Beloved veteran Hong Kong star Maria Cordero (玛俐亚) is no stranger to Malaysia, having visited many times in her extensive career. Recently, the star, known familiarly as Fei Ma (肥妈), was in our country for a press conference, where she talked about her love for Malaysia.
The respected singer was in town to promote her upcoming cooking show, “Maria’s Auspicious Menu 8 (肥妈新年新煮意8)”, which is co-produced by TVB and Astro. In the show, Maria will prepare various Chinese New Year dishes alongside her co-host, Malaysian actor William San (辛伟廉), while chatting with guests. The show was filmed in Malaysia and featured Malaysian talents like radio announcer Jack Yap (叶朝明) and singer Danny Koo (许佳麟).
During the press conference, Maria revealed that she regularly visits Malaysia, travelling here almost every month. She also revealed that she’ll be in town again later this month for a joint concert and will hold her solo concert in January. Maria even said Malaysia feels like her home, adding that many fans have wondered if she’s actually Malaysian. Funnily, when asked what she likes about Malaysia, Maria said she likes how she can find shoes in her size here.
When asked about the differences in filming food programmes in Malaysia and Hong Kong, Maria confidently said there isn’t much difference because she prioritises efficiency when filming. The television personality said she often only shoots once, even if there are many cameras on standby. She also said she doesn’t like wasting food so she often films the cooking portion as accurately as possible.
Maria also opened up about her health issues, addressing the health scare she had in September. According to reports, the 70-year-old underwent an angioplasty after suffering chest pains. She thanked the public for their concern, assuring that she was doing better and was taking better care of her health. However, when asked whether she had any dietary restrictions when filming her show in Malaysia, Maria joked, “Not eating what you can eat is a heinous crime.”
We can’t wait to see more of Maria in Malaysia in the future and hear more of her stories. Meanwhile, her new cooking show is set to premiere on Astro on 4th January 2024.
Watch highlights of the press conference below:
