DO’S CULTURE IN MALAYSIA

 

1. Do learn Malaysian dining etiquette

Malaysia have three major ethnicities which are Malay, Chinese and India. Every restaurants will have different etiquette. Malay restaurants will usually give you fork and spoon during dining. While, Chinese restaurants usually give you chopstick and spoon. As for Indians, they will use right hand to dine. You may ask for fork and spoon at restaurants as they will know you are not local. It is a great way to learn the culture by dine in using hands instead of fork and spoon. Be sure to wash your hands before eating. It is not easy to eat with hand but give yourself a try. Also, whatever the food you order, rice is a must in Malaysia.

 

 

2. Dress respectfully

Malaysian usually will cover their chest and wear shorts/skirts below knee length. Malay women wear headscarfs as Malaysia official religion is Islam. Chinese and India will wear mainstream clothings (unless for cultural event). As a visitor/traveller, you can wear what ever you want but it is recommended to wear conservative clothes in Malaysia. If you are at the beach, you can wear one-piece swimsuit as bikini is not common in Malaysia. Malay will always cover themselves even at the beach. So keep in mind on what you pack.

 

3. Use AirAsia when travelling

AirAsia is low-cost airline in Southeast Asia. You can get bank for a buck as the ticket will not be exceeding RM200 (unless you choose ‘hotseat’ and meals during in-flight). Although it is not the best experience airline as compared to your other commercial airline, it does the job of travelling from point A to point B.

 

4. Eat locally

You need to get used to Malaysian tastebuds. It is more common for Malaysian to eat at hawker stall instead on airconditioned restaurants. You can get the freshest food at hawker stall as they cook daily.

 

 

5. Negotiate as low as you can

If you are staying somewhere longer than a week, negotiate. If you’re at a shop without prices, negotiate. If you are at a market (not a veggie market) but a flea or farmers market, negotiate. The only rule of thumb there is DO NOT negotiate if something is less than a dollar. That just makes you bad. If you are uncomfortable haggling or negotiating, say something like, “Best price, lah?” Or is that the “Welcome to Malaysia price?” The lah makes you sound like you’ve been in Malaysia for a while. It’s part of the local vernacular, like how Canadians say “eh.”

 

 

 

Date of Input: 30/09/2022 | Updated: 30/09/2022 | sitiafiqah