IndiaPost.com - Mother's Day Malaysia style

India Post News Service

SANTA MONICA: The Malaysian Tourism office presented an exciting day of cultural dances, food preparing and gifts for locals at the Taste of Malaysia Food Festival on the world famous Santa Monica Promenade on Sunday May 11.

The Mother's Day event was packed with enthralled audiences who delighted in the brightly colored performers in authentic Malaysian dress as they cooked, sang and danced to the sounds and music of this popular South Asian tropical destination.

Visitors savored authentic Malaysian dishes, reminiscent of Malaysia's famous hawker stall cuisine while local vendors offered a variety of delicacies including satays, curry puff, and banana fritters for just $5 per plate.

With tourism rising in Malaysia from the US, the country just south of Thailand is climbing high on the list for Indo-American families looking for a great vacation location that packs lots of value for the "buck." Malaysia stunning landscape offers everything from white water rafting, premier yachting, pristine golf courses, and even the world's oldest rainforest Taman Negara.

Krishna and Roopa Chilukuri came all the way from Irvine to enjoy the day's festivities in Santa Monica with their children, Arya and Rona. "We read about this Malaysian event in the papers in Orange County," said Krishna, who works in the software industry.

"I'm from Hyderabad and my brother-in-law and his family like to go to Malaysia because they always have a good experience there. It's clean and beautiful with lots of things to see," he said. Nakules and Peggy Veran also made the trek from Orange County to enjoy the festival, both having met and married in Malaysia.

"My wife is Malaysian and we still have some family we visit there," said Nakules as he and his children enjoyed the cultural dance ensemble performing on the raised stage in the middle of the promenade.

"One of the things you see in Malaysia is the beautiful blend of so many diverse cultures," commented Nakules. "Everything in your life revolves around food and Kuala Lumpur is like New York, it goes around the clock. It too is a city that never sleeps." Nakules said that the weather of Malaysia is like Goa, India, with stunning beaches and yacht harbors.

He explained Malaysia does get a monsoon season but it is in the later part of the year. Mohamed Amin Yahya, Vice President for Western USA and Latin America of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board echoed both Krishna and Nakules praise for the tropical Asian playground. "The visitor to Malaysia will have one of the most wonderful cultural experiences in our country because there are so many things to see," said Yahya.

"I always tell visitors that just experiencing our food is a step to appreciating Malaysia. Once you have done that you also discover your money goes very far in Malaysia, it's a great value for the traveler," he said, explaining that the Santa Monica Malaysia Festival was a part of the small branding from last year in California and the USA. "Every year we're experiencing a 30 percent increase in US tourists to Malaysia.

Last year we had 20.1 million tourists visiting us from all around the world," said Yahya proudly. "We're hoping there is no major conflicts or wars around the globe so people can continue to travel and experience the wonder of our part of the world this year," he said, underscoring that Malaysia is filled with friendly people like the people of Los Angeles. "Kuala Lumpur is the gateway to Malaysia. It is a truly vibrant city that's very different than other cities. It's a melting pot as well with many multi-cultural people," said Yahya.

To celebrate Mother's Day the festival chose mothers from the audience to get a chance to learn and compete in a the tarik "pulling tea" competition on stage. At 4 pm, the grand prize was drawn for a free trip to Malaysia courtesy Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines which has been voted by millions of passengers as one of the best cabin crews in the air.

In fact, Malaysia Airlines is becoming one of the more popular air carriers of South Asians in Los Angeles because so many Indo-Americans are combining their India travel with a pleasure vacation in route by way of Malaysia.

Clearly Malaysian food is also a part of its draw for South Asians because Malaysian cuisine is a reflection of Malaysia's diverse and exotic culture - a vibrant mix of ethnic Malays, Chinese, and Indian, all together in one big melting pot. Malaysians take enormous pride in their cuisine, reveling in its interesting potpourri of spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors.

Inspired by its Chinese, Thai, and Indian neighbors, Malaysian food strikes a delectable balance between all three Southeast Asian influences. Earlier in the week promotions for "Malaysia Truly Kitchen Month" took place at Belacan Malaysian Grill in Redondo Beach where guests tried the 'Taste of Malaysia Signature Dish' for $12.95 with free dessert.

That dish, called Nasi Lemak, is a platter with coconut steamed rice, cucumber slices, dried anchovies, roasted peanuts, picked vegetables, egg, meat, and sambal, a hot spicy sauce. Add a tropical beach lined with coconuts palms, a crystal blue ocean, and the soft music of Malaysian voices then you will know what it's like to really appreciate why so many tourists are discovering Malaysia as a pearl of South Asia.