Penang Pop-Over and the Culinary Tourist

Why are there magazines on food and travel? Wasn't foreign food, until recently, merely a component of travel, like killing natives off with foreign diseases; a by-product of other evolutionarily more lofty aims like crusading or discovering new countries for self-glory and mercenary profit?

Is culinary tourism, where food and drink are the motivation and goal of a tourist's experience, a Western/developed world construct where the Freudianly infantile obsession with putting things in one's mouth is experiencing great popularity in televised cooking shows, food magazines and food blogs. Or is foodie travel part of the move to authentic local experience from the Disneyland-ification of the 1980s, (street) food being an intimate insight into another culture, its city and suburban life, its domestic, national and global cultures, its perspectives on social issues?

To add to the junkpile of thesis-misses, what about the anthropology of breakfasts? How much does the first meal of the day and its contents tell us about the ideologies and worldviews of the consumers and the stratification of society:

Fruits, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and tea for breakfast, Clove Hall

Nyonya dessert, Clove Hall

Yuan Yang Ais and Kaya Roti Bakar, Toh Soon Coffeeshop, Lorong Campbell

Herbal duck soup, Kwai Lock Coffeeshop, Pulau Tikus

Pancake, Outside Kwai Lock Coffeeshop, Pulau Tikus

Or what about the social economics of back-alley vegetable sellers cf fresh food sections of supermarkets that might elicit a wave from Adam Smith's invisible hand:

Vegetable sellers, Pasar Pulau Tikus

Or the evolution of local dishes and ideas of preparation and confluence of ingredients? For example, while char kway teow is a dish common to both sides of the Causeway (just that it is much much better far north of said Causeway),

Char Kueh Teow, Goggle Auntie at Kafe Heng Huat, Lorong Selamat - shiok


Char Kueh Teow, Goggle Uncle, Lorong Selamat - many lard bits, too salty and MSG-y


Char Kway Teow, Joo Hooi Coffeeshop - darker, nice but less depth than Goggle Auntie's

char koey kark, that delicious child of fried carrot cake (the rice flour type, chye poh and all) and char kway teow, is known only in Malaysia:

Char Koay Kark, Outside Kwai Lock Coffeeshop, Pulau Tikus

And what about the anthropology of eating spaces? There are coffeeshops galore in Georgetown but unlike the coffeeshops of Amsterdam or New York, they appear functional: a shelter under which to rest, a table to put food on and a chair to sit on while eating, yet the banter between hawkers, the cheek-by-jowl living seems to do something for community...

Joo Hooi Coffeeshop, Jalan Pinang (Penang Road)


Mushroom Chicken Noodles with Fried Wanton, Eng Loh Coffeeshop


Roast Chicken Rice, Eng Loh Coffeeshop

...because by contrast, New World Park - old Swatow Lane hawkers bundled into a sanitised environment seemed dead. The stallowners sat in their own stores listening to flies being electrocuted and yawned (safely).

Curry Mee, New World Park

(We had our last local meal at Kek Seng Coffeeshop. A great send-off. Everything was yummy and good. (You will notice that "good" appears three more times in relation to this coffeeshop. Yes, the culinary adjective department is looking to hire. Only A.A. Gill, whose Table Talk we took turns giggling at and reading to each other choice nuggets from, need apply.) Was there some sort of culinary curation involved?)

Kek Seng Coffeeshop, Jalan Pinang (Penang Road)

Assam Laksa - a very good introduction

Chicken and Roast Pork Rice

The roast pork was fantastic. Have never liked the stuff because it's always tasted of pig that has been left to decompose in a sewer. But this was good. It was later pointed out to me that this was because it tasted like smoked pork and crackling, therefore kosher (sorry) to my angmoh-fied palate.

Kueh Pie Tee - this was so good we had seconds, then took away another lot for afters.

Or what about pontificating on the colonialist underpinings of the use of ice, a state of water not known to the indigenous people of southeast asia?

Durian Ice-cream Ice Kacang, Kek Seng Coffeeshop


Ais Kachang, Lorong Selamat


Penang Road Famous Teochew Chedul and Ice Kacang, Lebuh Keng Kwee off Penang Road


Chendul and Ice Kacang, Lebuh Keng Kwee off Penang Road


Lee Brothers Ice Kachang, New World Park - of all the samples, this had the smoothest, finest ice

Or, if we are to talk meaningfully about "good" and "bad" dishes, an objective way to compare and calibrate different palates.

