PETALING JAYA, May 29 – I remember the first time I heard of Jaleel's nasi lemak bungkus.

It was from my ex-colleague. He had discovered it back in 1993 when hunger pangs drove him and his friends to look for supper at the food court.

Even though it wasn't the only nasi lemak there, the simple taste of the nasi lemak bungkus reminded him of his younger days back in his hometown in Batu Pahat.

After that, it became his go to for supper with friends. Sometimes, he would happily eat at least four to five packets in one go.

Those same buddies even threw him a farewell party there before he moved to Hong Kong.

After he relocated to Hong Kong, he even persuaded us to bring him the nasi lemak bungkus when we visited him. We painstakingly froze the packets and brought them over so he could savour that old taste.

Till today, whenever my friend visits Malaysia, he tries to make a beeline there to take away a few packets.