In the Malay archipelago where Wallace spent eight years, the meal is not divided into starter-main-dessert but is organized around a large mound of white rice (nasi), surrounded by small shared dishes (lauk-pauk): a fish, a stir-fried vegetable, a chili paste, sometimes a fruit to finish. One eats with the fingers of the right hand, each person composing their own bite. The fruit (mango, durian) and the English tea that Wallace carried in his trunks form the sweet and bitter poles of this camp table.

A small, powerful brown block of dried shrimp fermented in the sun, then grilled and pounded with chili and lime juice: it is the umami soul of almost every Malay dish. Wallace, like all travelers, depended on this pantry condiment that transformed a simple plate of rice into a meal. Its strong smell repelled newly arrived Europeans, but it signified the authenticity of an archipelago table.