Did we mention that he speaks Malay fluently?
Every year, thousands of tourists flock to Malaysia to explore and enjoy the unparalleled beauty and diversity of the country. Some who left were eager to come back, and some immediately decided to move here for good after falling in love with our country.
This was the case for 26-year-old Briton, Rhys William, in 2013.
We first learned of Rhys a few years ago when his Instagram photos went viral. It wasn’t because of the pictures he posted; it was his captions that caught our attention – he wrote them in Malay.
And they are not formal Malay words you could easily Google Translate; it was informal and laden with local slangs. What’s even more amusing is, he sounded just like a local.
Turns out, Rhys loved our food and culture so much that he decided to pack his bags and leave for Malaysia.
So, we decided to talk to the man himself and find out what is it about Malaysia that made him want to move a continent away from his homeland.
“I first came to Malaysia for a holiday in 2012 for two weeks, and it was purely because a friend recommended it to me,” Rhys recalls.
And naturally, just like any other tourist, he was eager to sample our local cuisine. One of his first Malaysian dishes, was of course, the iconic nasi lemak.
“I remember that when I first came here, although the food was very different to what I was used to in the UK, I really liked it. Nasi lemak was one of the first dishes I had.
"Since then, I’ve been trying all sorts of different Malaysian food from the whole of Malaysia and it never disappoints. I really love the food here.
Within 14 days, Rhys fell in love with our country and decided he would come back and try staying here longer.
And so, the lad left his hometown of Redhill in 2013 to embark on a culinary journey in Malaysia. He decided to stay longer and five years later, he’s still here and is immensely in love with our food.
His all-time favourite dishes, he tells us, are nasi lemak, nasi kerabu, and satay.
What makes Rhys different from other Mat Sallehs who decided to migrate here is his ability to adapt and even converse fluently in Bahasa Malaysia.
Our curious bones wondered: does he have any relatives living in Malaysia? Or did he enroll in a BM crash course before leaving for our country?
“The reason why I wanted to learn the language in the first place was because, although I could get around fine with English, if you really want to explore and understand the country you are staying in, the best way is to learn the language,” he says.
Rhys credits his Malaysian friends for helping him pick up the language and he acknowledged that it took him quite some time to get the hang of it.
When he started his blog Mat Salleh Cari Makan and started producing videos about his culinary adventures in Malaysia, he had no choice but to expand his vocabulary and learn words that might not come up in day to day conversation.
But what impressed us (and probably everyone else) the most is his ability to speak local slangs. Just stalk him on his Twitter @si_rhys or Instagram and you’ll understand why.
We tried putting ourselves in Rhys’ shoes and imagined ourselves as a tourist who attempts to speak the local language. It must be pretty petrifying, considering that we are afraid of being laughed at or saying the wrong thing.
But it was quite the opposite for Rhys.
As for Malaysians who have never heard or met Rhys before, hearing him speak can be a pretty interesting encounter.
“There have been times where people would talk about me thinking that I didn’t understand. Some were really rude, but I won’t divulge further on it. It used to happen a lot but nowadays, it doesn’t happen so much.
Loving the local food so much might be enough to make someone move to a new country half the world away, but what is it about Malaysia that Rhys loves so much that he calls his home now?
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of factors: the food, the weather, the variety of different landscapes and definitely the people. It’s more of a feeling I get in Malaysia that I haven’t felt elsewhere, I really like it here and feel happy.
We then asked him about his favourite destinations in Malaysia, and we weren't exactly prepared for his answer.
Among other places that made it to his list are Tioman Island (which was one of the places he visited on his first ever holiday here), Royal Belum, Taman Negara, and Kuching, Sarawak.
Well, you can definitely count on Rhys to help you find the best spots to eat all over Malaysia, because he’s probably explored more restaurants/cafés/stalls than you. Just search for his videos on YouTube or his photos on Instagram and you’ll be amazed! Be warned though, it may cause you to drool and have extreme cravings.
We hope one of these days we could tag along with Rhys on one of his foodie adventures and hopefully bring him to one of the best and hidden places to eat in Malaysia.
To virtually follow his journey in the search of the best Malaysian cuisine, you can check his blog here, or follow his Instagram account @si_rhys.
Kari Daging Dah Overrated, Hello Kari Udang!