IN FOOD

WE TRUST

THE GUIDE TO KUCHING’S FESTIVAL

TO STREET FOOD

TEXT AND PHOTOS

BY SYED RUSYDIE

DESIGNER; PHOTOGRAPHER; WRITER

And so we reach that time of the year: Kuching’s month of food that stretches like dough from the end of July to August. The month-long makan-makan festivity that is Kuching Food Festival is an annual event that takes place just past mid-year in quiet Kuching, and symbolises the start of the Hungry Ghost Festival. Ravenous spirits aside, though, this marks a time that allows for some degree of ruckus when it comes to local food vendors pushing their delectable edibles, as well as our hunger-venturous locals. 

Organizing dibs go to the MBKS (Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan or the South Kuching City Municipal Council) who also host the venue, with the beautiful Council building towering in the background. The tower was designed by world-renowned Malaysian veteran architect Hijjaz Kasturi; an upwards-spiraling testament to Sarawak’s progression forward. Architectural appreciation aside, let’s talk food, shall we?

The 5 square kilometres that have been afforded in the name of food celebration showcase the best street foods that Kuching has to offer. The limits of taste don’t end there. Delicacies from all over the country are also to be found, and even from abroad. Besides the usual fare of Malaysian foods like assorted fried rice, chicken-beef-lamb satay combos, and salted-egg-everything, Kuching Food Festival has locals introduced to cuisines from the far reaches of the planet. The Asian smorgasbord, for example, serves up everything from Taiwanese sausages to Manila street food; from Korean barbecue to Mango Thai snacks.

Zooming in on the region that hugs the South China Sea, we find a shared love for a particular thorny fruit: soft and creamy but hardly dainty. Durian season is also when the festival takes place every year. What’s considered in the West as the most disgusting fruit in the world is creatively packaged in forms you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere: pastry puffs, pancakes, fried on a stick and even stuck in a churro. An annual favourite, however, is the Taiwanese oyster omelette, or Ochien, an egg-based dish fried in either crispy batter or half-fried for a little more oyster juice. Still question why the friends of your friends keep egging you on to come over to Kuching just to try the food?

If you’re the one that’s struggling on the beckoning end, shout, “Boba!” and watch as necks turn. At least 4 different Boba tea shops – some of which are creative takes on the popular chewy-bead drink – can be found within the premises. One of these shops is a returning legend: the White Rabbit, now consumable in milk tea, and adorned with pearls. The candy which used to be a cult classic in the Malaysian nineties has now been resurrected, and in the process, turned liquid.

Drink in one hand and a meaty satay stick in the other, you’ll want to take a walk. It is no desperate attempt to lose weight if you can actually circle the entire track! Despite its name, the festival grounds hosts many other activities and sights to behold. Held beside a jogging circuit, children’s playground and sports field, the festival is littered with joggers who come just for that (occasionally refuelling with some fried ice-cream or soft mochi), kids who come out just for an evening on the swings, and the footballers who train oh-so-often. The confluence that is Kuching Food Festival makes adding colour to the already-diverse bunch of tired walkers in hunt for that next mouthgasm, as they say, a walk in the park.

Of considerable significance from year to year is that the festival gives the opportunity for small time businesses to showcase produce either rooted in tradition or brought in from overseas, and boy, have the locals stepped up their game. It is surprising to see that in spite of this having gone on for over three decades, there is always something new to find, and to taste, in addition to the familiar bustling of a crowd that shares a not- so-humble appreciation for food. 

KUCHING FOOD FESTIVAL

26 JULY TO 16 AUGUST 2019

@ MBKS JUBILEE RECREATION GROUND

6PM TIL LATE