Comments on Capturing Penang: The Secret Ingredient for Living to 100

Seeing the food makes me miss home. Sigh...

2011-07-22T14:25:33.930-07:00

Seeing the food makes me miss home. Sigh...

It's that tussle between development, family b...

2011-07-15T02:17:35.220-07:00

It's that tussle between development, family business and policies in place. Oh and of course hygiene. Sometimes I feel quite wistful too that these places will be the last of their kind. I was telling a friend recently that the hawker stalls (manned by 2nd generation but they are already in their 60s) may not be around in 10 years' time. Their sons and daughters will not want to stand at a hot stove and fry char kueh teow the whole day in the blazing sun. And yet.... we don't want the food court food because they really lack personality! My fave is going to Kimberly Street in the evenings and having a bowl of kuih chap laden with the sort of stuff kids will never eat these days. I wonder what will happen to these hawkers? Sure, the longkang is smelly, and we wish there was aircond but the heat, the onslaught of smells and sounds is what makes Penang hawker food so enticingly authentic and old world.

2011-06-24T23:32:17.704-07:00

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Hi Stephen, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We...

2011-06-23T20:53:26.295-07:00

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We completely agree that the rent is far below the market rate, and the owner has every right to sell his property (it's not state land like Crag Hotel). This post was more about the general issues George Town faces. Is the city moving in the right direction? Are more malls and hotels the solution? Hopefully all parties involved can come together to discuss.

Think everyone can agree that George Town needs better planning (and yes, better hygiene).

Best,

Reese & Mark

You have to admit that rm300 for close to 4300sq.m...

2011-06-23T03:51:01.602-07:00

You have to admit that rm300 for close to 4300sq.m or slightly over an acre of land in downtown penang is mighty awfully cheap.Why,you cant have a decent meal for a party of 4 with that amount.
I think the best would be to relocate elsewhere,make it a tourist attraction and get some funding from the local government.
I do have to admit that i have visited these places before as a young boy and have not been awfully impressed with the standard of hygiene practised. I also remember the itinerant peddler plying his trade with a myriad range of sauces in large containers on a bicycle and servants and ladies would bring their own bottles to fill up.

UPDATE: Owner Appeals To State Government Not To ...

2011-06-21T02:37:17.447-07:00

UPDATE:

Owner Appeals To State Government Not To Demolish Factory

GEORGE TOWN, June 21 (Bernama) -- The owner of the Thin Seng sauce factory, Yee Saik Choon is appealing to the state government not to demolish his factory, located in the George Town heritage site, for the development of other projects.

The 74-year-old Yee, who is the fourth generation of operators of the factory which produces sauce using the traditional method, said the factory site belonged to the Boon Siew company which rented it to him for RM300 per month.

"In January this year, we received a notice to vacate the place by the end of April. After receiving the notice, I wrote a letter to the Executive Councillor concerned but had yet to receive feedback on it," he told reporters, here today.

He said that his factory had frequently become an attraction for local and foreign tourists because of the traditional methods used in making the sauce.

The Thin Seng sauce factory is located in Kampung Malabar covering an area of 4,274 sq. metres. It has been in operation since 1912 and is the oldest sauce factory in Penang.

It will probably be another boutique hotel, which ...

2011-06-20T23:46:46.663-07:00

It will probably be another boutique hotel, which at this point is almost comical based on the number of them opening up in the heritage area. George Town might turn into the next Hoi An - a World Heritage site of...boutique hotels.

On a related note, Melaka is planning to build a Hard Rock Cafe on Jonkers Street. Nothing wrong with having one in Melaka, but it's right in the middle of the heritage area. Badan Warisan is fighting to prevent its construction, but it might be too late.

Argh, what is the development project that is so i...

2011-06-20T09:38:04.652-07:00

Argh, what is the development project that is so important? I thought UNESCO is about preserving this type of living culture? Don't tell me that they are going to build a high-rise that challenges the UNESCO restriction again in the core zone. Annoyed annoyed annoyed.