Nadia : Hello, my name is Nadia!

Anis : Hi, my name is Anis. How are you doing?

Nadia : I am ok, thank you. It is so good to see you, Anis! How are you?

Anis : You too! I’m fine. Let’s we going to have a coffee and catch up! Do you want to

come?

Nadia : Sure! This place is nice! This outdoor cafe is beautiful!

Anis : I know right! This place got many hearts to Malaysian people.

Nadia : Have you been here before?

Anis : Never

Ikhmal : Hi ladies, what a surprise! It’s me, Ikhmal.

Nadia & Anis : Ikhmal! Fancy meeting you here. Please join us!

Ikhmal : Sounds great! Where do you live?

Nadia : I live in Japan.

Anis : I live in England.

Ikhmal : Wow, I love Japan. I always wanted to visit Japan. How long do you live there?

Nadia : Great! I would be very happy if you come to Japan. I live there for 11 years.

Anis : I live in England for 11 years since I was born. Ikhmal, where are you from?

Ikhmal : I am from Malaysia!

Anis : I heard Malaysia is a very nice place.

Ikhmal : Thank you! Are you a student?

Anis : Yes, I study computer science at the university.

Nadia : Really Anis? I study accounting. What year are you in?

Anis : I am in my last year of technology school.

Nadia : Wow great! You must be so happy, that you will graduate soon!
Anis : Yes, I am so happy! What year of accounting school are you in?

Nadia : I am in my third year of accounting school.

Anis : Great, do you like accounting school?

Nadia : Yes. I love accounting school!

Ikhmal : Wowowo, you guys really forget about me! Is it I am visible to you guys that you

guys cannot see me?

Anis : Oopss

Nadia : Hahaha sorry Ikhmal!

Ikhmal : Since, you guys are foreigner student in my country. Would you hear well-a little

story about my Malaysia? I will introduce about interesting things such as what
Malaysian’s traditional favourite food, our traditional clothing that we wear and
festivals that Malaysia citizens celebrated every year!

Anis : Wow, It would be great if you can share to us your culture here. I really love to

hear from you! I heard that Malaysia is famous known as multicultural society, is
it true?

Ikhmal : Yes, it is! Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religion country with
a population of about 20 million people who practice various religions. The fact that Malaysia
practices mixed religion makes it have a unique Malaysian culture. By this, we have so many
and different traditional food that we can eat in every culture. Let me start first with my own
cultural for dishes which is malay ethnic. As the biggest ethnic in Malaysia, Malay food, in
general is rich with herbs like lemongrass, tamarind, dried and fresh chilies, ginger and garlic.
Malay dishes can be distinguished into a few methods of cooking namely masak merah (tomato
sauce), masak lemak (coconut milk), masak asam (sourish tamarind) and masak pedas (spicy).
Satay, or barbeque meat on a stick, is originated from Malay cuisine has presence in
restaurants all over the world today. But the important food for Nasi Lemak, as you guys know,
sambal is the main soul of the Nasi Lemak.

Next, about the race that is the second largest ethnic group after the malay. For the
Chinese food, it has been assimilated with local cuisines. In China itself, Chinese are divided
into so many provinces namely the Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Hainan, Teochew and so forth.
In Malaysia, Cantonese food makes the most presence with its stir fry and steaming method.
Chinese dishes such as dim sum, sweet and sour dishes, char siew, bak kut the are a few
popular dishes. Steamboat or fondue is also widely available and can be a great experience.
Wanton mee is very famous in many countries, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand, and so on. In Hong Kong, wonton noodles are usually served in steaming hot soup
with shrimp wontons and garnished with leafy vegetables. There are plenty of variations of this
popular Cantonese dish, with different toppings and garnishes. The Malaysian version differs
from the original in having slices of char siu added to the dish, as well as the possibility of the
soup and wontons in a separate bowl, the noodles being served relatively dry and dressed with
oyster sauce.

