moon cakes and the lighting of
colourful paper lanterns.
Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods (October) Involves
nine days of Chinese operas, processions and other events
honouring the nine emperor gods.November
Deepavali (November) The Festival of Lights, in which
tiny oil lamps are lit outside Hindu homes, celebrates
Rama’s victory over the demon King Ravana.FOOD & DRINK
Food
Mealtime in Malaysia is a highly social event
and the food strongly reflects the country’s
Malay, Chinese and Indian influences. You
can feast at hawker stalls for RM1 to RM5.
A meal in a low-end restaurant costs around
RM4 to RM20.
There are fewer culinary choices outside
the cities, where staple meals of mee goreng
(fried noodles) and nasi goreng (fried rice)
predominate. Vegetarian dishes are usually
available at both Malay and Indian cafes,
but are hardly sighted at kedai kopi (coffee
shops). You can also find an excellent selec-
tion of fruits and vegetables at markets.
Roti canai (flaky flat bread dipped in a
small amount of dhal and potato curry) is
probably the cheapest meal (around RM1) in
Malaysia. But really everything, from seafood
laksa to the freshly caught and cooked wild
cat or mouse deer you may be offered at a
longhouse, is good and often cheap.Halfway between a drink and a des-
sert is ais kacang, something similar to an
old-fashioned snow-cone, except that the
shaved ice is topped with syrups and con-
densed milk, and it’s all piled on top of a
foundation of beans and jellies (sometimes
corn kernels). It sounds and looks gross but
tastes terrific.Drink
Tap water is safe to drink in many cities but
check with locals if you’re unsure.
With the aid of a blender and crushed
ice, simple and delicious juice concoctions
are whipped up in seconds. Lurid soybean
drinks are sold at street stalls and soybean
milk is also available in soft-drink bot-
tles. Medicinal teas are a big hit with the
health-conscious Chinese.
Alcohol isn’t popular with the Muslim
population and incurs incredibly high taxes.
A mug of beer at a kedai kopi will cost
around RM6, and around RM12 to RM15
at bars and clubs. Anchor and Tiger beers
are popular, as are locally brewed Carlsberg
and Guinness. Indigenous people have a
soft spot for tuak (rice wine), which tends
to revolt first-timers but is apparently an ac-
quired taste. Another rural favourite is the
dark-coloured spirit arak, which is smooth
and potent.GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELLERS
Conservative political parties and religious
groups make a regular habit of denounc-
ing gays and lesbians in Malaysia, a country
where Muslim homosexuality is punishable
by imprisonment and caning. Fortunately,
these groups remain on the fringe and out-
right persecution of gays and lesbians in
the country is rare. Nonetheless, while in
Malaysia, gay and lesbian travellers (par-
ticularly the former) should avoid any be-
haviour that attracts unwanted attention.
Visit http://www.utopia-asia.com or http://www.fridae
.com, both of which provide good coverage
of gay and lesbian events and activities right
across Southeast Asia.HOLIDAYS
Although some public holidays have a fixed
annual date, Hindus, Muslims and Chinese
follow a lunar calendar, which means the
dates for many events vary each year.528