Perak dishes lure more visitors
FOOD HAVEN: There are mouth-watering cuisines to savour in every village and town
their cars; or getting run over while trying to catch a wild Poliwhirl, among others things, in the middle of the road. Taking cognisance of a player’s uncontrollable urge to catch that Geodude on the windshield, “Don’t Pokemon and Drive” notices have appeared on America’s highways.
Others have lost their way in underground cave networks and walked off cliffs. It won’t be long before they do the same at bridges and train platforms.
Private properties, stores, restaurants and even police stations have received an influx of unwanted visitors searching for imaginary beasts.
In Bosnia, people had to be warned not to wander into areas littered with unexploded mines as some intrepid players had inexplicably done so. Indonesia had to explicitly announce that people were banned from playing Pokemon Go at the presidential palace.
And then, there are the robbers who use the game to lure hapless victims to secluded spots where they can be easily mugged. It doesn’t just bring robbers and gamers together, however. One player was led to a dead body in a river.
Cyber security experts have warned that the app poses a huge security risk, and “could be used for espionage and information gathering”. To compound the fear and hysteria are these headlines: “Is Pokemon Go a government surveillance psy-op conspiracy?” and from Guatemala, “Pokemon Go death: First picture of 18-year-old who was shot dead chasing virtual animals into a house”.
Proponents have praised the game’s capability to entertain, spur children to get off the couch and out into the streets, as well as bring people and communities together.
However, in this case, the obvious risks clearly outweigh the benefits. This game of fake monsters can easily bring about tragic real-life consequences.
Gratefully, the game is now only available in New Zealand, Australia, the US, the United Kingdom, and Germany, among others. It was launched in Japan, the country of the character’s birth, yesterday. Let’s hope it does not breach our borders and add “rise of the living dead” to the nation’s list of afflictions.
Instead of setting their sights on Selena Gomez and other nubile celebrities, the guardians of our morals, safety and well-being should instead speak up against this subversive new game. All citizens should set their differences aside, and either push for a referendum, or sign a declaration to make Pokemon Go a no-go in Malaysia.
sling@nst.com.my
This award-winning
AFTER maintaining its position as the most popular destination for domestic tourists for the fourth consecutive year last year, Perak is set to attract more local and foreign visitors in conjunction with Visit Perak Year 2017.
Records show that 7.96 million domestic tourists visited Perak last year, comparatively higher than the 7.02 million recorded in 2014.
The silver state had a good start when Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide book publisher in the world, listed Ipoh as one of the 10 best Asian destinations to visit this year.
Placed at sixth, the state capital is the only city in Malaysia that managed to make it to the list, where Hokkaido in Japan secured the top place, followed by Shanghai (China), Jeonju (South Korea), Con Dao Islands (Vietnam) and Hong Kong.
This is indeed good news for Perak, especially Ipoh dwellers.
Among the attractions highlighted by the Lonely Planet were the boutique or “hipster” cafes which “have sprung up in its (Ipoh’s) historic quarter”.
But, food is also the main attraction as Ipoh is famous for its traditional Chinese dishes such as ayam taugeh (chicken with crisp bean sprouts and tau fu fah (tofu pudding).
Food enthusiasts are also clamouring for various dishes with controversial names such nasi ganja, Ipoh’s own version of nasi kandar, and laksa telur bersarang, which is traditional laksa served with crispy fried egg.
Perak is indeed a food haven and it will take weeks or even months for a traveller to sample the mouth-watering food available in the small towns and villages all over the state, which have their own signature dishes.
Take laksa for example; almost every district, if not town, has its own version that will excite laksa connoisseurs. Those in the state’s northern districts prefer the Penang and Kedah versions of laksa while in Kuala Kangsar, its laksa is quite different and can only be found in the royal town.
In Pantai Remis, the laksa has no gravy but is served with steamed fish fry and a dollop of sambal while on Pulau Pangkor, the laksa is known as laksa mee.
The Pangkor version is unique as it uses specially-made noodles which are served in a light seafood gravy with sambal.
Although I was born in Perak, I have to confess that I have never sampled some of these laksa dishes until recently, when they were served at the various Aidilfitri open houses in Ipoh.
They are all delicious, but the only problem is you cannot get them elsewhere. This, however, is a good excuse for visitors to explore Perak, as unlike Penang, where most of its signature dishes can be found within the city centre, visitors to Perak must wander through the state to sample most of the delicacies.
It has made Perak a good destination for adventurous food lovers as they can visit the main attractions while enjoying the numerous food dishes available in the area.
And, for those who are keen to try Pangkor’s laksa mee, they can head to the beautiful island anytime throughout the year as it is not affected by the monsoon season unlike other islands in the east coast of the peninsula.
The island is also expected to attract more local and foreign tourists in conjunction with the Pangkor International Poems and Folk Songs Festival (Pulara) from Dec 1 to 4.
Apart from food and unique attractions, I believe accessibility is another main reason why Perak has remained the most popular destination among domestic tourists.
With excellent air, road and rail connectivity, the main attractions in Perak are just a few hours away from other main cities in the country.
Intensive campaigns for Visit Perak Year 2017, with the tagline “World of Wonders”, have already shown positive results and more people are eager to enjoy the unique attractions in the state, including its sumptuous food.
The writer is a
hamzah@nst.com.my Food connoisseurs won’t be short of exotic dishes in Perak like this