WHEN MAKAN PLANS GO ROGUE

Going out with former school friends is like joining an unlicensed tour group where no one really knows the itinerary, but everyone’s having a blast anyway. What starts as a calm and civilised “Let’s meet for brunch/breakfast” often ends up as an epic makan road trip that spans multiple states and several digestive cycles.

Take for example that one time we planned a simple, innocent brunch—Mee Rebus at TTDI, they said. Next thing you know, we’re three expressways deep and pulling into Muar, standing in line at Asam Pedas Askar Pencen, sweating from both the sambal and the sheer disbelief at how we got there. Apparently, one detour led to kerepek and satay and later in the day, durian.


Then there was that legendary breakfast in Nilai. A simple morning meet-up, or so we thought. We were just there for some Lontong and Lempeng—but by noon, we were cruising toward Banting on a totally unplanned kerepek expedition. Kerepek ubi, kerepek pisang, kerepek that none of us could even name—if it was crunchy and came in a giant plastic bag, we ended up having lunch in Morib, seated at the Medan Selera, swatting flies off the food.

The best part of these spontaneous escapades isn’t even the food—although let’s be honest, that is a close second—it’s the company. There’s nothing quite like being stuck in traffic with people who once got scolded with you during assembly, who still call you by your old nickname, and who remember your most awkward teenage moments in alarming detail. The laughter is loud, the stories are wilder with each retelling, and the energy never seems to run out—even when we do, eventually, crawl home just before midnight, car filled with snacks and hearts filled with joy.

So yes, we may be older, a little more tired, and possibly armed with Waze and acid reflux meds—but when it comes to these makan adventures with old school friends, we’re still the same mischievous bunch, always ready to go “just for breakfast,” and somehow return 14 hours later with a new favourite spot and a fresh batch of memories.

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