I’m not sure about the rest of the world… but when Malaysian students travel aboard, Moms would scurry to vacuum pack sambal belacan (chilli-based shrimp sauce), fried anchovies, dried herbal soup ingredients, curry powder and other dry condiments which can last for at least a year. Because Moms are worried that their kids would miss all these and that if they have the ingredients, they can whip some local flavours up. Makes sense.

Which got me pondering: What is the one Malaysian thing I would bring on a long travel trip?

Now, I’ve never stayed long-term in another country before. The furthest I’ve moved from home is to another city for studies and work. Well, I guess it’s the same as Malaysians missing Malaysian food – I miss my hometown food an awful lot.

It’s a trick question coz I can’t choose from an endless variety! Laksa? Prawn noodles? Rojak sauce? Shrimp paste? Roti canai? Teh tarik? Cendol? Dim sum? Ohhh..dim sum! Fried koay teow? Chee cheong fun?

I thought about it hard and through… I even asked Edwin. He replied bluntly that when traveling, you’re supposed to try the local cuisines and not bring stuff from your own country. Aptly put and I do agree. But I still wanted to know what’s that ONE damn thing I would bring!

Argh. I finally decided on Milo. Well, it’s not entirely Malaysian as it’s produced by Nestle and is available in many countries around the world.

BUT, it is Malaysia’s favourite chocolate malt drink. Ask anyone, and they will tell you they grew up drinking Milo. Everyone would definitely remember the Milo trucks that visited their schools back then. Kids lining up for an ice-cold Milo! Oh, the excitement! I swear, that the BEST Milo comes from the truck… for some unexplainable reason. Yummeh!

To me, it’s more than just a malt drink. Hungry? Triple-shot Milo! Breakfast? Warm cuppa Milo. Need a comfort drink? Piping hot Milo! Thirsty? Iced-cold Milo! Want to indulge? Milo dinosaur (Ice-blended Milo topped with spoonfuls of Milo powderrr)! Looking for an extra kick? Have a Neslo (Nescafe + Milo)! No idea what to drink? Iced Milo it is! Feeling adventurous? Roti Milo (roti canai filled with Milo powder).

Eventhough it’s not an original Malaysian product, Milo has become an integral part of our everyday lives. It’s the default chocolate malt drink anyone would buy. The creative usage of Milo in our food and drinks amazes me. The old but memorable tagline “Minum Milo anda jadi sihat dan kuat” (Drink Milo and you’ll become healthy and strong) – probably the most famous tagline ever ( I had the honour to work with the writer who came up with this line. He’s now retired).

I love Milo so much that when I was coming up with the URL for this blog, I wanted to call it ilovemilo.com 😀