I've recently done something I've never done before...Flown to a new city, spent less than 24 hours there and didn't see a damn thing. I showed up at Penang airport without ever looking at a map. So imagine my surprise when I landed on an island! I had no hotel booking, no guide book, no inkling of where to go or what to do. A required visa run (see Making the visa run--the Thai expat way) and a cheap flight brought me to this corner of Malaysia and I was feeling a bit reckless. I was lazy, a little stupid and yet oddly liberated!
Some local advice took me to a fantastic hotel in a suburb I can't pronounce, much less spell. I only had a few hours of daylight to kill so I went for a wander and ate myself silly through a city block of Kopi-Tiams (local coffee shops) around the hotel perimeter.
Penang is famous (I know now!) for its colonial architectural heritage and beach side resorts that have a Hong Kong appeal to it without the flash of over-development or extravagant prices. I saw the beach only from my airplane window seat and by the time we landed it was already sunset. No matter, I was more than happy to spend my night jumping right back into Malaysian cuisine since it's been a little over a year since my last visit. Malaysian food is truly a mix of
cultures: Indonesia, India, Middle East and Chinese influences have blended nicely after centuries of trade and exchange.
What to Taste:
- Chai Tow Kway = dim sum dumplings with a powerful chili paste for flavor
Fun Fact! 'Dim Sum' is a Cantonese tradition which means 'point of heart' because it was always meant to be a snack, not a meal, and therefore only meant to touch the heart of guests and visitors. Traditionally served with tea.
- Nasi Lemak Halal = the 'national dish' also known as fatty rice. The rice is soaked in coconut cream and then steamed. This dish usually comes wrapped in a banana leaf, with cucumber, dried anchovies a boiled egg and is super, super spicy! Malaysia is officially a Muslim country so Halal prepared means it's permissible according to Islamic laws governing what to eat, how animals are slaughtered and how the meat is prepared.
- Asam Laksa (Pinang) = spicy and sour fish-based noodle soup. The soup is blended with tamarind (locally grown), poached mackerel, lemon grass, galangal (ginger) and chili.
- Roti Tissue = "helicopter bread" because it's framed in the unique shape and is as thin and delicate as tissue paper. Dip it in a sweet palm sugar mix for a fine dessert!
- Cendol = (also popular throughout most SE Asian countries) coconut milk, worm-shaped jelly framed from pounded rice flour with green food coloring from pandan leaf as a natural sweetener, shaved ice and palm sugar for sweet, sweet goodness.
- Kopi-O = Malaysian style black coffee. Prepared by roasting the beans with sugar, palm oil margarine and wheat, topped with condensed milk for thickness and sweetness.
- Teh Tarik = not a coffee fan? Try this 'pulled tea' instead: black tea and condensed milk poured back and forth between two strainers for extra froth. Chinese technique and delicious in its simplicity.
This is just a teaser of all that Malaysian cuisine has to offer, and if you're a foodie like me make your visit worthwhile and stuff yourselves daily!
I had no itinerary, no agenda, no 'must-see' or 'to-do' list to check off and I am perfectly content with my brief, but fulfilling travel experience. Sure, someday I will come back and check out the tourist sights. Penang seems to have a lot to offer, with every level of comfort for every kind of tourist. But for now, I'll savor this experience for what it was. I was the only foreigner in sight, temporarily residing in a local suburb, unable to read off any menus and/or have any real understanding of where I was going....I got lost in it. No 'lonely planet backpackers' in sight, no 'tourist friendly' establishments, no road signs, no taxis or touts to haggle with. Nothing to do but eat, walk, and eat again. Just me, the dirty concrete, newspapers strewn over cold steel tables, self-service food stalls, and one beautiful sunset over the mountain.
Travel Heaven.
This video I took from the roof of my hotel. Sunset is marked by the 'Azan', the Muslim call to prayer praising Allah the Almighty and the Holy Prophet. It's a soothing sound: chanting like a hymn and even a non-Muslim, like myself, would be moved to the faith.
Despite the development and the fast-pace of a growing city, Muslims unite throughout the day to stop, sit, pray and reflect on their faith...a public reminder that development of the soul is just as important to nurture as development of livelihood.
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