Lee: Promote ethnic cuisine for tourism

MIRI: Ethnic based associations here were encouraged to promote special ethnic cuisine to tourists.

Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin believed that ethnic based associations are the best to promote ethnic cuisine.

“Introducing ethnic food is something good for tourism. That’s why I always encourage Mirians to produce and provide something new for tourism so that when visitors come to Miri, they would be able to sample different types of ethnic dishes,” he stated after officiating at Miri Division Hopoh Association of Sarawak Chinese New Year (CNY) gathering cum new executive committee installation ceremony at a hotel here recently.

Elaborating further, he urged the women section of Miri Division Hopoh Association to produce a cook book on Hopoh cuisine as many of Hopoh’s younger generation are not familiar and do not know how to prepare Hopoh traditional dishes.

“Hopoh has a number of special dishes which have been passed from generation to generation, notably ‘Lei Cha’ and Yong Tau Foo amongst others.

“Thus, it is important for the women section perhaps to document these traditional dishes in a cook book and organise more cooking classes to teach the preparation of these dishes.”

He commended the association for its commitment in preserving Hopoh culture and gave assurance of the state government support for culture preservation and promotion.