I just came back from Muar following a company Chinese New Year do that was held at an excellent venue called Oasis in Jorak, near Bukit Pasir (GO SOUTH!!!). For safety' sake and as giving my wife a rare overnight break from the kids is a great idea, whether she agrees or not, I talked my wife into staying on for the night after the event.
It turned out to be a great idea, not so much due to the limited shopping or sightseeing that could be done at 8pm when we came back to Muar from the event, and only partly from the extra sleep my wife enjoyed. What turned the trip from good to great was us being introduced to the famous Mee Bandung Abu Hanifah and what locals call 'cendol TPM'.
Each has a story, but as with any Malaysian stories involving food, the Mee Bandung, eaten with Satay, FOR BREAKFAST(!), OK, OK, maybe it was late enough for it to be brunch, was just plain GREAT! Check out the picture and validate why don't you! Look out anyone going to Muar! However the story related to me on the cendol by our area company rep was even better!
Cendol TPM is actually an unpretentious, anonymous, stall near the Mee Bandung place. The owner of the stall dishes out cendol efficiently but is famously equally sour-faced to all his customers. The owner gets away with this of course for the only reason Malaysians would tolerate a sourpuss cendol man, his cendol is GREAT, or so my wife would testify. I don't take cendol due to obesity...
Anyway, his attitude probably explains why there are no photos to verify local legends, that our TPM, TS Muhyiddin Yassin, loves this guy's cendol so much, that he would do a short stop by this roadside and sit on the bench slurping down cendol any time he gets to swing by Muar town! Or so our area rep swears to have witnessed himself.
Thought it worth sharing not just so more can try out the cendol, but lighter stories of our many storied leaders are cool to share, for many reasons... and it much cooler when it isn't 'manufactured' for TV etc.