Orangutans and Betel Juice
They say you learn something new every day. And today I learn that gambier, AKA catechu, is a common ingredient used by Asians in chewing...
Category: Malaysia
The Man who Mistook his Capital for a Cat
This is Astana, the little place which James Brooke, the first “White Rajah” of Sarawak, built for himself in his capital, Kuching (“Cat”). A Victorian...
In Which the Family Dines in Considerable Style
It was my Dad who said it first. “That singer,” he whispered, over the sound of a particularly special Malaysian band. “Is she actually a...
The Rockefeller of the East
This is one wing of the Georgetown mansion of Cheong Fatt Tze, the last great mandarin of China, known in New York, where he did...
Smells Like Drains, Tastes Like Syllabub
Ahhh… The sweet scent of durian. Known across South-East Asia as “the king of fruits”. Celebrated at festivals across Malaysia and Indonesia. Freighted cross-continents by...