Zealand Bak Kut Teh, Gurney Drive

Zealand bak kut teh came highly-recommended but seemed little better than the rainwater collecting in their special standing buckets.

Or an international anthology of night eating spots and a categorisation of the common methods of supper food preparation:

Lorong Bahru (New Lane Road)

Or how about the use of fast food as a barometer of globalisation and also a common denominator with which to measure the stubborn differences between cultures:

KFC at a real mansion off Jalan Burmah, McDonalds' Apple Pie and Boh Tea at Penang International Airport

But as our budget flight on Tiger Airways suddenly accelerated as it came in to Changi Airport then banked suddenly and heavily left then right, then aborted the attempt to land completely ("turbulence from the plane in front" said the pilot), some things seemed clear:
"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" says the world but God will destroy both, one and the other. "All things are lawful for me" says the liberated Christian, but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. It would be pitiably futile to have one's whole life consumed (ha!) by an obsession with soon-to-be-passé tummy and food. "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food. (Isaiah 55:1-2)

Clove Hall
11 Jalan Clove Hall
If having your accommodation described as "sensitively conserved", "lovingly restored", "heritage", "privately-owned", "boutique" and yet "wifi-enabled" gets you all in a tizzy. And you've never found a use for those tedious minibar, coffee/tea, in-room safe facilities that so beset faceless mega-hotels.

Toh Soon
Jalan Campbell (Jalan Pinang end)

Kafe Heng Huat
108 Lorong Selamat

Goggle Auntie - with trademark goggles and red beret. Not to be mistaken (how could you!) for Goggle Uncle who, according to the internets, set up shop at her old spot.

Joo Hooi Coffeeshop
Jalan Pinang (Penang Road)

Eng Loh Coffeeshop
Jalan Gereja (Church Street)

New World Park
Jalan Burmah

Control Sinners On A Weekend Away

In the garden, the lotuses are blooming but we're off for the long weekend.

Woohoo, here we go! Oh, them undies are missing again.

We just can't let go. We need to know and we need to plan and we need to manage.

We need to "know the truth" about our destinations before we leave:
Trip Advisor
Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forum
Travel Fish (for SE Asia)
National Geographic's Intelligent Travel
Conde Nast Traveler

especially recessionistas:
Budget Travel
The Frugal Traveler

Those with a slightly higher travel budgets who find the luscious Luxe City Guides too generically chatty need personalised travel guides:
traveldk.com
Offbeat Guides
Tripwolf Travel Guide

Photosynth might give us panoramic visuals on the place.

If we've only got a window within which to take our vacation, then Joobili is our friend.

We want to search for things to do in the city according to our mood: ifeelearth

We need to know the current exchange rates:
XE Universal Currency Converter
Oanda FX Converter

and the weather:
World Reviewer Holiday Weather Guide

We need to ensure the efficient use of luggage space:
The Universal Packing List
One Bag

We need to know that we have the most direct flights for the best price:
priceline
wego (HT: Popagandhi)
Kayak
Airfare Watchdog
Misa Travel

and predict where those airfares are headed:
Farecast

We need to know the quality of the airlines and their inflight meals. We want to choose the best seats:
Airline Quality
SeatGuru
Airline Meals (not updated)

We need an online check-in service to schedule our check-ins to get the seats we want:
Check me in

We need to know the best places to spend lay-overs in airports:
Airport Privacy Havens

We need to know our flights will arrive:
Delaycast (offline for now)

and have someone tell others when we have actually arrived (physically in bodily form of course, not in a status-referential way - that's so 1980s):
ArrivedOK

We also need our transportation from the airport facilitated:
Hitchsters
London Luton Liftshare

We need to make sure our frequent flyer miles are put to the best use:
WebFlyer

and that our tax refunds or financial compensation for delayed flights don't remain unclaimed:
missrefund
EUclaim

or that we can sell our unused airplane tickets:
Re-ticket

Or, if we are travelling by old skool trains, we need to know the best rail journeys:
The Man in Seat Sixty-One

