ASIA / PACIFIC
Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
December 4, 2017
On Penang island, it’s all about art, eats & old streets
FAMILIAR & EXOTIC. Skewered pieces of
chicken (top photo) are roasted in a traditional Indian
tandoor oven on a George Town roadside on the is-
land of Penang, Malaysia. In the bottom photo, people
walk past the Ren i Tang, a former Chinese medicine
hall converted into a boutique hotel, in George Town.
Penang is the rare tropical island where hitting the
town beats lazing on the beach. Fortune-seekers from
China, Europe, and India have been drawn to the Ma-
laysian island for more than two centuries, creating
along with local Malays an eclectic mix that can feel
both seductively familiar and exotic at the same time.
(AP Photos/Adam Schreck)
Continued from page one
more likely than not to be wowed by some
selfie-inspired street art slowly fading
away in the tropical sun.
On this multiethnic island, it is perhaps
no surprise that some of the most popular
were produced by an outsider, Lithuanian
Ernest Zacharevic, who was inspired
enough by George Town to put down roots.
“It was very fresh for me — to see all
these walls and textures and inspirations
that I get there,” he said. “There’s just
something charming about it. It’s a place
which is hard to forget.”
Other pieces to look out for are the more
than four dozen cartoonish steel-rod
sculptures by Malaysian artists detailing
local history, including one memorializing
Penang-born shoemaker Jimmy Choo, and
a mural of a larger-than-life Indian
boatman by Russian artist Julia
Volchkova.
Feeling inspired? Rozana Mohamed
runs classes teaching the traditional art of
batik painting from her studio on Lebuh
Aceh. Sessions start from as little as 35
ringgit ($8.40) for one hour, materials
included.
Eat on the street
Even by the standards of Southeast Asia
— a region that spawned pad thai and
Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches — the
street food of Penang stands out. Part of
what makes it so good is the mishmash of
cultures that have left their mark on the
island.
Start the day with Indian roti canai, a
flaky flatbread served with curry. Or try a
true Malaysian favorite: nasi lemak — a
mound of coconut-infused rice plus
peanuts, crispy anchovies, sweet chili
sauce, and a hard-boiled egg, served with
or without meat. It’s an odd combination —
often wrapped in a grab-and-go banana
leaf parcel — that works amazingly well.
Wash it down like the locals do with a
strong iced coffee sweetened with con-
densed milk.
From there it’s on to a parade of
China-inspired stir-fried noodle dishes.
Char kway teow — made with flat rice
noodles, sausage, shrimp, cockles, and
eggs — is a must-try staple that’s easy to
find.
Mee goreng, another fried noodle dish, is
sweeter and can have a subtle Indian curry
kick, while the famous laksa noodle soup is
all about the sour and spice.
None of the dishes costs much more than
6 ringgit ($1.45). One you’ll struggle to
find? The similarly named panang curry,
which is more associated with neighboring
Thailand.
If you go
Getting there: Bridges and ferries link
Penang to the mainland. Or catch a short
direct flight from the capital, Kuala
Lumpur, or nearby hubs like Singapore or
Bangkok.
Accommodations: Some of the best
hotels and inns are housed in renovated
old buildings, such as the Blue Mansion
built by 19th-century magnate Cheong
Fatt Tze. Another one to check out is Ren i
Tang, a converted Chinese medicine hall
in Little India where an ingenious pulley
spares guests from hoisting bags up the
narrow stairs.
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