Foo-yoh assam laksa!

If there is any subject dear to a Malaysian's heart, it is food. Or more precisely, eating it. The best local eateries never need to put out any ads or signboards. Word of mouth is more than sufficient. How many of you Malaysians have directed friends to eat at some obscure place that has no name? You'd probably described it as something like "... aiya... that one lah... the stall under the tree, next to the car park? The auntie there makes the BEST char kuey teow ever!" And when you get there, it seems 50 other Malaysians knew about it before you did because there's a looooong queue.

There are numerous local blogs on eating. Where to find the best char kuey teow. Where to eat the freshest steamed fish. Which stall has the best nasi kandar. I asked Dear Hubby "How come the UK doesn't have its equivalent?" Of course, this was WAY before I went to the UK and tasted their erm... cuisine. Someone should teach Brits that there are more spices in the world than just salt and pepper.

So when Penang's assam laksa turned up No. 7 on the World's 50 most delicious foods survey carried out by CNNGo, you can imagine our pride and excitement. That it trumped Thailand's famous tom yam goong and left Singapore's chilli crab eating dust is a matter of national pride. I can so see the next Tourism Malaysia ad - Malaysia, Truly Assam Laksa. Has quite a nice ring to it eh!

We are so proud of you, Penang assam laksa!