Over the weekend the hubby and I brought some visiting friends to Jalan Alor to visit our new favorite Thai street stall (which some kind Malaysians recently introduced us to).  As we walked up to the restaurant we caught a lion dance happening a few doors down, almost as if we’d timed our arrival exactly to catch this festive treat.

Lion dances are happening all over town right now for the Lunar New Year.  The dance is supposed to bring good luck and fortune to the businesses who invite them to perform.  The dancers receive hong bao (red envelopes) stuffed with money from the business, and the lions give lucky oranges to the spectators.  Oranges are everywhere this time of year because people give them to each other as part of their New Year tidings to each other.  Our house is filled with oranges right now that we’ve received from our friends, the hubby’s co-workers, and even our mechanic.

Afterwards, we headed back towards Mook, our special Thai hawker.  He makes a delicious tom yum soup (background), a heavenly steamed sea bass with lime and chilies (on the left), a solid chicken curry (right), and an amazing squid sauteed with chilies and Thai basil (not pictured, because we are fast eaters).  Okay, so it wasn’t the traditional Chinese banquet that should typically follow a lion dance, but any time I’m within a kilometer of that tom yum, absolutely nothing else will do.

Mook Thai | Jalan Alor (across from Wong Ah Wah Restaurant) | Kuala Lumpur | Open late, every day