Scorching chilies

Without chilies, one’s cooking would be very bland and tasteless. A dash of chilli powder will add more body and flavour to the food. Chilies are not only used in main dishes, but also in desserts, chocolates and beverages. Chillies are used for different purposes: the Malays use dried or fresh chilies by blending or pounding them using a mortar and pestle. The Indians on the other hand use green chillies and chilli powder to be added to their curries. Whereas, the Chinese only use a small amount of chillies in their cuisine. A burning hot chilly produce an awakening affect and increase the acuity of the senses. Chilies are also known for its stimulant effect; as such they help in blood circulation and raise body temperature

Culinary Tourism as a Destination Attraction: an Empirical Examination of the Destination's Food Image and Information Sources

The objectives of the study were to: 1) explain the relationship between a destination's food image and the travelers intention to visit; 2) examine the influence that sources of information have on travelers' intention to visit a destination; and 3) identify the moderating effect of demographic characteristics on: a) the relationship between a destination's food image and the travelers' intention to visit; b) the relationship between information sources and the travelers' intention to visit. A cross-sectional sample survey was conducted. The population of the study was all members of online travel and food groups in Yahoo and MSN. A convenience sampling procedure was employed in this study. Descriptive Statistics, Factor Analysis, Multiple Regression and Hierarchical Regression were performed for the data analysis. There were two major findings in this study: theoretical and managerial implications. First, from a theoretical perspective, the study enriched the body of literature in culinary tourism. The results indicated that each destination has its own unique images that characterize the destination. Second, in terms of the managerial implications of the study, it was expected that this study would be used as a foundation in developing culinary tourism strategies for destination rich countries with culinary heritage. Specifically, the findings of this study could help destinations to formulate the type of food image they want to establish. Managers could also use the different sources of information recommended in this study to maximize their marketing efforts. By projecting suitable destinations' food image and utilizing an appropriate marketing strategy, culinary tourism could be a crucial segment of the tourism industry.School of Hotel and Restaurant Administratio

Tourist behavioral loyalty: a comparison of first-time and repeat tourist in the UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) in Malaysia

The present study aims to investigate the structural relationships among food involvement, food knowledge, food experience, food image, destination image, overall satisfaction and behavioral loyalty across first-time and repeat tourist groups from the perspective of food tourism. The study also examines if differences exist in these variables across the two groups of tourists. The „catch-as-catch-can‟ technique was used to sample international tourist in Melaka and George Town, Malaysia. A total of 1200 questionnaires were collected on-site and 75% of the total was randomly picked using SPSS, resulting in 868 responses analyzed. The two-step approach of structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to accomplish the study objectives. The t-test analysis demonstrated that repeat tourists expressed significantly higher food knowledge and behavioral loyalty than first-time tourists. The SEM results revealed that the structural model differed across first-time and repeat customers. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of behavioral loyalty process across first-time and repeat tourists in the World Heritage Site (WHS) of Malaysia from the food perspective

Culinary tourism as a destination attraction : an empirical examination of destinations' food image.

This article illustrates the food image of France, Italy, and Thailand, countries known for their popular cuisine. An online survey was conducted; the population consisted of members of online travel and food groups from Yahoo.com and MSN.com. A total of 294 individuals responded to the online survey. A series of multiple regressions were conducted to determine (a) the relationship between destinations' food image and travelers' visit intention, and (b) the relationship between information sources and travelers' purchase decisions. The results revealed that in general, Italy had the most favorable food image and the highest potential to be visited in the future. Significant positive relationships were found between food image and visit intentions. The study also confirmed that travelers' purchase decisions were significantly influenced by different types of information sources. Conclusions and implications were drawn based on the research findings. This information would be particularly useful for destinations interested in promoting culinary tourism

Malaysia as a culinary tourism destination : international tourists’ perspective / M. Shahrim Ab. Karim, Bee-Lia Chua and Hamdin Salleh

This study was conducted to determine Malaysia’s current food image and food attribute satisfaction from international tourists’ points of view and subsequently assess their overall satisfaction with the eating experience and behavioral intention. The results indicated that Malaysia possesses clear images of ‘core food value’, ‘Malaysian food specialty’, and ‘Malaysian food uniqueness’ but is rather unclear on the images of ‘food and dining atmosphere’ and ‘features of Malaysian food’. Tourists’ satisfaction with ‘quality and value of food’ and ‘accessibility convenience’ were relatively higher than ‘dining atmosphere’ and ‘culinary tourism products’. Regression analyses revealed that food images and food attributes’ satisfaction significantly predicted tourists’ overall satisfaction, and the overall satisfaction revealed a significant relationship with tourists’ behavioral intentions. Implications for managers who are involved in food tourism are posited

