My friend, an American-Korean, asked me: “Do you (Indonesians and Malaysians) have cold dishes, like cold noodles? Or dishes that’s specific for summer?”
I said no, we don’t have it. Then I realized, yes, we do not have such dishes.
Also, we don’t assign dishes based on seasons. I guess, it’s because we are in the tropics where the seasons and the weather fairly constant all year long. There are dishes based from seasonal fruits, though.
I guess that’s the perk, yeah? And perhaps, we have hot dishes even when it’s hot outside just so we will get sweaty after eating and the breeze will cool us down ?
I had bi bim guk su (spicy Korean cold wheat noodles) for lunch, and it’s pretty refreshing. Even though cold noodles usually available in Japan and Korea during summertime, it’s available all-year long here in Kuala Lumpur.
It also reminds me when my friend once commented that “it smells like winter,” when she whiffed a scent of cinnamon.
How about you? Do you have seasonal dishes in your country?
