About SmartDory

I developed a ravenous appetite as Smart Dory when I decided to take my travel and food obsession to the next level – by blogging about it.

I’m not just nibbling on a snack here and there; I’m devouring Malaysia, one street food stall at a time (and occasionally the world).

And like my ever-growing appetite, Smart Dory’s fishy tales just keep expanding.

Hey, I’m SmartDory

Hey, I’m Doris Lim! I travel across Asia, eat everything in sight, and write about it for a living.

When I turned 50, I’m secretly 38 in my head (don’t tell anyone). Born and raised in George Town, Penang Island, Malaysia – that’s where the adventure begins.

After three decades of designing buildings and managing construction projects in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, I hit the reset button.

In October 2017, I ditched the office life to embark on my second career: writing, traveling, and eating my way through Southeast Asia.

Because, why not?

I spent a lot of sleepless nights building SmartDory and hustling for freelance gigs.

Becoming a full-time Penang food blogger and travel writer?

Best. Decision. Ever.

While my friends enjoy comfy slippers and lazy brunches, I’m celebrating midlife by inspiring solo travelers.

I encourage brave souls to take their first leap into the nomadic life.

Fast forward to 2020, and I’ve crisscrossed 7 countries and 17 cities.

SmartDory started as my little travel diary – writing about the street food I inhaled, the places I explored, and the stories I stumbled into along the way.

And I’m still munching through it all.

SmartDory, do you travel alone as a Penang Food Blogger?

I started traveling solo in my 20s before becoming a Penang Blogger.

While I enjoy traveling with some friends, my most enriching journeys are the solo trips I make on the fly.

Friends have asked me to write my Travel Guide and make a Travel Map of the good eats.

Even when I go into a group, I often have little time to wander off.

I don’t travel solo because I must, BUT because I love it.

My first big trip was in the 90s when I went on a tour to Europe.

Back then, we only had maps and travel guides – no personal guides or stories of places to inspire adventure and imagination.

Essential Travel Safety Tips for Solo Female Travelers.

Can a woman in her 50s travel solo?

The best way to travel independently is by starting with a smaller group of friends.

Then maybe just a group of three and finally solo.

I want to show women that traveling solo and independently can be safe, comfortable, and honestly, a lot of fun!

Food travel allows you to discover and open your mind to new ingredients, flavors, textures, cultures, and heritage.

At SmartDory, I do this as a travel blogger to connect with people worldwide via delicious food reviews.

I learned about other countries cuisines just as I got to share about Penang Assam Laksa and Char Koay Teow.

I even learned to set up an Instagram account to post food photos and gained followers on SmartDory’s Facebook and IG.

I get to chat with locals and fellow travelers for travel tips.

Best times or seasons to visit, what to eat, and taste an authentic local experience.

For me, it’s more than freedom – living as a nomad is an appealing lifestyle.

There are endless possibilities to meet new people and learn about a new culture.

You may want to read these blog posts!

Beginner Guide to Travel Solo At Any Age

101 Questions to Ask Women Who Travel Solo

Essential Safety Tips for Solo Female Travelers

SmartDory Travel Blog Philosophy

Eat, Stay, Sleep & New Experiences

As a travel blogger, I travel both for work, independently, and as a guest of a tourism board.

Before I launched my Travel and Food Blog, one of my biggest travel concerns was driving blog readers and travelers to remote community based destinations.

While many believe we should hide beautiful, pristine places from the public, the tourist dollar can change lives.

Rural areas have become increasingly popular, which is a means to revitalize local economies.

Community events, festivals, and street arts venues create jobs and help support local cottage industries.

Some of these beautiful and pristine places struggle to handle their tourist levels.

Food Guides are essential.

As a digital nomad, I love Jollibee!

SmartDory, where do you stay when you travel?

I’m not your typical backpacker running a food blog.

I consider myself primarily a mid-range traveler, with a dream of luxury travel in mind.

