I moved into Calcutta and India when I was a chubby eight year old. The neighbourhood kids would tease my rotundness with cruelty typical of little children. One of their chants was “Raja khai Bang Bhaja”. Raja is my nickname and in Bengali the taunt meant “Raja eats fried (bhaja) frogs (bang)”. Well take that suckers. I did eat fried frogs. And survived.
Frogs featured prominently in my Google chats with Arindam before I landed up at their place at KL. My motto of ‘only birds, mammal and Pisces’ didn’t cut much ice with Arindam. And I found myself at the Restoran South Pacific Seafood on my second night with Arindam and Sasha at KL.
They don’t mince their words at the South Pacific. The frog family is there to welcome you right when you enter. That’s the moment of truth that separate the men from the boys. I am proud to say that I didn’t run away.
So ended a very memorable evening at KL. In the hands of two people who really loved their adopted city. For those interested, Restoran South Pacific is in an area called P J. See that’s the thing about KL. Their gems are often hidden outside the touristy Golden Triangle.