Feruz Anwar Seth

Food unites all It has been said that Malaysia’s favourite pastime is eating. We Malaysians truly love our food. Whether it is our signature dish the nasi lemak or roti canai or char kuey tiau food is like an obsession with all Malaysians alike. Hence, we have the uniquely Malaysian phrase 'Sudah makan?' or Have you eaten already?. Everything in Malaysia revolves around great food. Pleasant social get-togethers are always combined with having a nice meal. In Malaysia, more people blog about food than about anything else. Locals usually never eat at home; unless it is with family. Everybody eats outdoors every night; Malaysia is all about food! Another reason that eating outside is such an integral part of the Malaysian culture is because there is no better place to get in touch with friends and relatives than during a delicious meal. This, together with our love for different foods from different cutures, helps foster the muhibbah spirit which is also truly Malaysia. We love meeting up whether rain or shine and no matter what time of day it is. Mamak stalls tend to be the popular avenue as spots to chill; mainly due to the cheap food and beverages being served 24/7. People of all races, religions and ages frequent Mamak stalls to get-together while enjoying a cup of hot teh tarik and chatting away. Malaysia's diversity has blessed the country with one of the most exquisite cuisines in the world, and elements of Malay, Chinese, Indian as well as other cultures like Western, Arab and Thai are both distinct and blended together in our cooking. Like our society, our food is also muhibbah in nature. Many Malaysian traditions are actually centred around food such as open houses, weddings and even gotong royong.The visits of people from other ethnic groups and religions on these occasions are taken as evidence of our unity as a nation. Malaysians are made up of regular people that have every possible shade of skin colour. We all belong to uncountable cultures and traditions… that’s just how different and diverse we are as a nation.People would think that the way to achieve unity among these differences is to be a colour-blind nation, However, I believe that what makes Malaysians Malaysian however, is our ability to bring all of our differences united around one simple gesture, eating together around the dinner table. After all, loving food and being Malaysian is almost synonym. This is simply what being Malaysian is all about. Our food has always been the gesture of peace which allows us to sit, eat and enjoy each other’s company despite our differences. It is our differences and our ability to appreciate each other that makes us special. Malaysia is a country that celebrates its diversity. Whereas in most other countries there is a trend towards creating a homogeneous society for the purpose of national unity, in Malaysia the various races are encouraged to keep their ethnic names and their languages, to practise their respective religions and to embrace not only their own cultures, but other fellow citizens'. All this has served to create a vibrant multi-cultural society. To some. it is most obvious in terms of food. Malaysia’s food is as varied as its people but loved almost universally among fellow Malaysians, People of different religions and backgrounds mix easily together, respect and live with each other peacefully. The outcome is a spectacular mix of people, food, traditions and culture. Malaysians are generally a very happy and cheerful people and there is no better way to spread the love than through our food!