While I haven’t traveled “on a budget” or slept in open dorms, I’m no stranger to practicality.

My travel style usually involves flying low-cost carriers and staying at Airbnb or budget hotels, which cost me an average of US$47 (RM200).

For me, travel luxury doesn’t necessarily mean flying first class or booking five-star hotels.

Instead, I focus on adding small touches of luxury to my work trips, like a secret food travel list that accompanies every journey.

I’ll always choose accommodations close to my event or meeting venue to save time on city travel.

Occasionally, I splurge on something high-end for a special occasion.

After all, luxury can come in many forms—it’s about making the most of your experience without breaking the bank.

How do you find good food to eat when you travel, SmartDory?

I travel to connect with people from around the world through eating.

Good food and learning about the local culture are an enormous part of our lives when we travel.

My source of inspiration comes from reading other famous travel blogs.

American Mark Wiens of Migrationology (based in Thailand) is one of my favorite eaters, writing about travel bites and food worldwide.

Many of my readers remark that I eat too many meals a day.

I couldn’t agree more.

My kind neighbors drop off home-cooked goodies when I’m home.

Food lovers will invite me to drop by, and I often end up with coffee and baked goodies, like scones!

Adventerous Eater

Finding something delicious to eat is subjective.

There are different cuisines from different countries that may or may not appeal.

Not An Adventurous Eater

I am not an adventurous eater or a food connoisseur per se.

I developed a ravenous appetite as SmartDory.

You will know my go-to is an Americano, hot black coffee with milk, and if you know me personally.

I may get a Latte or a Flat White.

When I finally reached America, I made a beeline for IHOP, Cheesecake Factory, and Taco Bell.

But found some of the tastiest curries and Cajun food in downtown Houston instead!

One of the hardest invite is to turn down an Indian Banana Leaf Meal with Curries.

A homemade Thosai becomes 6 when I eat that with Akka’s Salted Fish Curry.

A generous friend offered me the best truffles and Bottarga and taught me to eat blue steak.

I feel grateful and blessed.

Whenever local food and delicacies in Asia are offered, I tend to approach them with caution.

There’s no right or wrong answer, but a firm “no, thank you” with a smile has always been acceptable.

As a Penang food blogger, I’d say I’ve only reached about 70% of my adventure level when it comes to trying new foods.

SmartDory’s Food Blogger Culinary Experience.

I found these from other foodwriters and travel eaters for all the hidden gems you have read about.

Here are some memories I posted in my Food Travel Blog – the food they gave me to try that will interest food lovers.

In the Philippines, they offered me a Balut.

Balut is a Filipino term for a fertilized, developing egg embryo boiled and eaten from the shell.

I quickly asked for Sisig.

Sisig is a Filipino dish made from Pig Head and Chicken Liver, usually seasoned with Calamansi, Onions, and Chili Peppers.

Instead of noodle soup, they served me Turtle Soup in a kitchen in Hanoi.

Turtle soup is a soup or stew made from turtle meat, and it is viewed as a culinary delight and delicacy.

I gamely took a few sips of the soup and finished the rest of my meals in Vietnam by eating vegetarian food.

Years ago, I tried fried Stinky Tofu in Taiwan, much to my hosts’ amusement.

To my horror, my hosts ordered the steamed version for my insatiable passion – who’s been telling my hosts?

That enormous plate was passed back and forth between two banquet tables.

I learned to eat Petai (stink bean) and budu (fermented anchovies sauce) back home in Malaysia, but I stopped eating live sago worms.

That killed my passion for food, but I cheer myself up with 7-Eleven Toasties in Thailand.

Where are the best places to eat when you travel blog?

I eat by word of mouth and may not be at tourist attractions where huge crowds gather.

Some best dim sum restaurants fall behind a bit morsel of shrimp dumplings made by someone’s grandmother – my perspective is changed forever after tasting one.

Some are from 3rd or 4th generation hawkers perfecting the same dish repeatedly for the last 60 to 70 years.

