Over the last couple
of days, I had the privilege to play host to a renowned gastroenterologist, a
world authority on the management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. We invited him here for a series of talks to the local medical community. With such an illustrious career, he turned out
to be such a humble and pleasant person, with unconventional preferences
with regards to food, compared to his Caucasian counterparts.
Days before his
arrival, he dropped me an email, requesting to be taken to local restaurants on
days when there’s no formal arrangement of meals. He also specifically requested to be taken to
a roadside durian stall! I found it very
amusing, as all the Caucasians I know would run miles away at the slightest
hint of durian.
And so, our first
meal was at Ah Tuan Ee at SS2, where we had ikan belah belakang, tau-u-kay and
jeu hoo char.
After dinner, we adjourned to Donald’s Durian along Jalan SS2/24 where we feasted on two fruits, among them a musang king, supposedly the king of the king of fruits. The two durians cost as much as our dinner! And interestingly, while we were there, there was another Caucasian having a durian outing with his friends J
The next day we went downtown to Hutong at Lot 10. Now I must be the last person in Klang Valley who has yet to patronize the much publicized Hutong, so I’ve got him to thank for inspiring me to make the trip to Hutong. We shared a meal of bak kut teh, char kuay teow with duck egg, and beef noodles.
His last informal
meal before leaving was at Kanna Curry House, and he liked it so much that he had a second
helping of rice.
Another rather peculiar
trait is that he doesn’t like alcohol, and would much prefer a Diet Coke
anytime. So there’s absolutely no need for him to
learn how to quit drinking.
