Malaysia– category –
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Notes on Penang’s Mamak Culture and the Logic of Nasi Kandar
A port air that does not let smells escape Penang carries traces of a port town. The sea is close. The humidity is high. Smells stay in place. Walking through George Town, I notice spices before I notice history.A pot simmering in the ba... -
Notes on Malaysia’s Mamak Stalls
An Outdoor Living Room Left Under Fluorescent Lights At the edge of the city, the night does not go dark even after the shopping malls close and the bars finish their last orders.Fluorescent lights remain in small clusters along the road... -
Notes on Whether a Nasi Kandar Cashier Can Outperform Image Recognition AI
A brown plate and a 0.5-second inference engine I order nasi kandar at my usual mamak stall. One piece of fried chicken.A boiled egg.This part never changes. That day, for no clear reason, I added okra.One strip of green felt like it bro... -
Notes on Teh Tarik and the Logic of Pulling
A familiar glass on Malaysian tables In Malaysia, this drink appears often.It sits on tables in food courts and roadside shops. The liquid is brown in a clear glass.A thin layer of foam stays on the surface. It is sweet, but it does not ... -
Notes on Nasi Kandar and the Weight of a Shoulder Pole in Penang
Nasi kandar is a rice-and-curry plate, once carried on a shoulder pole Most dishes are named after ingredients or places.Chicken becomes chicken. Sichuan becomes Sichuan. Nasi kandar is different. Nasi is rice.Kandar is the act of carryi... -
Notes on Nasi Kandar in Malaysia
From a worker’s plate to a national staple In Kuala Lumpur, when I look for a meal, I sometimes run into a smell that stops me. Hot oil.Spices pushed to the edge of burning.A heavy mixture of sweetness and heat. Often, the source is nasi... -
Notes on Original Penang Kayu at KL Sentral
A place to reset the body with nasi kandar and teh tarik I arrive at KL Sentral on the KLIA Ekspres.The cabin is cold. Conversation is sparse.Only the view outside moves quickly. I pass through the gates and step into NU Sentral.The air ... -
Notes on Nasi Kandar Pelita at KLCC
Where Night and Curry Meet Beneath the Towers When I look up, the Petronas Twin Towers are lit above Kuala Lumpur.Glass and steel hold their shape against the night. I lower my gaze.Below them sits a large semi-open dining hall, filled w...
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