Others are through invitations to meals in elegant dining restaurants inside the heart of homes—the kitchen tables!

Some from a heavily guarded recipe.

You will know how the aunties and matriarchs protect their secret recipes if you are a Malaysian.

An offer to eat in people’s homes is the best way to taste authentic recipes.

I am most blessed and grateful when I get invited to eat in people’s homes.

Sometimes, I get to go along and eat with my chef friends … Many people have guided me along the way, teaching me to eat certain foods they love.

I remember the people feeding me with spoons, using their hands in homes and restaurants.

Penang Bloggers Love SmartDory’s Food Stories.

I cannot remember the actual tastes, but the moments are forever etched in my memory as a food blogger. 

Mei, your mother spoon-fed me Pig Stomach White Pepper Soup when I was 15. I trusted her!

Moi Ee’s super sour fruits seasoned with salt make my mouth water.

I helped her make Sotong Bakar in the back lane and eat up all her homemade Bakaw during Chinese New Year.

Lau Ee’s mooncakes, festive dumplings, and Chinese New Year’s Eve dinners.

I’ve watched Lau Ee braise abalone in a clay pot overnight, slowly rendering it soft, succulent, and absolutely delicious.

Most of the time, when I’m served abalone at banquet dinners, I can’t help but smile. Restaurants and hotels just don’t have the ability to prepare it like she does.

Some of my fondest memories are of sitting at her dining table, enjoying those special dishes.

No one nowadays, makes Lai Ee’s Woo Ha (Crispy Taro Shreds, Hong Kong Style.

Mom’s Peranakan, Indian, Malay, Hokkien, and Hakka dishes.

Her best guides for food this good are Assam Laksa, Nasi Lemak, and Sambal Tumis Udang Nyonya.

These are three plates of rice meals.

I’m not a professional photographer and didn’t take mouthwatering photos before eating.

Why do you call yourself SmartDory?

Many have asked you, Smart Doris?

Well, the answer is no. I’m not so smart.

I’m more of a Dory in real life.

Personality-wise, I’m a bit like Dory, the deuteragonist of Finding Nemo.

Like my fish nemesis, people have remarked that I am optimistic and kind but dizzy and forgetful.

Dory is the deuteragonist of Finding Nemo and the titular protagonist of its sequel Finding Dory. She is a blue-tang fish who suffers from short-term memory loss.

SmartDory is a Travel and Food Blog that helps and entertains!

I hope to inspire you to continue traveling for food, learning about cultures, and experiencing tasty, authentic local cuisine.

Every day is a learning journey and a blessing to travel, stay in pleasant hotels, and eat around Malaysia and Asia.

Smart Dory Discovers How To Connect A Travel And Food Blog With Grace In Between – Where Life Happens After 50, Write Me Your Travel Tale.

What will you learn from SmartDory?

I promise to show you where I go and how to save, entertain you with honesty and humor, and share some funny travel stories and recipes I picked up along the way.

You can check out my resources to discover unique things and connect with locals at your destination.

Know what to pack, where to eat, and what to see.

Find a yoga or fitness retreat, food resources, information on building a website, and apps to help you plan better and save more.

If you’re looking for a second career, you can try blogging.

I use a Penang hosting company for  Smartdory (the blog lives there) and receive excellent support from them.

Choosing travel destinations, street food markets, Chefs Table, and the world of travel blogs over construction and stock markets is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I aspire to inspire you into the next decade with the best above 50s  SmartDory Penang Travel and Food Blog.

I’m glad you’ve come along for the ride and travel advice.

Thanks for visiting! Our editorial team has independently selected and reviewed each product we feature.

Hi, I’m Doris, a proud Penangite and full-time Penang blogger! On SmartDory, I mix local secrets with travel hacks to show you how fun out-of-the-box adventures can be. Stick around for tips, hidden gems, and a dash of Penang charm!

Updated 13 January 2025