People do not entertain with an evening meal in this culture. I’ve tried over the years to invite people over for dinner but it has always been awkward. It involves them pushing the unusual western food around on their plate. Learning to adapt to the culture in this way has been hard. I’ve had to die to my own desires and culture of what “hosting” looks like and take cues from my host culture. Now I just host guests with traditional tea and cookies. At Ramadan we host a large “buka puasa” with local cuisine.
Read MoreHi! Sudah makan? (which means ‘Have you eaten?’ and, interestingly, is a common greeting in our host country.) My name is Kari. My husband, two sons (3 years old and 9 months old), and I have lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for four years. If you come over on any given day, there’s a good chance you’ll find me a lot like this: in the kitchen, my hair in a mom bun, and a child hanging off of me.
The apartment we’re in now is the third one we’ve lived in since moving to Malaysia and this kitchen is by far my favorite! This picture is looking into the kitchen from the living room.
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