Fruit culinary culture

In Malaysia, fruits are cultivated throughout the year and some are based on the season. Fruits like banana, papaya, guava, starfruit, jackfruit, mangoes, ciku (sapodilla) and melons are available all year round. Whereas, some fruits like durian, rambutan, mangosteen, cempedak, and duku are in season from May to July. Surprisingly, in recent years some of these fruits are available all year round. Fruits can be easily found at fruit stalls by the road-side, night markets, wet markets, supermarkets and hypermarkets as well as some provision shops throughout the country

Development of Islamic law: the application of ‘urf in halal animal slaughtering practices

Islamic law is often misunderstood as a rigid and outdated law which is non-compatible to be exercised in this modern day. This is, however, not true due to the recognition of legal reasoning, al-ijtihad, in Islamic legal tradition where Islamic law is adaptable and flexible in line with the changing of times, places and circumstances. Halal industry, particularly the animal slaughtering practices is one of the areas that experience positive developments which lead to the emergence of new practices like stunning and mechanical slaughtering. Indeed, these practices are regarded as a new phenomenon in which there the issue was not clearly discussed in the classical literatures hence needs for further clarification on the status of Shariah legal rulings, hukm, from various sources of Islamic law including ‘urf. This paper is an attempt to discuss the development of Islamic law with special reference to the application of ‘urf in halal animal slaughtering practices. In order to achieve the objective, opinions from both classical and modern literatures are examined and analyzed in order to understand the development of Islamic law in halal industry. The findings show that ‘urf is considered as the most suitable instrument in determining the legal status of modern animal slaughtering practices since it is applicable to all kinds of situations, places and times

Material management in themed restaurants : Inspiring the experience economy / Farah Adibah Che Ishak, Philip Crang and Muhammad Shahrim Ab Karim

In tune with wider ideas of an experience economy, the hospitality industry has increasingly focused less on giving a service to its customers and more on offering them memorable, sensory experiences. This paper looks at one facet of this provision of experiences: the material engineering and management of the ‘affective atmosphere’ or ‘ambiance’ of a venue. It unfolds the exploration of theme restaurants in practicing the material management as an inspiration to stage an experience. This paper illustrates its arguments through one case study: the Indonesian theming of the Pondok Malindo restaurant, Selangor. Practically, the findings suggest that creating the desired ambiance needs proper planning and careful attention to a wide range of material elements. More broadly, the paper suggests that accounts of the experience economy should consider the powers and agencies of materials and objects

The globalization of Malaysia national cuisine: a concept of 'Gastrodiplomacy'

Malaysia national cuisines are inherited through various generations and have been created through multiple evolutions and assimilations, in which formed very unique and delicious cuisines using various tropical ingredients. However, Malaysia national cuisine is still new to some of the global citizens. Therefore, food globalization is very important, because food globalization not only contributes to the trade industries but also contributes to other local industries such as tourism industries. A new term known as 'gastrodiplomacy' has been introduced recently to explains how countries used their national cuisines as a method to promote their countries, cultures, foods, attract foreign tourists and also build political relations. Malaysia also has rigorously applying gastrodiplomacy practices especially through the 'Malaysia Kitchen for the World' programme (MKP). Not only that, media such as documentary programmes and cooking competitions somehow contributes to the globalization of Malaysia national cuisine. Though the government and the citizens have taken various actions, there are still rooms for improvements to make the cuisines further known worldwide. Malaysia has been recognized as one of the best gastrodiplomacy practitioners in the world, and it is hoped that this article could be as a platform to share how Malaysia used this method to promote its national cuisines

Versatility and utilities

Banana fruit is known to be rich in nutrients such as minerals,sugars, vitamins and fibers. Some ripe bananas can be eaten raw and also eaten with ice cream (banana split). The fruits also can be used for cooking such as curry. It also can be processed into chips, juices or fried bananas. The fruits are also believed to be used for relieving coughs and ulcers, having diuretic effect, increasing sexual drive and stimulating the production of semen in men