The Broth of Belonging: How Sarawak Laksa Heals the Soul
By Evelyn Chen

We’ve all heard that “home is where the heart is,” but for those of us from Sarawak, home is usually wherever you can find the perfect bowl of Laksa.

Yesterday, after a formal work ceremony in KL, the magnetic pull of nostalgia was too strong to resist. I found myself making the pilgrimage to find my favourite Sarawak Laksa “Aunty.” She has been a fixture in my life since my bachelor days, acting as a culinary guardian who nursed the homesickness of my Kuching friends and me with bowls of Kolo Mee and her legendary Laksa.

I ordered the “Special.” As it arrived, I felt a flicker of regret; it was mammoth and in my world, wasting such craft is not an option. But as I began slurping, a transformation occurred. I drifted into a state of euphoric ataraxia. The world outside the bowl ceased to exist. My deadlines, my stressors and my adult responsibilities evaporated. I felt like that young, carefree girl from Sarawak again. Of course, that’s usually when the bittersweet pang of homesickness kicks in; the price we pay for such a potent memory.

It made me realise how much of our identity is tied to the plate. I am not a big eater; in fact, I am quite abstemious in my daily life. But when I do sit down to a meal, I am fastidious. It must be the absolute best and ideally, it must carry a scent of my hometown. Food has a salutary power that medicine simply cannot replicate.

Looking back at my younger years, before the beautiful chaos of marriage and children; my friends and I would spend interminable hours debating visions and ideas. I realise now that we never once sat down without food. There was always something to munch on and in my case, a steady supply of carbohydrates.

This is our beautiful Malaysian idiosyncrasy: we don’t just meet; we makan. It’s no wonder our obesity rates are high; it is genuinely easier to find a world-class meal than a public lavatory in this country. Food is everywhere and despite the health statistics, it is a point of immense national pride. We don’t just eat to live; we eat to connect.

With Chinese New Year looming, we should all brace ourselves for the upcoming gourmandise and the inevitable laughter that follows.

So, this weekend, find your “Aunty Christina.” Eat something that makes you feel young. Because in Malaysia, food isn’t just a meal, it’s happiness.

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” — James Beard

xx

 

Words to learn

Ataraxia: A state of serene calmness or freedom from emotional disturbance.

Mammoth: Of very great size; enormous.

Abstemious: Not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking.

Fastidious: Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail.

Salutary: Producing good effects; beneficial (often in reference to health).

Interminable: Endless (often used hyperbolically).

Idiosyncrasy: A mode of behaviour or way of thought peculiar to an individual or group.

Gourmandise: The habit of eating and drinking greedily or excessively (used here to describe the CNY feast!).

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