Ipoh has a reputation for good food. Apparently people drive up from KL especially to have lunch or dinner in Ipoh. There is an abundance of restaurants here, ranging from street stalls, where you can get a meal for a few ringgit, to high-end establishments. A lot of local dishes are extremely spicy and many are too mushy for our taste – bowls of soft noodles floating with overcooked vegetables do not appeal. Even a salad will be served so saturated with dressing that there is no crunch left in the lettuce or cucumber. The local food I like the most is the fruit, particularly the papaya (betik in Malay), but also the melons, mangoes and pomelos. We each eat a bowlful for breakfast every morning and, even after living here for two years, view it a treat. When I was cutting up the papaya this morning, I was struck by its beautiful colour and the star shape made by the seeds, so I took this snap.