Not in Cans!!!

While our shopping for daily supply of bananas and pineapple yesterday I spotted a sign in English identifying the strange looking objects above as water chestnuts. I always thought they come in cans.
I am sitting in Kuala Lumpur Airport waiting for my flight to Singapore. I have been told by almost every person I speak to that Singapore is very expensive. I already have a hotel booked and it is a bit more than usual but not significantly. I'm not worried yet.
I have enjoyed being in Malaysia for many reasons, among them being the ubiquity of English. I am reminded of Miami. A friend who was visiting me there once said, "I know who the richest man in Miami is." "Who?", I asked. "The man who makes signs. He has to make every one in English and Spanish." Here in Malaysia almost every sign is in Malay and in English.
I saw on TV last night an interesting story. A Malaysian woman's sentence had been changed from flogging to public service in a widely observed case. Her offense was drinking alcohol in public which is forbidden by the Koran for man and women. My friend explained that would never have happened in KL but only in the back wood provinces. Seems like such a modern country and then I hear something like that. The people her who are not Indian or Chinese are Malay and by birth rite Muslim. That means they are bound by Koranic law, no questions asked. Of course there are varying degrees of observance , but still.