Mangiare Bene

An Italian Fare for Eid

One of the joys of celebrating Eid is the chance to sample and savour different types of dishes when visiting homes of friends or relatives. Even more so, sampling and savouring similar dishes but cooked according to each person's recipes and cooking techniques which results in the same dishes having special tastes and aroma. That is the very reason why for Eid alone we have at least four different types of 'Beef Rendang' cooked according to the different recipes of four out the thirteen states in Malaysia.

What is even more interesting about enjoying the gastronomic adventures of Eid is that home owners are now becoming more liberal about the food they serve during this celebration, that is, they no longer confine their menus according to the traditional fare. They are becoming a little more adventurous by serving their guests with more international fare.

This Eid for example I had the opportunity to experience this shift in paradigm whereby my youngest sister served us pizza when we went visiting her house on the second day of Eid. On the following day, my fifth sister went all out to cook a whole spread of dishes which included lasagna and potato salad. This goes to show that, not only are we shifting to a different set of menu for our Eid celebration, but we are expanding our gastronomic repertoire. What's in store for us next year? British fare, perhaps!