WHILE the UK was busy celebrating the summer Bank Holiday, one Wokingham resident was organising an entirely different celebration.
Simon Suresh held a Merdeka Day festival on Monday, to honour Malaysia’s Independence Day, and people from all over town came together to try new food and enjoy each other’s company.
“It was amazing, it was just wonderful,” Mr Suresh said. “I don’t have family here in England, so it was really heartwarming to see what I could do for others.”
He organised the event, held in Oakey Drive, to introduce the people of Wokingham to Malaysian cuisine, and to simply give people a reason to smile, he added.
“We found neighbours meeting each other for the first time after months,” he said.
“We found children making new friends, and we helped create a social network of support and positivity in Wokingham.”
After cooking all the food himself at home, Mr Suresh presented a wide variety of Malaysian cuisine to attendees.
Some of the dishes included Nasi Lemak, which was coconut rice with crispy anchovies, roasted peanuts, boiled egg and sweet chilli sambal.
He also cooked up Malaysia Kuih, a delicate and colourful array of desserts made from rice flour and pandan flavouring.
And people were able to enjoy a traditional rose-flavoured syrup drink.
“No one just ate and went,” Mr Suresh said. “They sat and talked and the sun came out.
“It was nice family time for everyone involved.”
Mr Suresh organised and funded the event himself, and he hopes he can hold another celebration next year.
In total, around 30 people turned up with their children throughout the afternoon.
And they all complied to social distancing measures and Covid-19 precautions.
