When a Dali or a Mondrian can&rsquot redeem a fridge magnet (lowest in the pecking order of all things &lsquoforeign&rsquo), what can a curry laksa do Not much, really. But lost and hungry, somewhere in the dingy chestnut-smoked lanes of Kuala Lumpur&rsquos China Town on Jalan Petaling, recently drenched by an afternoon shower, I was smitten by this plasticky, RM10 bowl of noodles and shrimp. In a sea of fake Guccis and Pradas, Hermès and Dior, this ersatz laksa &mdash with its dainty, floating chopsticks and a pair of curled up crustaceans &mdash seemed like the closest thing to reality. There were BLTs and club sandwiches too. Dimsums and pandan-green Nyonya sweetmeats. And yet, I had eyes only for the rubber noodles. I must have been really hungry.
