Where to first?

I've been living away from Malaysia for about 18 months now. Although by some standards, that isn't a very long time, for someone who has hardly left the country in the past 20 years, it sometimes feels like an eternity. Moving to another country, there are so many things that you leave behind. Before moving, you experience the excitement of being able to travel and live in another country, but there's also the dread of leaving behind family and friends, places you go to regularly, and in most cases (especially for Malaysians) the food.

Nowadays, you can find a Malaysian restaurant in most countries. If you're ever in London, you can enjoy a mouthwatering "daging salai masak lemak cili api" at Bonda Restaurant and in Luxembourg, you can start a fire in your tummy with a "sambal sotong" at Restaurant Malaysian.  Every major European city now has a Malaysian restaurant, so there's always a place where you can get the flavors of Malaysia whenever you don't feel like cooking.

However, to me, it's never the same as being home. Maybe it's the environment, maybe it's the weather or maybe it's the company. Eating a tomyam in Den Haag never feels the same as the superb tomyam I get at Restoran Sri Melaka at Amcorp Mall in Petaling Jaya even if the ingredients are the same.

So now that I'm back in Malaysia for a week, you would think I would have a "things to eat list". Surprisingly, no. It's 3 a.m. in the morning of my first day back in Malaysia, and I can't decide where or what I'm going to have for breakfast. Shall I go to "Raju's" in Jalan Gasing for roti canai? Or maybe to "Ulik Mayang" for some nasi dagang (But then again, I had that a couple of weeks ago in Den Haag)? Or, maybe since the main topic of this blog is about nasi lemak, maybe I should go have that.

Oh well, I'll make up my mind when I get up in the morning. I might be spared the agony of indecision anyway since I am still awake at 4.00 a.m. so maybe, by the time I wake up, it'll be lunch time.