Even before reach our destination, we need to know the best places to lay our bodies and the best price for taking up space:
Late Rooms
Mr & Mrs Smith

choose the perfect room for ourselves:
TripKick

and to get some visuals on the hotels and the rooms:
SeeYourHotel
Trivop

For those who prefer crashing in strangers' homes or camping in their backyards:
CouchSurfing
GlobalFreeloaders
Stay4Free
The Hospitality Club
BeWelcome
Servas
Roomorama
airbnb
Single Spot Camping

For those who want/need to sleep in airports:
The Guide to Sleeping in Airports

We need directions on-call:
GPS
Google Maps
BreadCrumbz
WalkIt (Obviously, this is a rather UK-centric site.)
Simpatigo

Bonus points from the Authenticity Movement if they come hand-drawn and with insider tips:
A la carte maps

We need to make sure that we continue receive real-time updates from our contacts:
Twitter

and that we are kept informed in a crisis:
Ushahidi

and if necessary, we want to actually talk to anyone in the world for cheap:
Skype
Jajah

And why not keep track of all our travel research and have our trip itinerary well-organised:
gliider
Tripit

and have a soundtrack to go along:
Amplified Journeys

Naturally, this listing is primarily for my own convenience. Intrepid global nomads, info addicts, map maniacs, ADD wired-and-plugged-ins love these life hacks and other mod-cons for iphones (not quite perfect knowledge nor available internationally yet but getting there) because they make us feel competent and that our time and resources are being used efficiently, which is good, but they also encourage us to think we are in control of our lives, which is not so good.

Usually, it takes a plane crash or an unexpected hostage situation in a hotel to remind us that no, despite our meticulous planning, we are not in control of our vacation, nor infact, any part of our lives, really. Yet we persist in thinking that studying hard and working even harder will secure our future; we think cutting carbon emissons will save the earth; we think savvy economic policies will bring prosperity for all.

So even those of us who ought to know better still make an idol of attempting to assert complete control over our lives so that things will pan out exactly as we want them to. To that end, we manipulate and dominate and exaggerate and lie; we wear ourselves out with busyness and frustration; our waking hours are choked with preoccupations and worries.

Yet we forget that the God we claim to worship created the entire universe with a word. He marked off the heavens with the breadth of his hands (Isaiah 40:12). He sustains all reality with the power of his word (Hebrews 1:3). Nothing is outside his control. He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11). He directs the hearts of kings like a watercourse, in whatever way he chooses (Proverbs 21:1). And he has promised that all things will act for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

So our problem is a lack of faith. But there should be no lack, for it is not blind faith that we are asked to have, but faith based on facts so solid that unbelief is unreasonable and absurd.

How can one giving serious consideration to Jesus' acts on earth, as recorded in Chapters 8-9 of the Gospel of Matthew, fail to hail him as lord and Chief Controller? We can scarcely even obey already fall far short of the tenets laid out in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). So we can't even exercise complete control over ourselves. And can we control the body of another so we can distance-heal the sick? Can we command a paralysed man whose muscles have atrophied from decades of unuse to pick up his bed and walk? Are we so in control of nature that we can tell a storm to bugger off? Do we have dominion over life and death so that we can bring the dead back to life? (Matthew 8-9)

No?

Oh,

and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. (Luke 12:25-31)

There is a place for planning for the efficient use of resources and the direction of one's life. But let us remember that all our scheming will come to naught if it is not God's plan for us. And actually, we already know God's plan for us, so why not spend our lives in the most efficient way possible by using our resources for the objective already laid out before us - coming into saving relationship with his Son and seeking God's kingdom.

All That Jazz and God Transforming Sinful Natures

In another life, it might be nice to use some random postgraduate degree as an excuse to research a thesis on food blogs as carriers of cultural memes, with food as universal language, hunger and greed as international drivers, recipes as socially-transmitted information. Unfortunately for those lovely ladies slogging away in cavernous kitchens in the Middle Ages, the lack of the internets then and the lack of readily available plucked and washed swans in the supermarkets now means my collection of Medieval recipes shall languish sadly in their hotel rooms like craggy-faced Bill Murrays on the set of Lost In Translation.


