Nasi Lemak, Malaysians' First Choice

Malaysians know nasi lemak is everybody's favorite!

For non-Malaysians, this is a rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves and drizzled with sambal (a chili-based condiment) and then typically topped with fried ikan bilis (anchovies), fried peanuts, sliced cucumber, and hard-boiled egg. You may also include a side of rendang (beef curry), fried chicken, prawns, sotong (squid), kerang (blood cockles) and/or anything else you fancy.

The 1st thing Malaysian bronze medalists Lee Zii Jia and Soh Wooi Yik did after returning from the Paris Olympics on Wednesday was to eat nasi lemak! 

It’s not just their performance on the court that caught the attention of Malaysians though, as the actions of best friends Lee and Soh off of it went viral due to how relatable it was. 

Taking to his official Instagram account, Lee shared an Instagram story of himself with Soh showing them opting for the national dish.

In the photo, at an undisclosed eatery, Soh can be seen browsing through the menu while in the foreground, a mouth-watering serving of nasi lemak with ayam goreng (fried chicken) is visible.

The photo has since been reposted by @craigansibin on X (formerly Twitter) and gone viral on the platform with way over 340,100 views and 5,200 likes. 

In the responses, many Malaysians were amused by the national heroes’ antics and found that eating nasi lemak as the 1st thing they did when coming back home was 1 of the most Malaysian things ever. 

A commenter joked that both Lee and Soh have Malaysian blood as all of us will definitely eat nasi lemak as soon as we return to our country after a long time being in another country.

Another commented that the duo must’ve really craved nasi lemak while in Paris as from the photos of food being served at the Olympic Village, the food available there looked subpar ("With the food kat olimpik yg nampak mcm kurang protein kurang rasa 😂 surely extra rindu makanan malaysia ni!").

And one was amused at how the two national heroes were a far cry from other athletes who either went on holiday with their spouses, proposed to their partners or even announced they were having a baby after the Olympics. Instead, Lee and Soh went on a nasi lemak date after winning Bronze at the Paris Olympics. Priorities! ("orang lain pulang dari olympic: lamaran – announce baby – dinner sama istri – liburan dan qt with gf and fams – dll. zii jia: nasi lemak date with yik").