Big Smile, No Teeth: The glory of Malaysian food

For someone who grew up on ground beef and mushy peas, a Malaysian dish like rendang is a revelation. — Filepic/The Star

The thing about Malaysian food is that it’s really, really good.

Mee goreng, nasi lemak, rendang, all of it is delicious but sometimes I think Malaysians take it for granted. I never take good food for granted. Because once you’ve done without, you’re always appreciative when you have it. And this isn’t to say I came from poverty. Not at all. But perhaps I grew up in culinary poverty.