Tag - Culture

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah's ethnic delicacies, including the "butod" (live sago worms), were given special showcase to the public at the State-level Citrarasa Sabah food bazaar, here, Friday. The programme, which is one of four held in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, is the first held at State level, organised jointly by the Malaysian Tourism and Culture Ministry and the State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry. When launching the event, State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said Sabah, which has about 32 to 35 different ethnic groups, has a huge number of local delicacies. "Each of the ethnic groups may have their own delicacies," he said. He said despite Sabah not having world-renowned dishes like Penang Laksa or Penang Kueh Teow (a type of fried noodles), it is home to the Butod. He noted that no other places in Malaysia except Sabah have a delicacy of live sago worms. "No one should feel ashamed of this heritage," he said, adding that the city itself has no specific venue to taste the local dishes. "Visitors have approached me before on where they can get to taste the local food...but there is none here in the city," he lamented. Masidi suggested that a food fair be held every month to showcase the local food, naming KK Times Square as the best spot to hold such event. Earlier, the Malaysian Tourism and Culture Ministry Deputy Chief Secretary, Rashidi Hasbullah, revealed Sabah was the pilot State to hold the Citrarasa Sabah event, after its nationwide launching in Kuala Lumpur previously. "This is one of the ways how the visitors can understand the culture of Sabahans," he said. Among those present at the event were Tourism, Culture and Environment Deputy Ministers Datuk Kamarlin Ombi and Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, City Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir and Luyang (Independent) Assemblyman Hiew King Chew. Some 22 government agencies and private sectors are taking part in the food fair, which offers a variety of local food delicacies, which will end tomorrow (Sunday). Source: Daily Express

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Homestay Association earned RM4.3million in tourism receipt last year and is optimistic that the revenue will keep on increasing this year. Its secretary Duanis@Djuanis Mogirong said that there was high demand from tourists and locals to be involved in homestay programme in the state. Most of their clients are from Europe, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore as well as from Peninsular Malaysia.  "Sabah is blessed with its nature with unique flora and fauna, other than we also have multiethnic and multicutural people which attract the people. "Of course visitors also come to our homestays for the local and exotic food such as bamboo rice, pickles and others with ingredients that are only available in the forest ,"he said, adding that those products have improved the livelihood of the people. At present, the association has 16 homestays across the state registered under the Tourism ministry. "As tourism is key pillar of Sabah economy, it is important for homestays operators to work together with the ministry. "Besides having guidance in providing value for money packages, members will have backup from government should anything bad happen to tourists,"Duanis explained, adding that complaints towards unregistered homestays would affect the grassroots-based business. The association offers wide range of packages including mount-climbing, water-rafting, surfing, jungle trekking, wildlife watch, experiencing cultural diversity, among others. Source: New Straits Times