In addition, like Chinese food, indian food, on the other hand, has very much intergrated
northern Indian and southern Indian cuisines when they reach Malaysian shores. Popular for
their curries, banana leaf rice and breads such as chapatti, naan and roti canai. Indian food has
also been assimilated with Malay food through their mix marriages of indian Malay. The
resultant is Mamak food, which cannot be found in India, itself,. Mamak (Indian Muslims) dishes
have developed a distinctly Malaysian style. Available throughout the country, the omnipresent
Mamak stalls or restaurants are particularly popular among the locals as they offer a wide range
of food and some outlets are open 24 hours a day. A type of Indian Muslim meal served buffet-
style at specialist Mamak eateries is called nasi kandar, where you pay for what you have
actually eaten), white rice or briyani rice served with other dishes of curry either with chicken,
fish, beef, or mutton, and usually accompanied with pickled vegetables and papadum.

Anis : Yummy! All those dishes are sound so delicious, Ikhmal! Did I get a chance to
try all those foods while I’m in Malaysia?

Ikhmal : Of course, you do Anis!

Anis : So, did you guys mind if I also share my food traditional in England? I hope you
guys are not. British cuisine has carved a niche for itself in the hearts of food connoisseurs all
over the world. British food has evolved considerably incorporating the cooking styles and
cuisines of other countries yet at the same time retaining its originality. Each region of Britain
has it own characteristic culinary traditions that have played a major role in enriching the history
of British cuisine.
 In England, roast beef is one of the meals traditionally served at Sunday dinner. Roast
meat (pork, beef, lamb) is usually served with boiled or roast potatoes, peas, Brussels sprouts,
carrots, Yorkshire pudding and, of course, gravy. Gravy is made by taking the fat and juices
from the cooked roast meat and mixing them with flour and vegetable stock and perhaps some
gravy browning. This is mixed together into a liquid, brought slowly to the boil, seasoned and
then poured over the meat. It is quite unlike any omáčka you will have tasted. Yorkshire
puddings are also made with flour and fat and are like hollow crispy buns.Roast beef is still the
national culinary pride. It is called a "joint," and is served at midday on Sunday with roasted
potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, two vegetables, a good strong horseradish, gravy, and mustard.

In fact, fish is still important to the English diet, we are after all an island surrdunded by
some of the richest fishing areas of the world. Many species swim in the cold offshore waters:
sole, haddock, hake, plaice, cod (the most popular choice for fish and chips), turbot, halibut,
mullet and John Dory. Oily fishes also abound (mackerel, pilchards, and herring) as do
crustaceans like lobster and oysters. Eel, also common, is cooked into a wonderful pie with
lemon, parsley, and shallots, all topped with puff pastry,

Hence, the English national meals, fish and chips and roast dinners, are also the
traditional ones. The stereotype is fish and chips served as a take-away meal wrapped in
newspaper. However, wrapping food in newspaper is now banned under EU hygiene
regulations. Fish and chips is a balanced meal of carbohydrate (chips), protein (fish), and fats
(in the batter around the fish and in vegetable oils). Sprinkled with lots of salt and vinegar, and
red or brown sauce, it lacks dietary fibre and some vitamins, so it is not recommended that you
eat it every day.

Nadia : Your dishes are also sound delicious as well as Malaysia’s food, Anis! But after
all, our local food is still will be our favourite dishes, right? So, let me also story to you guys what
are the traditional food that Japanese always eat. Have you guys heard about sushi? Sushi is a
famous Japanese food, not only in the country but all over the world. Though eating sushi has
been common to most foreigners, it is still different if you’d taste the traditional sushi style. Aside
from the typical ingredients used, the main ingredient is the regular vinegar rice. Their sushi is
topped with different seafood, like raw fish. Vinegar rice is combined with sushi, a small piece of
fresh seafood such as tuna, squid, and prawns. It also has cucumber, pickled radish and
delicious egg omelet.

Tempura is a dish of battered and fried fish, seafood, or vegetables. Special care is given to the
way the ingredients are cut as well as to the temperature of the batter (ice cold) and oil (very
hot) for deep-frying, so that every piece is a bite of crisply fried perfection. In the Kanto region
around Tokyo, tempura is eaten with a dipping sauce, while in the Kansai region
around Kyoto and Osaka it’s dipped in flavored salt.

