The other day I was organizing the millions of photos in my computer. A daunting, frustrating, head-ache-inducing task most of you are undoubtedly familiar with. The majority of my images involve food, and many are from my travels. As I clicked and dragged endless photos across my screen, it dawned on me to share some of these images in my blog…so, in addition to Homemade Rocks! and all my other tips and recipes, I will now throw in some stories about my far-away  food adventures.

I’m launching this series with something fun and light: a trip to Melaka, about two hours by car from Kuala Lumpur. On my last visit to this once-bustling trading port and melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indians, and Europeans, I was told by numerous friends to sample all the food I could, but not to miss the rice balls with chicken. “Meleka is famous for its rice balls,” seemed to be everyone’s mantra. After exploring the city’s historical sights and numerous museums, we stumbled upon a rice ball restaurant called Hoe Kee Chicken Rice. The long queue at the entrance was what initially drew me to the joint. As my family was getting closer to being seated, I spotted a blue sign taped to the window. I photographed it because: 1) it’s amusing; and 2) because signs like this remind me of a wonderful first trip I took with my husband to Santorini, Greece, where we were sitting in a restaurant overlooking the sparkling sea, giggling at the menu that read, “eggpants” with “bear.” We still call eggplant eggpants.

The menu was short: “Chicken rice, vegetable, chicken, soup, Assam fish (a fish head curry they are famous for), drinks, coconut/beer, and pack.” I’m still wondering what pack is. We ordered the rice balls, a couple portions of chicken, which came with fresh cucumber, and some sauteed cabbage. Lunch at Hoe Kee was what I’d called simple, cheap, good Asian grub. Yes, I’d go back for more, and in case you find yourself in Melaka, the address is 4 Jalan Hang Jebat.

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