People can connect by rising above past conflicts and present politics

AS A long-time expatriate in Malaysia, I have discovered that in order to get the best food, you often have to journey to the worst places.

My favourite chicken shawarma sandwich joint, for example, is a roadside stall located in a lonely side street off Bukit Bintang. It is just five light blue plastic stools on the filthy pavement next to a rickety wooden stand with a whirling rotisserie of glistening, garlicky chicken goodness that the Middle Eastern chef de cuisine vertically shaves off into pockets of bread slathered with mayo, sprinkled hot sauce and stuffed with vegetables, swaddles in a thin paper wrap and hands over to you like a warm newborn.