I recently made a short trip home to Malaysia. A country that is usually buzzing with news of a doddering political landscape was now buzzing with a new kind of news- the opening of Uncle Roger's flagship restaurant in Kuala Lumpur and the turmoil in Pavilion that stemmed from famous Youtuber IShow Speed's recent visit to the restaurant and to Malaysia.
I popped in for a quick bite and amidst the turbulent sea of glittery and castigating reviews, I can confidently and honestly say that the food fare was "boleh tahanlah"(acceptable). Yet, despite the average standards, there is always a mammoth queue with Malaysians making a 1 hour beeline to enter Uncle Roger's restaurant, which goes by the name Fuiyoh! The stint has been so successful that multiple other branches have been lined up for operations in the coming months. It proves one very simple point of mine; that Uncle Roger managed to capitalise on one simple fact: At our cores, we Malaysians are very simple people.
Sometimes, all it takes to make us happy is a bowl of well prepared, "wok hei" infused fried rice; and sometimes, we are happy even without the “wok hei”. I never realised this fact until I actually moved to the UK. When we think of what makes Malaysia special, we often say it is the hospitality and friendliness of our people. In fact, if you have ever disembarked from a Malaysia Airlines flight at its culmination, the unmistakable final sentence uttered by the flight attendant is: "We hope you enjoyed our Malaysian hospitality".
Whilst it is true that we Malaysians are very hospitable and friendly people, the same can be said for people from many countries. Many people in the UK are also very nice and hospitable. I have friends here who are gems amongst people. On my recent travels to Rome and to Northern Norway, I also found the people there to be very hospitable.
Therefore, whilst warmth and friendliness is an integral part of Malaysia, it is not what distinguishes us from the rest of the world.
What then makes us special? Many would jump the gun and scream: "Our food!" Fair point to you, lads!
Every true Malaysian knows and claims that Malaysia is home to the "best food on the planet"; and we would go to war with our neighbours, Singapore, over this issue. For in the minds of a Malaysian, no other cuisine can even remotely compare to ours; even if the roots of that cuisine are indistinguishably similar (as in Singapore's case).
Living in the UK, I suppose Malaysian food is one of the things I miss most; for on occasion, the way the British cook their food is as if the Luftwaffe(Nazi Planes) were still flying over their lands whilst the nation was languishing in an existential crisis. Yet, whilst we Malaysians are big on our food, again, it is not the biggest thing that defines us. After all, the Malaysian palate enjoys the debauchery of a polygamous relationship with many of the world's cuisines. What else could explain the profitability of the many Italian, Korean or even Mexican establishments that dot every nook and cranny of Kuala Lumpur. As a matter of fact, despite my scathing attack on British cuisine, there is a multi-branch British establishment that rakes in bumper profits from the very heart of our capital with top notch pies as their "poster boy".
So, If it's not food nor friendliness, what then defines us as Malaysians?
The answer lies in the way we run our lives. In the UK, for instance, life feels very organised. There is a schedule for anything and everything, be it for work or even a simple meet up with friends. As a matter of fact, It is advisable to make reservations for most restaurants. On the other hand, in most places in Malaysia; apart from those patronised by "atas" (rich) people, you just walk in. Most of what we do as Malaysians is unplanned and spontaneous. In the UK, you plan a get together with friends weeks in advance. In Malaysia, it is completely normal to call them on the day itself and ask if your “machas” (friends) are free in the very next hour to "lepak" (go out). Almost everything is "cincai je lah" (anything goes), which is a privilege you don't get in the rest of the globe.
Take public transport as another example. In the UK, you are unlucky if your bus is 15 minutes late. In parts of Malaysia, you are lucky if the bus even arrives. Whilst it is efficient to do everything based on a schedule or an appointment, often it means that there is no fun; for fun lies in the laps of spontaneity.
All said and done, I suppose that is what defines us most as Malaysians- We are spontaneous, we are fun-loving people, and most importantly, we are simple. We don't need a schedule for anything. We just go with the flow. That is why we get so happy even with the simplest things in life, be it when the petrol price drops by a single cent, or be it when we are served a humble and undecorated plate of mediocre Malaysian fried rice. If you don't want to take my word for it, then take the “Mental State of the World" recent report published under the Global Mind Project, which ranked Malaysia as the 5th happiest nation in the world; and I guess we all know why!
Thillak Sekaran is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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