Eating Plant Based in Malaysia Part One – Detailed Images and Journal
By Molly Patrick
Jun 16, 2018,
Coconuts in Little India.
More powerful street art.
Cafeteria style eating is popular in this part of the world. There are lots of individual stalls to choose from. Most of them have seafood and meat but if you look closely, you will see that simple veggies and rice are easily available.
Please note that the food on the table was for TWO people, me and Luanne. We love to eat!
Tofu, rice, bok choy, stir fried veggies and cauliflower.
Okay! This was part one. We will have part two next week.
Penang was one of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite places and I completely understand why. It’s the kind of place that feels right. From the people, to the food, to the humid air, to the art, and even the grimy streets and loud motorbikes – it all just works. Anthony Bourdain liked to talk shit about vegetarians and especially, vegans. This never bothered me. I’ve met a lot of annoying vegans. I get it.
That said, I’ve never believed that in order to fully experience and appreciate traveling to new places in the world, you have to eat all the food, including meat and seafood. If you eat meat, then sure, why not! Dig in and enjoy. But, if you don’t eat meat, the experience of traveling isn’t less than. It’s like saying that Luanne and I don’t have a real marriage because we’re two women. It doesn’t add up.
We’re all having this rich and intoxicating human experience, regardless of what we eat or don’t eat. He might have felt differently but I don’t hold it against the guy. He was my number one man crush and his voice and storytelling will be missed. He made far away places seem less far away and he brought people together more than he probably knew.
Rest easy Bourdain, may you be at peace, surrounded by meat on a stick.
Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with exploring this wondrous world.
Go over here for part 2 of our Malaysia trip where we explore the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
23 Comments
Leave a Comment
New? Download your free Beginner's Guide and start the most delicious and rewarding journey of your life, fueled by plants.
Stop junk food cravings and glow from the inside out with our easy-to-follow program. Give me the juicy details.
Our mouthgasmic plant-based meal plans are designed around batch cooking. Get your free Batching Handbook and dive in.
Love the food that loves you back
Get instant access to thousands of plant-based recipes and meal plans, no credit card or perfection required.
Fantastic post! What a wonderful trip. Your pictures and stories are incredible. I was expecially moved by your tribute to Anthony Bourdain. Loved him too!
I rarely stick with “travel pieces” usually because they’re unable to keep my attention but your blog post here is outstanding. It kept me focused the entire time, gobbling up the details, photos, and all those sensory feels (I could even feel the heat & humidity) 🙂 I love that you and Luanne are sharing your trip with us this way as I’ve never been to that part of the world and I’m not sure I ever will but now I feel like I can appreciate it so much more. I am SO looking forward to part 2!
What an experience that was… I thought for one moment that I was actually there… beautiful country and part of the world. It was really great of you to share such a lovely experience…its people like you that should be in tourism… great post and great picks…. thanks… thanks… thanks
Fantastic .. love the photos and the comments .. it has never been a place I have wanted to go to but you have almost made me want to travel there 🙂 just for the food alone!!
Great photos, really enjoyed reading all about your eating out & about, so pleased Luanne & you have had a great holiday, look forward to more of your adventures next week! Pamela ??
Malaysia is so good for vegan food. You look like you had a great time. When you kept saying you were in Asia I wondered what you meant. Asia is an area of the world, not a country. I am going to Vietnam next week for a whole month and was kind of hoping that was where you had been. I have Saigon covered though. They have a marvellous vegan network. I am so glad you had a lovely time.F
We keep it generic in the email title because most people don’t know where it is nor are they able to point to it on a map so giving a general area is easier. I’ve had to explain where Malaysia so often that even when I say it’s between Singapore and Thailand, lots of people think there’s nothing there 🙂
I just spent 12 days in Vietnam and was able to eat vegan beautifully. Hope you enjoy yourself!
Wonderful and inspiring travelog. I love food and I love color, and this captures both. Thank you for putting this together to share your trip with us.
Thank you so much for sharing! Definitely want to add Malaysia to my list! I love your creativity when eating out, it inspires me to try it out more (my habit is to always pre-eat when I travel which means I miss out on trying a lot of local food). So sad about Anthony Bourdain, loved his energy and curiosity about food, life, culture, people. Such a shock. Looking forward to your next post!
Awesome eats. That BED!!! Please post where you stayed. I’m going this winter ⛴⛴⛴ !!!!!!!!
Hi Vicky, we stayed at Muntri Mews. It’s a heritage hotel where they have preserved the legacy of the British and local cultures from pre world war 2. Muntri Mews were horse stables and you can see it in the architecture. Our room was probably 2 horse stables combined 🙂
https://www.georgetownheritage.com/muntri-mews-hotel/
Wonderful post, thanks for sharing all that amazing food! Going to miss Anthony Bourdain, I always thought I was a weird vegan loving his shows, but I never felt offended – he was all hones and passionate about sharing food and cultures I couldn’t look away. Good to know I wasn’t his only plant based fan haha
I am hoping you wrote down some recipes. Love, love, love the flavors you describe.
Fantastic trip and photos!!!! Love your commentary too. Brings you right into the place and holds you throughout.
Can’t wait for part 2!
Sure hope some of these dishes make it to the meal plan!!!!!
Hey Liz,
Here’s part 2 for Kuala Lumpur
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/eating-plant-based-in-malaysia-part-two-detailed-images-and-journal/
This was so deliciously tantalizing that I want to hop onto the next plane out! Wow!
Now that, was one wonderful journey (for me and you two)! I Googled “Malaysia” so I could follow you along – thank you so much for sharing the adventure!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventures (such a welcome break from the current horrific news cycle) – a reminder that there are simple pleasures and incredible food across the globe. You guys are great!
Hey Molly and Luanne, the answer is yes. You definitely did Penang justice! ?Thanks for shinning positive light to this amazing island I once called home. If one is creative amd adventurous, the world can be as plant-based as you want. ?
P. S. Luanne can back me up with this. The real banana leaf place will usually charge only a flat rate per pax. You can ask for refill of however much rice and the standard veg dishes you want. Yeah, all you can eat, Indian style! ? Of course, it’s a respectful courtesy to take only what one can finish. I don’t recall any banana leaf places with penalty rule for the “food hoarders”. Street Food Rule #1 pace yourself. ? That definitely doesn’t apply to Malaysians!
Hearts from Hanoi while enjoying veg Bahn Mi, steamed rice rolls, coconut coffee, rice paper spring rolls…
Yeah it’s usually one flat rate, that’s true, except when you order extra dishes on the side….(which I do often) and mine usually cost much more than Molly’s 🙂
Enjoy Hanoi. Let’s meet again somewhere on the globe soon!!
Where do you find good tempeh like the one pictured in Luann’s Sandwich? Since our return from Indonesia, nothing I can find is as good as that, but yours looks pretty tasty!
Hi Carla, Molly buys whatever organic tempeh is on sale. She’s found that it’s not so much the brand but how you cook it. She always steams her tempeh first and marinates it overnight. Hope that helps. ~Karen