Notice from the Health Department: Get Some Crabs.

The sister with a pile of deep fried crabs.

---

I went back to my parents’ house during the Eid Holidays. I took two weeks off from work and went home. My parents live up North of Malaysia, some 5 hours’ drive from Kuala Lumpur. The Eid day was fine, and by fine I mean I must’ve gained two pounds from Eid breakfast alone. After the celebration settled down a bit, we decided to take a drive further up North to Kuala Perlis, in the state of Perlis. That would be another two hours’ drive from my parents’ home.

Why would one drive up to a city the size of a mining town for two bloody hours? Well, the answer, my friend, is because in Kuala Perlis there is a small eatery by the Harbor of Kuala Perlis that serves fried seafood in the best Malaysian way possible. I can’t remember the name of the place, but it’s right next to the market selling dried salted fish, right by the sea. You’ll immediately find it if you drive around in the area because of the commotion of people visiting it for seafood-calorie-piling purposes.

You go to seafood restaurants and they serve you steamed this, poached that and stir fried those. But here everything is deep fried. Note to self and others: don’t bring Uncle Jack with the three clogged arteries, if you know what I mean. The shrimp is deep fried, the crab is deep fried, the squid, the seafood fritters, all dipped in good old Thai chili sauce. I especially adore the fried crabs. They pile it up high, ready for you bury your face into, and for the next hour or so you’ll be having an affair with them.

Never mind the seriously hot weather (equip yourself with endless glasses of ice lemon tea), assume that it’s just the host’s way to get you into the seaside eating element.  Definitely a must visit place if you’re ever in Kuala Perlis. Well, actually, to be honest, what else can a 23 year-old do there anyway?