Ikhmal : Woah! Both of you are really have a savory and soothing food! By the way
Nadia, sushi is my favourite meals because it is so tasty.

Nadia : Really? It seems that we both got a same taste in food because my favourite
food when I’m in Japan also the sushi. It was all my favourite since my family and I move to
Japan. The unique combination of rice, raw fish and vegetables, often served with seaweed,
ensures that the taste of sushi is unique and difficult to replicate. Oh Ikhmal, I was always
watching my malay friend celebrate their festival. What kind of festival did actually they
celebrated? It really attract my eyes to always watch their celebration in YouTube and they look
so happy and glowing.

Ikhmal : Ohh, it’s called Hari Raya Puasa! It is one of festivals that have been celebrated
by us every year. Let me also explain it to both of you. Hari Raya Puasa, also called Hari Raya
Aidilfitri, may be a signficant event for the Muslim community. It is celebrated after fullfilling one
month of fasting in the month of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, all muslims are
required to fast for a period of almost 12 hours. They fast from dawn till sunset. Besides, starting
as early as the month of Ramadan, muslims will make certain preparations to celebrate the
arrival of this Eid. Among the traditions of Muslims during this country before the arrival of 1
Syawal, is to sew or buy new clothes for the family, decorate the house and make some various
types of traditional cakes to be served for the guests who will come to visit the house.

On the morning Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the muslims would wear their new clothes, seeking
forgiveness from each another, prayers Hari Raya at the mosque, visiting ancestors’ graves and
visiting relatives and friends to feast traditional malay delicacies. Some favourite dishes that can
be found in Muslims homes on this special occasion are ketupat, lemang, rendang and satay.
The muslims also have the habit of giving packets of money to kids from their parents, relatives
or when they go visiting . Furthermore, Muslims also hold “open houses” throughout the festive
month, to which friends and neighbors from every race are invited.
Anis : Interesting! so, how about the Chinese celebration Ikhmal?

Ikhmal : For Chinese celebration, they celebrate Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year
is the most important and largest yearly event for Chinese and Chinese communities around the
world. The preparations begin a month around earlier as there are many things to be done
before the nice day arrives. The womenfolk get busy making cakes, biscuits, glutinous rice
cakes and jellies. Additionally, homes are spruced up, new curtains sewn, new cushions and
carpets bought to give the home a new look. Red lanterns are hung outside. Members of the
family clean their homes in preparation for celebrations and their houses are decorated with red
lanterns, red couplets, paper Cutouts, and New Year's paintings. 

On Chinese New Year day, the Chinese also will have open house to let the relatives and
friends visit. The buddies of Chinese originated from other ethnics are also allowed to visit. The
youngsters who singles are the ones who enjoy the festive season most. They receive red
packets or ang pow containing money from their parents and their elders.

And for the Indian culture, they usually celebrate Deepavali, or commonly known as Diwali, is a
festival of lights celebrated by those of Hindu faith. For Hindus, it is one of the important
festivals of the year, who celebrate by performing traditional customs at home. Fire crackers are
depart to scare evil spirits away.

In the evening, people dress up in bright new clothes. Ladies adorn their hair with flower strands
or gajras and wear heavy gold jewellery. Diyas are lit in every corner of the house. Some even
illuminate their houses with strands of electrical bulbs. When everything is ready, it is time for
Lakshmi Puja. All family members gather in the worship area to perform Puja which is followed
by arti. They pray to God for prosperity and happiness in their own life and in the lives of people
around them.

Nadia : There are so many festivals that you guys celebrate! It was so fun and amazing
because the bond with each society will become closer and it can avoid from happen any
argument between any society. So, basically in Japan, the people of japan take part in many
festivals throughout the year which involve a great amount of enthusiasm and enjoyment. Many
festivals honor people and things of significance in Japan. I am going to take about the top
3 festivals. The most popular festival in Japan takes place in Kyoto. This festival iscalled Gion
Matsuri and it takes place during the whole month of July.Millions of people including tourists
gather to celebrate and honor the grand group of floats called "Yamakoo Junko". People
celebrate this festivalin Kawaramachi and Oike Street.
The second most famous festival is called "Kanda Matsuri". This festival takes place in Tokyo in
honor of the Kanda Matsuri shine. This festival takes place in the middle of the month of May. It
usually takes place on a weekend close enough to the 15 th of May. The Saturday procession is
the most famous day. On the Saturday the portable shrines are brought through the made
parade through the streets of Kanda, Nihonbashi, Otemachi and Akihabaka. The Saturday
procession's parade includes priests on horses and many more.

