Once again on a trip to Malaysia I had the opportunity to serve as an ambassador for TravelingSpoon, testing out a new food experience for them in Kuala Lumpur. I was thrilled to help out this awesome company by offering up my stomach and camera to make sure the meal was up to their high standards.
My last TravelingSpoon ambassador “job” included a farm tour and beach BBQ in Penang. This experience involved an elaborate home cooked meal in the suburbs of the Malaysian capital. Halim, the host, picked me up at the metro station for a short drive to his home. This Malaysian man has lived in Kuala Lumpur most of his life, but he spent a few years in the U.S. attending graduate school in Berkeley. He and his wife are delightful people, and because I was just one stomach Halim asked me in advance if I minded him inviting a few friends to join us so that he could prepare more food. I always love the chance to hang out with locals, so I told him the more the merrier.
Halim is a fabulous chef, and he’s provided some amateur cooking lessons in the past, so TravelingSpoon is a natural fit for him. When I arrived he had already laid out the table with an array of delicious looking dishes. We headed to the kitchen to prepare a dip for some vegetables, generally offered as an appetizer. I got to operate his impressive stone mortar and pestle, and learned how to make this spicy sauce.
Then we joined the gathered group for a feast. I learned about the dishes while sampling them, and also got to know Halim, his wife, and the other guests. I have found Malaysian people to be incredibly kind and this group was no exception. It was nice to have some time for idle chat about life. Among other topics, I learned about ultra marathons on Langkawi island, we talked about everyone’s travel experiences, and we discussed the origins of the various foods of Malaysia.
The more food tours I do the more I come to appreciate the TravelingSpoon model of food tourism as the only company I’m aware of that individually tests out each offering before opening them up to customers. This attention to detail ensures that travelers are paying for food experiences that are truly top notch.
If you want to try out TravelingSpoon, use my referral link and you’ll get $25 off your first booking.
This seems like a great idea. Is TravelingSpoon purposely avoiding Western culture?
Maybe. You can read more about how the company got started and why they focused on Asia initially in my interview with them: https://sharetraveler.com/traveling-spoon-facilitates-food-tourism-local-experiences/