Although Malaysia is a country that recognizes various religions and ethnic cultures, the religion of the Federation is Islam. And the Malay population comprised a total of 70.1% (2023) of the total population. So understanding Malay culture is a great help when traveling to Malaysia. Halal is the foundation of Malaysian food culture. Food products are divided into halal and non-halal in Malaysia.
Table of Contents
1. Avoid Physical Contact Like Shaking Hands
2. Wear Appropriate clothing (sufficiently Covering Body)
3. Do Not Point Your Index finger At The Other Person
4. Know About Halal Food
5. Check the Value Added Tax On Food
Avoid Physical Contact Like Shaking Hands
When you meet people from Europe, they are tolerant of physical contact. I remember the first time I received a kiss on the cheek from European women I met on a backpacking trip. The thought that this was the cheek kiss you see in movies and the thought that European culture is very different from ours were mixed together.
On the other hand, as can be seen from the Muslim women's attire, represented by the hijab, the culture of Malaysian Muslims is conservative. Therefore, it is best to avoid physical contact with Muslim women. Western greetings, such as handshakes, are also not recommended with Muslim women. And for Muslim children, they are told not to touch their hair.
Even thoughts of affection in public places are dangerous. In the past, backpackers gathered together and talked about getting caught if they kissed in public. Aside from getting caught, it is not easy to see affectionate behavior such as kissing in public places in Malaysia. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen it. Perhaps, in Asian cultures, affectionate behavior in public places is not common.
Wear Appropriate clothing (sufficiently Covering Body)
The clothing issue also stems from Malaysia's Muslim culture. Men wear shorts and flip-flops to a government office, and you'll see a warning about attire. For women, short skirts, short pants, and slippers are also part of the dress code to avoid. In addition to government offices, both men and women must dress appropriately to enter places of worship such as mosques.
Malaysian Muslim women even wear hijab when they go to the beach. Of course, you must cover your body with clothes before entering the beach. And travelers are free to wear beach attire. Of course, no nudity is allowed, but a regular swimsuit is no problem.
One interesting thing is that it doesn't matter if it is a famous tourist beach, but in the case of general beaches that locals go to, there are beaches that Muslims often go to. Chinese people don’t often go to these beaches. It's like looking at a neighborhood in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, Malay Muslims, Chinese, and Indians (Tamils) live together, but if you look closely, you will see that they live among themselves. That's because our identities, including religion, culture, and language, are very different from each other. Therefore, intermarriage between these three ethnic groups is rare.
As a result, the neighborhoods we live in are also different. The neighborhood I live in is known as a Malay neighborhood. Of course, there are Chinese and Indian people living here, but most of our neighbors are Malay.
Do Not Point Your Index finger At The Other Person
Pointing your index finger at someone is considered rude in Malaysia. In fact, I once used my index finger on a Malaysian person in Malaysia, and I heard the above explanation from that Malaysian person.
It is said that this behavior can even lead to fights, but I personally doubt it. This is because Malaysians are generally friendly and tend not to get angry as much as possible. Anyway, I always watch out for these gestures when talking to Malaysians.
So far, I have only seen loud noises or fights in Malaysia. It was also a scene where a person visiting a condo due to the coronavirus lockdown was arguing with the security guard. In general, Malaysians tend to be cool or calm even when they are angry.
Know About Halal Food
These days, halal food is well known in Korea, but in the past, halal food was an unfamiliar term. Halal food refers to food that is permitted for Muslims according to Islamic law. Therefore, Muslims should only eat meat that has been slaughtered according to Muslim rituals. However, it is known that non-Muslims cannot eat pork or alcohol.
And when it comes to pigs, you should not use the word pig in Bahasa Melayu to Malay Muslims. As a country with a strong religious background, Indians in Malaysia do not eat beef. Additionally, many Chinese Malaysians do not eat beef.
So culturally and religiously, the safest meat is chicken. In Malaysia, eating chicken is very common. Malaysian native chicken (Ayam Kampung in Bahasa Melayu) is tasty but it is hard to find. Ducks and sheep are good choices to eat.
However, pork, beef, and alcohol are all open to travelers. If you go to a large supermarket, you can go to the non-halal section to buy pork, ham, bacon, soju, and alcoholic beverages like wine. It is not common to serve alcoholic beverages, such as wine, in restaurants in Malaysia.
And alcohol sold at large supermarkets is not cheap. Of course, drinking outside is more expensive. There is nothing wrong with travelers drinking in bars.
Check the Value Added Tax On Food
There is no tipping culture in Malaysia. Instead, a service charge is added to the price of the food ordered on the receipt. The service charge is 10% of the food price. The cost of this service does not vary from restaurant to restaurant.
A Value Added Tax (VAT) is Malaysian Government Tax (SST, The Sales and Services Tax). SST was 6% in Malaysia now However, it was raised 6% to 8% on 1 March 2024. Some services still remains 6% such as food and drink. So you need to pay food with SST 6% and service charge 10%.
The following services remain at the 6% rate:
- Logistics, warehousing, courier, transport and supply chain services
- Food and drink
- Telecom services
- Parking
In restaurants in Malaysia, you will see bills that are different from the menu. In that case, you can see the service cost and SST in the bill section.
However, in the case of hawker centers (outdoor food courts), the menu and bill prices are the same. So, I personally think that places where you pay service fees and SST are restaurants with air conditioning and restaurants in shopping malls. However, the standard for restaurants to pay SST is not whether they have air conditioning or not. Acutally paying SST is related to restaurant sales.
You may pay for SST except probably the hawker centres. So if you eat at a restaurant in the shopping mall, prepare extra rinngit when paying.
Are you ready to travel in Malaysia?
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