Furthermore, Awa Odori" in Tokushima. Tokushima Awa Odori is rated by many as Japan’s top
summer festival. It takes place in Tokushima – a prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It is a big
traditional dance festival. The people dance all day to upbeat music all along the streets of
Tokushima City. For this festival there is a dress code Everyone dresses in colorful summer
kimono's and straw hats.

Anis : What an enjoyable moment to reminisce Nadia! How I wish I can feel the
experience at Japan too. I also want to share about the festival in England or mostly, the
English people will celebrate this festival when it comes their time. In September, we harvest the
crops that have grown throughout the year and the Harvest Festival is a celebration of the food
that we have cultivated in the land. So, what the Harvest Festival means? Traditionally, the
Harvest Festival is held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. The Harvest moon is the
full moon that is closest to the autumnal equinox. Two times out of three this falls within
September, but on those rare occasions it occurs in October. The main places that celebrate the
Harvest Festival are churches and schools. Churches decorate with baskets of fruit and other
produce and say prayers and sing hymns to give thanks for previous successful harvests and
hope for continued success in the future.

It is not a public holiday. but it still an important date in the calendar in the UK. Schools
may hold assemblies that are similar to the church services, but they also ask students to bring
food to the school. The food is then parceled up so that it can then be distributed to those less
fortunate as the Harvest Festival is also about helping those in need as much as possible.
Although Harvest celebrations can be traced back to pagan festivals, the modern Harvest
Festival began in 1843, when parishioners in Cornwall were invited to a thanksgiving service by
the Reverend at that time.

In addition, the month of October contains the spookiest day of the year as the 31st is
Halloween, a day of hauntings and fun. So, I will talk about the Halloween celebrations in my
country. The origins of Halloween are not completely clear. Some scholars think that it can be
traced back to Celtic harvest festivals, such as Samhain, being converted to a festival for
Christians to enjoy. Whereas others believe that Halloween is purely an original Christian
festival.

Halloween is now seen as a fun event for both adults and children. People of all ages
will dress in fancy dress for parties and some workplaces, such as stores and offices will
encourage their employees to enter into the spirit of the day and allow them to dress up too.
Costumes tend to be of scary characters such as witches or vampires but can be of anything.
For children, Halloween is about dressing up and eating sweets. Children will wear costumes
and go to the houses in the neighbourhood where they will knock on their neighbour's doors and
say "trick or treat!". The householder might then give the children a treat of some sweets.

Nadia : Woah, I find that is so much interesting and it really provides new knowledge to
me about each of your celebrations! Honestly, I can know every detail about other culture
without having to travel to another country. We absolutely can easily learn from each other!

Ikhmal : So, last but not least, I would like to introduce about Malaysians traditional
clothing that all of us as their citizens have been practising in Malaysia. Based on the other
aspect, which is traditional Malay clothing, especially for Baju Melayu and Baju Kurung. It
symbolises a significant identity of Malay society until now After that, names like Baju Melayu for
male and Baju Kurung for women.

While for Chinese society, what outfit that Chinese wear? During festivals, especially the
Chinese New Year, they are spotted in traditional outfits. For Chinese men, wear their traditional
dress called tang suit. Tang suit is a type of jacket that has a collar and a knot at the belly and is
mostly floral. For women, wear the red cheongsam (means ‘long dress’). Cheongsam, also
called qipao, is a silk one-piece dress with a collar and clasps at the waist, either in the centre or
on the side. Traditionally Cheong Sam will usually be red and have certain patterns.

