Food culture: Nasi Lemak & Mee Goreng

I'm definitely a foodie, a chubby food lover who can actually fall in love with authentic homemade dishes. But i've got a problem, i'm italian, a certified fucking venetian, proud of his culinary art and fully convinced that there's nothing better than italian regional food culture.
Talking about food, i use to say that Italy is out of competition.
So just to be clear far be it from me to make any comparison with the italian food culture, i'm going to tell you about foods and related topics experienced so far.
Nasi Lemak is undoubtedly more than a national icon, capable to unite all Malaysians. Usually eaten for breakfast it's composed of white steamed rice (obviously), chicken, cucumber, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, boiled egg and sambal, a hot spicy sauce. Just mix everything and eat !

You can find it everywhere, especially at hawker food courts and on the street stalls for 5 myr only.

I use to have it at Damansara Uptown on saturday mornings, where you should expect to queue to get your table. I'm not sure whether they're still serving the authentic or the adapted one, but certainly, despite being much more expensive than everywhere, it's a culinary excitement. Don't go too far with the Sambal, you will regret it as soon as you sit on the porcelain bus.

Besides nasi lemak, Mee Goreng surely is one of the Malaysian's favorite foods, a further imported icon from indians with all the possible variations, usually served at mamak. It's a fried noodle dish made with garlic, onion, chicken or pork, cabbage and other vegetables and tofu as well.

If you travel down here you absolutely must try the banana leaf rice at Bangsar. Served directly on the banana leaf you will enjoy the biryani rice with a chicken leg and a mix of cucumber, melon curry and fried bitter ground. I suggest motton masala and fried sotong on the side.

I tell you, the fried bitter gourd is addictive.

Last but not least, if you're a chinese oriented foodie you might find your idyllic place at Koptiam, usually a crowded, hot and smelling open space shop with a wide choice of Hokkien and Cantonese dishes such as fried kueh teow, char siew wonton mee, dry beef lai fun, noodle soup, roasted pork, bak kut teh. Most of the traditional chinese kopitiam are in Klang valley where i work so it's one of my usual choice during lunch break.

Well, there is something else that deserves to be mentioned: a fruit called Durian. I haven't tried it yet, i'm not that brave or should i say crazy ?

Anyway whether you love it or you hate it, you won't ever forget its smell of baked cheese and onion with a gym sock aftertaste. The closest i can compare it with is the typical smell of food rotting experienced in a garbage dump.

Enjoy it.