Muslims in Malaysia celebrated Hari Raya last weekend and we all enjoyed a four-day break. Hari Raya is the end of Ramadan and many Muslim families mark the holiday with ‘balik kampung’ (going back to the village) so the roads are very busy. The symbol of Hari Raya on many posters and greeting cards is the ‘ketupat’, baskets woven from coconut palm leaves which are stuffed with rice and then boiled. Not surprisingly food is central to Hari Raya and family gatherings. We were invited to an evening meal on the third night by our Muslim neighbours. The table was beautifully laid with all sorts of traditional dishes, many of them deliciously spicy. There was another table filled with sweet dishes. We tried to to do justice to it but when we got up the dishes were scarcely dented. Our neighbours had all their children and grandchildren staying over and the house was filled with the excited chatter and laughter of the children, dressed in their shiny new clothes. They were enchanting.