Lastly, for Indian people, the Indians in Malaysia have stuck to their roots in terms of traditional
dresses. For women, Indians in Malaysia as with elsewhere in the world wear  sarees a cloth of
5-6 yards piece which is usually worn with a petticoat of a similar shade. It is wrapped around
the body so that the embroidered end hangs over the shoulder, while the petticoat is worn
above the bellybutton to support the saree. For men, in formal occasions Indian men wear the
"kurta", a knee-length shirt usually made from cotton or linen. The Kurta or the top is a knee
length collarless shirt which is adorned in mostly white or pastel colours. But today you will find
Kurtas made out of the most wonderful and colourful of fabrics.
Anis : Wow, what a great sharing session we are having just now! Malaysian people
are so lucky because they can have many outfits from all the entire society to wear. It would be
so gorgeous and attractive when we see the other society wear the traditional outfit from our
society. As example, the Chinese people wear the baju kurung outfit while indian people wear
the Cheongsam from Chinese culture. In England, unlike Wales and Scotland, has no official
national dress. Some people think men in England wear suits and bowler hats, but it is very
unusual these days to see anyone wearing a bowler hat. An English National Costume group
are trying to make England's national dress be the clothes worn by the Anglo Saxons during the
7th century. The Anglo-Saxons were warrior-farmers and came from north-western Europe.
They began to invade Britain during 450 A.D. A far better choice for an English national dress
would be to choose from our many customs and traditions we have in England. There are a
wide variety of costumes from the spectacular ceremonies associated with monarchy to the
traditional costumes worn by morris dancers and others at English country fairs. The Pearly
Kings were the leaders of the Victorian street sellers. They got their name because they wore
'pearl' buttons on their hats as a sign of authority. Later they began to wear clothes covered all
over in buttons. The title of Pearly King is passed down in the family, and there are Pearly
Queens, Princes and Princesses too. They now spend their free time collecting for charity.

Nadia : Since we realized that our sharing session are taking long time, let me close our
session with the traditional outfit that usually Japanese wear when there is any event. The
kimono is japanese traditional dress literally `the thing worn’, is the classic garment for both men
and women. Traditionally, kimonos were worn layer upon layer. The number of layers related to
the importance of the wearer; in the most extreme cases so many would be worn that the
wearer could scarcely move. In reality, most women’s kimonos are more intricate in structure
than just described, having additional material on each side of the front opening and an extra
neckband. Outer kimonos for formal wear often have an interlining and a lining. Traditionally,
this lining was orangey-red in colour and curved up around the hemline so that it was visible on
the outside. All kimonos are fastened with a sash called an obi which fits comfortably round the
waist and under the hanging sleeves. The sleeves are not completely joined to the body at the
armholes for this purpose.

A popular japanese traditional dress which is usually made of cotton or synthetic fabric is

known as Yukata. This is also worn by both men and women in summer as a light and casual
garment. Compared with other types of kimonos, Yutaka kimonos are much easier to wear and
maintain and are less expensive. Traditionally, yukata were mostly made of indigo-dyed cotton,
but today, a wide variety of colors and designs are available. Yukata are also worn at Japanese
inns ryokan.

Besides, hakama is also a japanese traditional dress particularly associated with the

Japanese men. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. Hakama are
worn over a kimono. Commonly, this dress comes in black and white colored stiff, striped silk
and sometimes in navy blue as well. This is a typical formal attire for the Japanese men. The
Sumo wrestlers of Japan wear Hakama when they attend the public or formal ceremonies.
Hakama is the cultural emblem for the Japanese men.

Ikhmal : It is good to know that all of us were involving in best session of talk this
evening.

Nadia : Thank you guys for giving me some knowledge about each of your country! It
would be so great if I can feel the experience for real. I want to find out how other people live
and cook. For sure I want to learn from them and make memories all over the world.

Anis : It’s okay Nadia. We are still young, and we still have time to travel around the
world and watch different culture in different country. I think all of us can have our meal now!

Ikhmal : Couldn’t agree anymore Anis. Let’s we finish our study by getting a flying
colours result and then we can travel around the world as far as we want with no regrets! I want
to say thank you also for you guys because landing me you ear. Now, let’s we eat!