Tapai: Travels and Guilty Pleasures of a Fermented Malaysian

TAPAI - In an age where food has become entertainment television, the wit and wisdom of Hishamuddin Rais is like a proper kitchen knife – always sharp. This wandering bon vivant and former Malaysian exile does not (yet) have his own TV show, choosing instead to record his amazing adventures in writing. This handpicked collection from his column Tapai in Off The Edge magazine presents a way of looking at the world beyond our food fetish and its lifestyle trappings.

Rais' grand unified theory of everything links his life on the lam with more recent encounters: a seedy café in Pudu, Christmas in Bangladesh, stalking Akira Kurosawa (posthumously), working in soup kitchens, and discovering a place that sells diamonds and nouvelle cuisine. That's just for starters. In between this all, he warps time to meet the Darai of the band that accompanied the raising of the Jalur Gemilang on 31st August 1957, amongst other wonderful people.

Naturally, lusty food marks this ageless hippie's quest: mutton and duck stew Acehnese-style, Ramly burgers, foie gras, truffles, oysters, caviar.… Rais takes the reader on a life-affirming trip that nourishes the soul, like the best tapai in ferment.

Author Bio: Isham Rais aka Hishamuddin Rais is the founding member of NGI – non governmental individual – a mass movement of one.
 
He now lives in Kuala Lumpur. While he claims to be the connoisseur of free food, he affirms his distaste for Malay wedding receptions or any Malaysian open house soiree that serves cliché food like satay and nasi impit. He also dislikes any art exhibition or any gallery opening that does not serve free alcohol.
 
Isham is part-time Bumiputera and full-time human being. He only laughs while he is cooking.