So for the present, chocolate hazelnut cake as sappy nostalgia commodified into the product of flour, eggs, cocoa and heat; as bourgeois-aspirational Anglo-centric fetishistic faux-domesticgoddess/Stepfordwife-ness; as handy reference to the "original" Nigella Lawson Torta alla Gianduia, itself is a dessert that references other desserts and on and on until drowned out by liberal socialist types protesting the tyranny of the meta-dessert (or as Zizek might mumble through his chocolate and hazelnut-stained teeth, the Dessert of the Real).


In yet another life, the thesis would be about music as a barometer of societal values wherein freewheeling jazz was first subversion of object-oriented composition by oppressed minorities, but is now signification of modern/post-modern respectability, hegemony synonymous with the institutionalisation of improvisation, the entrenchment of laissez-faire composition. (With the great Dianne Reeves, however, jazz was secondary to The Voice. And what a fantastic concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall, well-supported by a tight band consisting of Peter Martin on piano, Reginald Veal on bass, Terreon Gully on drums. Much mirth at the gospelised lyrics. By the end of the second encore, the audience was engorged with two solid hours of mesmerising musicianship. Some discussion later about gospel as cultural heritage.)


Oh yes, and in another, research would be on the symbiotic relationship of food and music as culture and so, taken as an interdisciplinary whole, as rhetoric and symbols of particular worldviews and thus their effect, exported, on foreign cultures.

But there aren't many alternate lives in which to spread these ironically inherently meaningless thesis-misses togged in obfuscating semiotics; there's one life now to deal with, then death and judgement.


Of some help in the important desert-of-the-real stuff in this one life might be the self-improvement section-ly titled You Can Change by Tim Chester I helped a friend purchase. A flip-through while waiting for a morning espresso yielded some interesting pull-togethers of Scripture, inter alia:

Introduction and Chapter 1: What would you like to change?
In addition to the Vaughan Roberts-style run-through of being created in God's image, how that image was broken because of humanity's rejection of God, and how humans are re-created in God's image, sinful behaviour was set out not just in the passé terms of lust, pornography addiction, adultery and alcoholism, but also in terms of the constant worrier, the grumbling of respectable Christian servants and the insecurity of "good-value" diligent well-taught blokes.

Chapter 2: Why would you like to change?
An important point missed out by most books on the subject. Anyone who has tried to work at changing themselves will know that motives are always mixed. Perhaps we want to change so God will be impressed with us and save us or bless us in some way by giving us health, a job, a spouse, a child etc. Or perhaps we want people to be impressed - to fit in or win approval, to show that we are godly or spiritual. Or we might want to feel good about ourselves and boost our self-esteem by claiming that our former sins are comfortably behind us.

Chapter 5: What truths do you need to turn to?
Behind every sin and negative emotion is a lie. Sinful acts always have their origin in some form of unbelief. People are given over to sinful desires because "they exchanged the truth of God for a lie" (Romans 1:24-25). Recognising that behind every sin is a lie not only gives us a radical view of sin, it also points us to the road out of sinful behaviour and emotions - that road is trust in God:
1. God is great - so we don't have to be in control.
2. God is glorious - so we don't have to fear others.
3. God is good - so we don't have to look elsewhere.
4. God is gracious - so we don't have to prove ourselves.

Chapter 9: How can we support one another in changing?
God is in the business of change and he's placed us in a community of change. Individual sin impedes the growth of the community as a whole. It stops us from growing together as the body of Christ. Even our private, secret sins affect the community. But the Christian community is the best context for change because it's the context God has given. Therefore the church is a better place for change than a therapy group, a counsellor's office or a retreat centre. God has equipped each of us with a gift so that we can contribute to the community as a whole. Together, we grow towards maturity by speaking the truth in love to each other; by confessing, being accountable, encouraging and rebuking each other; by being honest, open and transparent about our struggles so that we rejoice to be in a messy community of broken people but a community of grace. Sadly, many Christian relationships and friendships are less about sanctification and preparing for judgement and more talismans against loneliness and low self-esteem, support groups and social clubs, and gossip exchanges. How can we make our Christian friendships more heaven-oriented as God intended?

Not really meant to be a summary of the book, but a scratch-and-sniff to say that it seems like one that might repay some reading, with a Berean mind and Bible at hand of course.