April 26, 2006

Derosa Daily - Enjoying the Horseless Part of the Journey in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysian Culture in Dance

It was soon time to get ready for the evening ahead. We arrived at the Saroma Restaurant adjacent to Tourism Malaysia Information Center for a buffet dinner and show at about 8:00. The greeting was elegant and welcoming and the food another endless array of typical Malaysian cuisine. Among the many items was a food they refer to as Satay, a typically Malay food which is a marinated and barbecued beef or chicken on a stick. There was influence from the Chinese in the miso soup and chop sticks and from the Indians with the many curry dishes. Since I’m not one for spice I had to cautiously choose my items but it was all good. There was a British influence in the desserts (pastries and bread pudding) from the 150 years that the British had control of the country. Malaysia got its independence from the British in 1957.

The show was fabulous, colorful and showcased the many cultural dances of the City and the country, including Malay, Chinese, Indian, native people and even a Portuguese dance since there are still some descendants from when they took over the country in 1511 to 1641 (a total of 130 years). At the end two of us ended up being added to the crowd of ginny pigs who made happy fools of ourselves dancing onstage. We had a wonderful time but by the time we left the jet lag was setting in and we couldn’t get home fast enough to get some much needed sleep.