Penang Malaysia = Food!

We arrived in Penang, an island off the north western coast of Malaysia. We were ready for 5 days of fun since the Perhentian islands on the West coast of Malaysia were already closed due to an early monsoon season. We were bummed but were excited to take our time in Penang. AKA eat as much amazing food as we possibly could!

We settled into our room at the Old Penang Guest House on the famous Love Lane street right off the main road in Chinatown. It was a nice, clean, place full of character and interesting travelers. However the best quality of our guesthouse was that it was in the most perfect location. It was a 10 minute walk to our favorite Indian food place, 7 minutes to the Red Garden Food court, and not even a 2 minute walk to the food stalls in Chinatown!

At the Indian restaurant we chose from a buffet of 30+ scrumptious looking dishes such as tandoori Chicken, Chicken Masala, vegetable curry, fish, tofu, and of course Garlic Naan. All you had to do was point and the cook would give you a huge helping on your plate. Behind the Indian place, there was a little stall where Roy enjoyed Tea Tarik, or Pulled Tea in English. This is a mixture of Indian tea and lots of condensed milk poured together in a long stream from one cup to the other to mix it and create a frothy consitancy and also cooling it to the perfect drinking temerature. It was quite a show!

Red Garden was like a food court of food halkers with permanent spots. It was always hopping with live music and tons of tourists. Siobhan tried local dishes such as fried oysters (which was like a fried oyster omelette) and a local specialty called Laksa which is a sour soup made from fish broth with vegetables, meat, and mint flavors Roy tried clay pot Frog leg Porridge. The fried oysters were delicious, the clay pot frog leg porridge was OK and the Laksa was terrible! Roy gave the laksa another chance later in the week and actually enjoyed it. Siobhan won't be trying it again soon.

And then there was our most favorite place to eat, the Chinatown food stalls! 20 or so food stalls set up along the street with scattered mini tables and chairs all around. It was remarkable to see the empty sidewalks during the day and the massive set up every night from about 4 pm to 1 am.

 All the cooks were constantly moving, taking orders, cleaning and doing lots of cooking! The food was made on the spot and so fresh. Our favorites were the Wan Tan Mee (wonton soup with pork) Curry Mee (a spicy chinese  curried noodle soup) and the banana/coconut mini pancakes that the owner whipped out like a champ every minute. Another plus was that no item cost over 2 dollars! Thats our kind of price!

We suppose we did a few other things besides eat food. On one day we took a tour of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion also called the blue mansion due to its periwinkle blue exterior. This Mansion was originally built by a chinese man named Cheong Fatt Tze in the 1800's who made his wealth from creating multiple businesses in the newly developing South East Asia. He built his Chinese mansion in Malysia for his most favorite wife and son to live in. Over the many years, the house deteriorated and all of Cheong's businesses and wealth were distributed and sold. It was not until 1990 that the house was finally sold to men who planned to restore the mansion to its former glory. It was an 8 year project but turned out to be a huge success. The mansion even got an award from UNESCO as a world heritage sight for being one of the best restoration projects.

We were given tons of information about the Chinese mansion from our tour guide. She explained to us that the Chinese lucky number is 8 which Cheong Fatt Tze  incorporated into many aspects of the design of the house. For example the floor tiles all had a pattern of 8. The Chinese also believe in Feng Shui which is a maintained balance in your life. There are many practices and different variations. This is because the balance in your life could be different from someone elses. So you have to find what works for you. But one common theme of Feng Shui is that  water must meet air and land. In order for that to happen, the Chinese always have an open courtyard in their house letting water air and land connect with one another. The last interesting part of our tour were the incredible cut and paste mosaics on the front balcony made out of colorful bowls. Each mosaic depicted a famous story in Chinese Literature. Fun fact: In china, the emperor banned anyone to have certain literary depictions displayed in their house. But because Cheong Fatt Tze's mansion was in Malaysia, he did not have to obey. Therefore these mosaics are one of a kind and cannot be found in any other chinese house.

Another fun attraction we decided to do was journey to Penang Hill to see the stunning view of the city from above. We rode a really funky looking train called the funicular built on an angle going upwards. It was a steep and interesting 10 minute ride. 

When we got to the top we were incredibly disappointed because it was cloudy/foggy and we could not see a thing below. We tried to keep our spirits up by grabbing a beer at one of the sky bars.

 Lucky for us, as  night fall came the clouds dissipated and like magic the city appeared glittering below us. It was spectacular.

Another stop was a little Chinese tea house where we got a traditional pot of Chinese Rock tea and dinner.  It was delicious!

On the last day of Penang we found a wonderful local market full of crafts made from the people of Penang. They had some really cool items. We would tell you, but then we would ruin the surprise of Christmas GIFTS!

There was so much to love in Penang. Especially the food! Over all, Malaysia was such a diverse and peaceful country. We were so thanful that we got to experience the people and their culture. And especially the FOOD! But now instead of Indian curry its time to try green thai curry! See you next in Thailand!